Published in The News-Herald
August 30, 2004
By Diana Lewis
News-Herald Staff Writer
The traditional Italian game of bocce is enjoying something of a renaissance, as evidenced by the number of teams competing in the 2004 Laketran Cleveland Challenge Cup of Bocce, held this weekend in Wickliffe.
According to Patrick Del Freo, tournament marketing director, the 21-year-old tournament has expanded over the past few years so dramatically that the host Wickliffe Italian & American Club is looking to build three more bocce courts to add to its six existing courts.
The three-day event was held on the club grounds off Euclid Avenue on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Estimates set the weekend crowd at 5,000 people, with about 1,000 watching the final match between JJ's Litehouse of Sharon, Pa., and Not Just Steak of Woodridge, Ontario, near Toronto.
JJ's Litehouse |
Not Just Steak |
FROM HOME PAGE: JJ's took first place in the final match, with Not Just Steak second and Rainbow Creek No. 1 of Toronto third.
Rainbow Creek
This was JJ's third first-place finish in the history of the tournament.
The highest Cleveland-area finisher was Vandra Brothers Construction of Oakwood Village, which came in fourth.
"In 2001 we had 48 teams, in 2002 we had 54, and in 2003 we had 64," said tournament director Wayne Farinacci.
The recent addition of a 40-by-60-foot court pavilion sheltering three of the courts helped keep things moving this weekend, in spite of the wet weather.
Farinacci said the growing popularity of the tournament has led the club to consider building a second pavilion over the remaining three courts, and three more uncovered courts.
"The guys that come here from other states say this is the best-organized and best-run tournament in the Midwest," Farinacci said.
As most of the 71 teams were "spocked" out of the running Sunday - one by one - the intensity of the remaining players increased.
For the uninitiated, bocce has its roots in the Roman Empire.
The game, which has elements of horseshoes, pool, bowling and even croquet, can be learned in minutes, but it can take a lifetime to master.
"It's simple, but it's challenging," Farinacci said.
The game is played with eight large wooden balls, called "palls," and a smaller white ball, called a "pallino."
The pallino is tossed down the court, and the teams take turns trying to score points by rolling their balls closest to the pallino.
"Spocking" occurs when an opponent's ball is rolled so close to the pallino that it is almost impossible to beat.
Then a player throws his ball very hard to knock his opponents' balls away from the pallino.The balls closest to the pallino score points.
Easy?
Depends on what level of play one engages in.
As the semifinals were going on under the pavilion, teenagers played on the outdoor courts.
"We're getting more and more in their 20s and 30s involved," Farinacci said. |
Teenagers play too!
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"If you just have guys in their 50s and 60s playing, the game will just go away."
The teenagers learn by playing with the older men, Farinacci said, "as long as they don't mind losing."
Late Sunday afternoon, as the members of Rainbow Creek No. 1 struggled for survival, observers could feel the intensity exhibited by the four-man teams.
At one moment, finesse was needed to roll a ball close to the pallino.
Then strength, combined with a good aim, was needed to "spock" an opponent's ball and take the point.
While each team member throws the ball alone, he rarely does so without some "coaching" from his fellow players.
And most of the coaching is done in Italian.
Of the 71 teams, 51 were from Ohio - most from the Cleveland area.
Along with the Canadians, other teams came from as far away as Illinois and New York.
A satellite competition, the Laketran Invitational, pitted six teams against each other.
The winner was the team from Lake Metroparks. Lake County Chamber of Commerce and Laketran finished second and third, respectively.
The other teams participating were from The News-Herald, Lakeland Community College and Leadership Lake County.
Del Freo said he would like to see the sport included in the Olympics some day.
"If curling, badminton and table tennis are Olympic sports, bocce should be," he said.
Related photo sets: One | Two | Three | Four (in the order they were taken... "Four" is the finals)
Wickliffe Italian-American Club Home |
