Have a ball: Bocce growing in poplarity thanks to league nights

May 15, 2008 07:01 pm

— By Dustin Shipman
dshipman@joplinglobe.com
It’s a game that takes only seconds to learn.
But one could spend a lifetime developing the skills and strategy it takes to become a precision player when it comes to bocce ball.
There have been two public bocce courts located in Lincoln Park in Pittsburg, Kan., for a number of years. But the game has been growing in popularity in Joplin lately due in large part to the Gateway Creamery, 614 Kentucky Ave., which has a bocce ball court on its back patio.
While not everyone can agree on how to pronounce the game’s name, those who have tried it can agree that learning to play is relatively simple and a lot of fun, said Gateway Creamery owner Debbie Williams.
“I actually just came back from a trip to Italy where they call it ‘ba-chee’ but in the Italian neighborhoods up in St. Louis they call it ‘bow-chee,’ and they get really upset if you call it anything different,” Williams said. “We don’t care what you call it here, though. We just like to play and have fun.”
Mike Williams, the commissioner of Joplin’s Bocce Ball League, said the game is similar to bowling because the court on which the game is played resembles a bowling alley made out of hard dirt. However, the game is also sometimes played on sand or in short grass.
There are two people per team, and team members stand at opposite ends on the court. One of the players rolls a small yellow ball, called a pallino, past mid court to set up a target; then, players take alternating turns rolling a larger, heavier ball as close to the smaller ball as possible. Points are then awarded based on the ball’s position.
“The object is to get your bigger balls closer to the yellow ball than mine,” Mike Williams said. “Court surfaces vary and dimensions vary, and you roll the pallino to different spots at the end of the court. So if you think the person you are playing against has a better short game, you try to roll it long. Or if they have a better long game, you roll it closer. The game is different every time.”
Debbie Williams said it’s not just the league players that are using the course at Gateway Creamery. Throughout the week, people stop by to try their hand at the game because it is free to play and fun for all ages, she said.
“If it’s not a league night, it’s free to anyone who wants to learn how to play. We keep the balls out here and there are rules posted,” she said. “And even if you don’t play by all the rules, nobody’s keeping score, so it’s just a fun time.”
After finishing her first game of bocce ball ever on Tuesday evening, Staci Delozier said that not only was it easy to learn, she also won her first game.
“I had never played before, but this is a blast,” Delozier said. “It really is an easy game to pick up. It’s similar to shuffle board.”
Currently there are currently two bocce-ball leagues at Gateway Creamery. The first one meets at 6 p.m. each Tuesday, and the other at 6 p.m. Thursday. A new league is forming and will meet on Mondays. To join the league, contact Mike Williams at (417) 825-7222.

History
Bocce ball is one of the oldest sports recorded with origins reaching all the way back to 5,000 B.C. when Egyptians would throw polished rocks with rules similar to bocce ball.
The Greeks and Romans developed the game into what it is known as today around 800 B.C., first by using coconuts brought back from Africa and then later carving heavy wooden balls from olive wood.
Source: www.bocce.org/history

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