The Joy of Bocce Weekly
The FREE, weekly Ezine for bocce aficionados everywhere
Volume #1 Issue #3 January 21, 2002
Publisher: Mario Pagnoni Copyright 2002 The Joy of Bocce
Come visit us often at Joy of Bocce. We have bocce info,
merchandise, links to other great bocce sites, and the best selling
bocce instructional book in the USA. The Joy of Bocce
If you know others who would enjoy and benefit from this Ezine, have
them sign up at Subscribe. I promise that I will never be in the business of selling or trading your email address or other personal information. If the readership gets large enough, maybe The Joy of Bocce Weekly along with my website can have a unifying influence on the game. This issue is the third in a kind of a trial run. The plan is to publish weekly as of March, 2002.
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In this issue
* Random Notes from the Publisher
* Special to the Joy of Bocce, by Bryan Mero
* Bocce Measures
* No Indoor Bocce Courts ... An Alternative
* Tournament Update
* The Games People Play - Still Available
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Random Notes from the Publisher
Welcome back to issue #3. It is obvious to me now that the Joy of
Bocce Weekly is a success (artistic if not financial), and I will try to
make it a legitimate weekly very soon. I just had extensive knee
surgery and am on some pretty hefty painkillers. I'll will write as often
as I am semi-lucid. This is rapidly becoming a "labor of love" for me
(the Ezine, not the drugs!). Getting some bocce dialog going is great,
but I need to get to a larger audience. That will be my focus for the
next six months. Please help this publication grow by telling your
bocce playing friends to sign on. Forward this issue to them and
encourage them to opt in at Subscribe. It's FREE!
I got no response from readers to my question about 45 degree angle
boards at the ends of bocce courts for playing carom shots. Has
anyone out there seen this? Also, Victor Avondoglio of Torino, Italy
tells of a variation of the game where the object ball is not a ball at all, but a
metallic washer-like object that never moves once placed. Can anyone shed light on this? Victor, now living in the states, says that he is going to introduce bocce to his New Jersey golfing buddies "...so I can make some money off them."
One of my favorite lines from a reader comes from Mike Hoban of
Raleigh, NC. His strategy was to build his own bocce court because,
he reasoned..."Build it and they will come...with beverages."
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Special to The Joy of Bocce Weekly
"Bocce Musings" by Bryan Mero
There aren't many sports that can compare to bocce. It's unlike the
game of bowling since there are no pins to knock down. Shuffleboard
comes close but does not have the same element of character of each
court. The only sport that compares is golf. The physical skill is
different but the feeling is the same. You make one good shot on the
links and your entire round was worth it. You're also left with the sense
that, "I can do that again." Bocce is very similar. Although it doesn't
take incredible strength or speed, it can produce the same rush of
adrenaline. Every roll can produce a well placed point, a wasted throw,
or other turn of fortunes.
Luckily the game is not limited to older Italian men in little white hats.
The team I played on this year had daughters, fathers and
grandparents all playing as teammates. Ages ranged from 8 to 72. I'd
like to see you do that with a backyard game of basketball, softball or
touch football. Here is a sport for the masses. There is no prejudice
against age, sex or physical prowess. The playing field is literally made
level and challenges everyone.
I've had many people scoff at the idea of playing bocce until they
actually attempt their first roll. Then it's a revelation. They never knew
how exciting the game was until they took their first bocce in hand and
rolled it on a bed of crushed oyster shells. One or two shots and most are pulled into the web of mystique of this glorious, age-old game.
{Publisher's note: Bryan Mero's www.iBocce.com is a nifty and very
complete website including info on bocce courts, rules, events, and
bocce products. Check it out. Bryan's Site }
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Bocce Measures
The Prohawk International measuring devices promoted here are
making a huge hit. I've selected the two of the best quality and value
and have placed four photos of each on my website. They sell for
about 20% to 25% less than comparable products I've seen elsewhere.
The Premier Boule Measure is a tape measure (extends to 2 meters -
about 6 ½ feet) with self-locking mechanism, calipers, and a game
scoring mechanism. The Clubhawk Gold uses string instead of a steel
tape (extends to 9 feet), and includes calipers and a belt clip. Either of
these would make a great gift for the bocce lover in your life. Every
serious bocce player (and not-so-serious player) should have one.
Please check them out at Measures.
