Charlestown and Oak Crest players form friendships with disabled athletes in first Maryland tournament

By Danielle Rexrode
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE

Marie Kibby had never played bocce when she signed up to compete in a bocce tournament at the Clarence Du Burns Arena in Canton sponsored by the Special Olympics.

“I’ve always wanted to learn how to play. I play tennis, take aerobics, and I enjoy sports in general, so I decided to sign up,” says Marie.

Training day
For six weeks volunteers from Charlestown, paired with adults from St. Peter’s Adult Learning Center while Oak Crest players partnered with The Arc of Baltimore to learn the rudiments of bocce and prepare for the Special Olympics Unified Sports tournament.

“We practiced once a week for an hour on the new bocce ball court here at Charlestown,” says firsttime player Rosemary Erdman. “The folks from the Special Olympics were just thrilled to be playing. I really enjoyed it, too. The nice thing about bocce is that anyone can play and it’s great for all ages. Now that I know how to play, I’ll continue and I hope to participate again in the tournament.”

“I had a ball,” says Oak Crest competitor Louise Ross. “This was the first time I’ve ever played. As a matter of fact I hadn’t even bowled before. But I’m up for trying anything and it was really easy to pick up. The Special Olympics people we played with were just wonderful. We cheered each other on, danced around, and won the silver medal,” she says.

Social sport
Mike Bovino, who heads the Adult Program Initiatives for the Special Olympics Baltimore City, says that the Special Olympics Unified Sports initiative has been around since the mid-1980s, but this is the first time it is being hosted in Maryland.