Jo piloted!

Jon & Patxi Tambourindeguy

These two world champions are above all artisans driven by the desire to pass on their passion.
With Ona Pilota, Jon and Patxi Tambourindeguy have created a manufacturing and initiation workshop like nowhere else. We met the two “brothers”, these local children who embody the bidartar temperament better than anyone.

Jon and Patxi, how did your story with Bidart come about?
We were born in Bayonne but our whole life is in Bidart. We grew up there and built our careers. It's our village, we owe it everything. It was important for us to create our workshop in Bidart and to make it the showcase of the Basque pelota.
We are not little proud: Bidart is today a benchmark for this sport.

You talk about this village with passion. What are your favorite places?
The square is beautiful and the chapels offer breathtaking views of the ocean. It is truly magical. The coastal path and the beaches are also part of Bidart's treasures. Have a drink at Elissaldia, whose boss is also a pelota player, or at Fronton Bar, it is really only happiness. And we discovered theKoskenia Hostel. It is a new concept which is a real added value for Bidart.

You grew up in front of the pediments. Did you expect such a rise?
We have always been passionate about competition, but we had no particular ambition. All that mattered was the pleasure of "typing" after school. The evolution happened quite naturally. We both have similar journeys and crossed the stages one after the other until integrating the France team and winning significant titles.

Patxi, in 2003, you became world champion UXNUMX in Cuba. Is it the best moment of your career?
It will remain completely apart for a while. I wasn't necessarily aiming for the title and I didn't have too much pressure. Winning these world championships, sharing this medal with my loved ones has really been a great experience. These are incredible times. This helped launch my career and give Basque pelota a new reputation. The year 2003 was really exceptional for me with a title of champion of France then of world champion before leaving for the United States.

What did your Miami experience bring you?
After this world title, I decided to try the American adventure. I ended up in Miami for ten years. I had professional status with contracts all year round. I was doing pelota eleven out of twelve months, six days a week. It was really intense. And playing in Florida is also an opportunity to meet the best in the world. A consecration for us, Basque players: we play first at home, we climb among the best in the region before being selected among those who will go to Florida… the peak of a career.

And you Jon, tell us about your track record. What are your best memories?
My best memory is this victory at the world championships in Barcelona in 2007. Four years after my brother's coronation, we brought the crown home. Two years later, I won the World Cup and in 2011, I went under professional status. I had the chance to evolve in Mexico. In our sport, the Mexico City fronton is an institution. There, there is a lot of fervor around the Cesta Punta which is played inside.

Can we see you playing in Bidart and on what occasion?
We are part of the France team and we are preparing for the World Cup initially scheduled for Cuba in October 2020 and postponed for a year. This is our priority objective alongside coach Philippe Etcheberry. In the region, we play on several frontons as part of the ProTour circuit: in Biarritz, Hossegor, Pau, Saint-Jean-de-Luz or even Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port. As professionals, we only play on indoor pediments - Jaï Alaï in Basque. And above all, we welcome the public and holidaymakers to our Ona Pilota workshop in Bidart. This is first and foremost what motivates us and makes us happy.

Ona Pilota, we've heard this word since we were little. And today, we savor the happiness of living our passion and sharing it with the public.

Patxi Tambourindeguy

With Ona Pilota, you are taking a new step forward. But where does this name come from?
This means in Basque "the good ball". We have heard this word since we were very young. So, we took it quite naturally for our workshop. And today, we savor the happiness of living our passion and sharing it with the public.

What can we discover in this workshop?
Our goal is to democratize the Basque pelota game by opening the doors of our workshop in Bidart. We organize visits to explain a double know-how: that of cestero, the word which designates the craftsman who makes the chisteras, and that of pelotero, the maker of ball. We present the braiding of chistera gloves and the different stages involved in the making of the ball to allow visitors to know everything about the making of the instruments. And of course, we organize demonstrations and introductory or advanced courses to discover Basque pelota. The idea is to make this discipline accessible to all.

Is it also a way to promote Basque culture?
Our whole approach is imbued with Basque culture. We also teach visitors the words of the Basque pelota such as " Jo "Which means I hire," Zuri " yours, " Air " on the fly, " Sega "Continues or" lasai " slowly. We use a lot of technical terms to communicate between players on the same team. It is often spectacular and very popular with the public and holidaymakers in particular. It's our way of sharing our love for this sport and Basque culture.

Have you even launched a clothing collection?
Yes, a collection of pelota caps and jerseys. We wanted to move the lines and break away from the traditional codes of the ball. In Bidart, we like challenges and being daring. This eclectic and inventive side without taking itself seriously, isn't it precisely the spirit of Bidart? We have always been used to living in places where we could do everything and we have kept this rhythm of life in Bidart. It is a village that is both calm and peaceful but also very dynamic, where there are a thousand activities to practice in a fabulous setting. Like most people back home, we play pelota, we surf, we fish and we are super chauvinistic. It is for all this that we passionately love our village.