Let The Games Begin

Yesterday morning I made a quick trip to Walmart and Meijers to see if either of them had a decent Bocce Ball Set.  Bocce Ball is a game that we enjoyed in our backyard when we lived here in Harbor Springs.  Walmart had a cheap set but Meijers had a regulation Bocce Ball set for forty bucks; the best price I had found on line for the same set was almost fifty-five dollars.  Being that it was the last one they had, it came home with me.

 

The neat thing about Bocce Ball is that it can be played by anyone using any set of rules (yes, this is a game that you can literally make up the rules as you go along.)  It can be played anywhere on any terrain with from two to eight people.  The object of the game is to get the big balls (Bocce balls) as close to the little ball (Pallino) as possible.  The team with the most Bocce balls next to the Pallino wins the round.  You can select as many rounds to play as you desire or you can designate a winning score.

There are “official rules” for playing Bocce Ball.  The regulation games are played on a court that measures 95 feet by 15 feet.  The “official rules” aren’t complicated, however, they are fairly numerous and quite specific.  There are “in bounds” and “out of bounds”, “in play” and “out of play”, and “what counts” and “what doesn’t count” rules that govern the game.

The “backyard rules” are fewer and no where near as stringent as the rules for a regulation game.  And, as the name suggests, the game is played all over the back yard and not restricted to a court.  Bocce Ball, like badminton, croquet, and horseshoes, is considered a summertime lawn game.  While we’re “on the road” we’ll just play by the backyard rules.  When we get back home, to Rainbow Plantation, I will set up a court so we can play some regulation Bocce Ball as well as the backyard version.  Hopefully some of our neighbors will join us in the backyard for some iced tea, finger foods, and Bocce Ball.  It should be a fun afternoon/evening.

Let The Games Begin and May God Bless  - - - - - - - -