BOCCE 2020 Season – by Joe Carrone
It is finally spring and we are ready to kick off the 2020 Bocce season. After a year’s absence, the very popular summer bocce league will return. In 2018, more than 120 residents participated (60 two-person teams). We hope to even increase that number in 2020. Teams will be divided into groups of 8 and each team will play the other teams in their group once (so your commitment is roughly 7 hours over the course of 3 months). The season will start right after Memorial Day and last until September. There are no fixed times to play – you simply contact your opponents, arrange a suitable time and reserve a court. Signups for the league begin April 1st, and end on May 15th. The bocce committee will then set up the groups — so make sure you enroll in time, and don’t be late or you might miss out. To register a team for the league, e-mail Joe Carrone at trejoe2@gmail.com. You must include names of both players, as well as their email addresses and phone numbers. Note – if you played in 2018, you will still need to re-register.
At the end of the regular season, eight teams will compete in the playoffs, culminating in a championship match combined with a fun social gathering.
- For those of you new to the sport, we will be having 2 hands-on bocce clinics – Tuesday April 14th and Thursday April 16th – both starting at 3pm. These clinics will introduce you to the sport, and help you decide if you want to join the league. There are no signups for the clinic – just show up for one or both.
- For those of you who might not want to play in a league, there will be scheduled weekly open bocce. There are no signups — just show up at the day and time (to be announced), and play with others who have joined you.
- We also plan to bring back the ever-popular hot dog nights — probably 3 or 4 over the course of the summer. These are sign-up events and limited to the first 20 players who sign the list for that month.
- Last, but not least, are the village bocce social nights. Several villages have regularly scheduled these over the past years, usually involving food and drinks. Typically, villages will pre-reserve the courts in late spring for several nights during the summer season. Contact Carrol Thompson at carroll.thompson59@gmail.com for further details.
- The updated bocce mailing list is being created. If you sign up as a league team, you will automatically be added. If you are not joining the league, but want to get all the updated information, email Joe and let him know.
There are only 2 rules for the great sport of bocce at Hershey’s Mill – meet your neighbors and have fun!!!!!