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No indoor bocce courts for cold weather play - here's an alternative
We have been playing recreational bocce every Monday morning here
in Eastern Massachusetts. While most bocce players tell of cookouts
and wine that complement the sport, we are partial to morning coffee
and croissant o' chocolat. A collection of retirees and entrepreneurial
types, we were able to play outdoors this year until December. Initially, we
relegated ourselves to the fact that we were going to have to switch to
playing cards on Mondays until spring bocce could resume. There are
indoor courts around Massachusetts, mind you, just not near us. There are lots
of terrific venues in Western Massachusetts, a hot-bed of "pound the
pallino to the backboard" bocce. And there are some nifty courts about
a forty-minute ride from us...but nothing close to home. Noting the
popularity of places like Home Run Park and Hitter's Park (where
baseball and softball players bat, field, and stay in shape in the off season) we checked them out to see if they could accommodate bocce. They have yards and yards of AstroTurf there and are not very busy in the morning. Both
Home Run Park and Hitter's Park are reconditioned old mill buildings
from Lawrence's glory days. Sure enough, the owners were glad to
have us and, after several weeks on a trial basis, we are working out a
deal to play our winter bocce season indoors. For now, we just place
some two-by-fours at both ends and part-way toward the court's
middle. Two of our regulars, one a retired engineer and the other a fellow who worked on the Alaska pipeline are planning to build structures that we can
use for play, then take down and store when we leave. This might be
a good option for those of you, like my group, not lucky enough to be in a warm
climate or in an area populated with indoor bocce facilities. Check it out.
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Tournament Update
If you know of other events no matter how big and professional or
small and recreational, let me know and I'll post the info here. Here are
those I know of in chronological order.
Event: Southwest Florida Open Bocce Tournament
Dates: March 9 & 10, 2002
Location: Italian American Club, 25250 Airport Rd. Punta
Gorda, FL 33950
Info: The Italian American Bocce Association of Punta
Gorda, Florida will host the double elimination event. Entrance fee is
$200 per team (4 player teams) with $7500 in prize money. 1st place
= $4000, 2nd = $2000, 3rd = $1000, 4th = $500 {based on 50 teams
participating - with more or fewer teams prize money adjusted
accordingly}. Food and beverages will be sold. Game times 9:00 AM
to 5:00 PM both days. For more info contact George Farruggio@ 941-
575-0482, Fax 941-575-6231, E-MAIL WAM@ISNI.NET Deadline for
registration = February 28, 2002.
Event: 2002 United States Championships
Dates: May 4th thru 12th, 2002
Location: Los Gatos, CA
Info: Donna Allen of the USBF tells us that "the facility
is fabulous. Check it out... Campdibocce Both International style of rules
will be played as well as Open."
Event: The Chattanooga Southeastern Bocce Tournament
Dates: August, 2002
Location: Bluff View Arts District, Chattanooga, TN
Info: A field of sixteen four-person teams with cash
prizes of $7000. Participants enjoy great competition, gourmet dining,
and partake of the cultural amenities that abound. For more info call
423-265-5033 ext. 224. Also check out "the most scenic court in the
South" at Chattanooga.
Event: Chicopee, Massachusetts Open
Dates: Not set yet
Location: Szot Park, Chicopee Mass.
Info: Contact Rico Daniele, President Wonderful World
of Bocce Association WWBA 1-800-BOCCE54
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Still available at Joy of Bocce
The Joy of Bocce (128 pages - 7" X 10" B/W Photos & Diagrams
ISBN 1-57028-044-4) The first instructional book on bocce in America.
"My wife and I really enjoy your book. We started playing bocce when
Campo di Bocce opened in February of 1997. The first thing we did was
purchase a copy of your book to learn as much about the game as we could. All
the pages are dog eared now, but our favorite page is 55 and your positive
mental imaging ideas. It has prevented many an argument between
my wife and I after a bad shot or missed lag. We just shrug our shoulders and say "page 55!" John Ross
Chapters cover everything from how to play, strategy, where to get
equipment, and how to build a court.
Here's What People Are Saying About The Joy of Bocce...
"Hats off to Masters Press for publishing the first instructional book
promoting what has been called the best kept secret in sports and
what is now being hailed as the sport of the 21st century."
Phil Ferrari, President
World Bocce Association
$12.95 plus Shipping - you can pay by mailing a check or on-line with
PayPal - let me know if you want any special autograph inscription.
Click here
The Joy of Bocce
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The Games People Play - Still Available
I've located a gem of a series of Outdoor Games books by talented
author Steven Boga. He's written short, well crafted, clearly illustrated
books on: Horseshoes, Croquet, Badminton, Volleyball, and Archery.
I recommend them highly (each under $10.00) and you can find them
at Outdoor Games
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Another issue of The Joy of Bocce Weekly coming soon - please tell
your bocce playing friends about us. {Publisher's Note: Getting some
bocce dialog going is great, but we need to get to a larger audience.
Please help this publication grow by telling your bocce playing friends
to sign on. Forward this issue to them and encourage them to opt in at
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