Seabrook	UPDATED: Thursday, May 10, 2007
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Let the good times roll

Posted on Thursday, May 10, 2007

Bocce ball season starts this month at Seabrook

By Julia Boyle
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE

Bocce anyone? That’s what men and women at Seabrook are saying these days, now that spring is in full swing.

The seven-month-long season starts this month, and folks are itching to get outside for a fun dose of competitive exercise and camaraderie.

“It’s a game that anyone can play because all you have to do is take a ball and throw it,” says Kay Dornan, a Seabrook bocce player who has been helping Wellness Coordinator Judy Seger prepare for the season this year. “Without knowing that you’re getting wonderful exercise, you’re enjoying it.”

Popular pastime
Although bocce may sound more like a delicious pastry you’d find in a fancy restaurant in Little Italy, it’s actually a competitive game that’s spreading like wildfire throughout the U.S.

According to the World Bocce League, more than 25 million bocce enthusiasts have heard of the sport, play recreationally, or play on structured courts in the U.S. today.

“It’s one of the fastestgrowing sports in the U.S.,” says America’s “Mr. Bocce,” Phil Ferrari, president and founder of the World Bocce League. Ferrari is the former U.S. bocce singles champion.

The game, thought to have originated in Egypt, dates back some 7,000 years. The concept is simple: two teams are made up of two to eight players each. Each player is given two balls (bocce). One team tosses a pallino, or “small ball,” onto the bocce field.

The object of the game is for a team to get its bocce as close to the pallino as possible. The balls thrown closest to the pallino receive points. Players also try to knock their opponents’ balls away from the pallino.

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“It’s popular because you get immediate response out of it,” Ferrari says. “What I mean is that the first time you throw the ball out it’s exciting. Plus, you don’t have to be a Michael Jordan to play this game. It doesn’t require extensive exercise or for you to be physically fit. You also don’t need a lot of fancy equipment, just the balls and a good pair of gym shoes,” he says.

An all-person’s game
“Bocce is a great sport for any age because it does not require a high level of strength or aerobic endurance. It does, however, require hand-eye coordination and a certain level of balance and flexibility,” Seger says.

Once the season starts, teams meet every Tuesday at 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. for an hour-long set. “You play each week and have one off-week,” Dornan says. “At the end of the season, the two best teams play against each other. The winners get a bottle of wine and a trophy.”

Dornan says teams form with their friends from the dinner table and around campus. But during the season is also when friendships form. “Due to the nature of the game with one person participating at a time and seven others watching, there is a lot of time to get to know each other. The benefits of being part of a team are as much a part of this sport as any,” Seger says.

Seabrook’s professional 12-foot-by-60-foot bocce court features two bocce ball sets, a professional scoreboard, and a bulletin board used to post schedules, teams, and standings.

If you’re interested in learning more about bocce, log onto www.worldbocce.org. You’ll find information on the history of bocce, tournament information, and tools to help you learn how to play the game.