Unified Sports Bocce Ball Begins the Season With High Hopes
by Michael Pue for Walkersville High School Lion’s Pride
Bocce ball is- according to Dr.Debra Phebus, “very similar to horseshoes. We have a little yellow ball called a palina and we have to roll the palina between a center line and a foul line. Then there are two teams, one has red balls one has green balls. The team that gets the most balls closest to the palina gets points. You can play to 16 points or 25 minutes.”
Phebus continued, “So it’s like horseshoes in some ways but you’re trying to the pole getting closer. You can knock other people’s balls out, you can block people from the palina so it has strategies that go with it. It’s similar to the kids kinda bowling the balls. Their rubber ball to the palina target.”
When asked about the Bocce team Phebus said, “We’ve only had one practice so we are into it for having fun and bocce is not been a sport we’ve been very strong at in the past but we’ll see. We’ll see how it goes. It’s all kinda how the balls bounce.”
Sophomore Garrett Tyeran said, “I like knocking the balls away from the little yellow ball,” when asked why he likes bocce ball.
“I find it fun and it’s a good way to earn student service learning hours and I’m trying to work up my profile for the honor society,” said sophomore Lindsey Winpigler. Winpigler also said, “Bocce ball is very fun to do. It’s a good atmosphere to work in as well.”
The first match for the team is against Middletown on January 6.
Senior Henry Vaudreuil said, “Most of the time I get to meet a lot of people. A lot of people who play the sport tend to play it over and over each year. So I get to see my friends a lot. Also, it’s nice to be one of the first people to tell them this sport is something they can enjoy.”
Phebus stated, “We are going to learn to work as a team. We are going to improve our problem solving skills. Unified teams consist of half special ed students and half regular ed students. We want each student to have a buddy and develop a friendship and improve their social skills. We would love to win the county championship and qualify for the state championship. We will work hard every day and improve and we always give 100 effort.”
“My friends have recommended I try out bocce. I have considered doing it. It sounds fun,” said sophomore Jordan Newman. Newman continued, “It’s sort of what bowling is like. It sounds kind of interesting. I’m not good at bowling but I like playing.”
WHS principal Tracey Franklin said, “I love bocce! Honestly bocce is one of my favorite unified sports programs. I think it’s a great opportunity for students with different levels of disabilities and students without disabilities to truly compete together in an environment where they both are on the same level playing field.
“I think it’s an opportunity for great relationships to be built. I think stronger relationships during bocce because of the collaborative sense of the sport more than some of our other unified sports even though I love all of them. I’m a huge bocce fan and I think it has a great environment attached to it and I hope kids learn more about it because it’s like one of those life long sports that you can play but it’s probably my favorite unified sport.”
Phebus stated, “Part of unified sports is more about having fun and participating than winning so we don’t really focus on winning. We are playing really well and we have a pretty strong team so I think we’ll do fine but it’s more about all the kids getting to play and just, you know, having fun with it and socializing but we’ve done really well at practice and we’re playing better than we typically are playing for our first match but I think we’ll beat them.”
