Makenna Jones, a 9th grade student at Salisbury High School, is one of the team managers in the new sport included at Salisbury called, “Bocce Ball” Let’s see what she has to say about the fun and engaging sport.
Q: What is Bocce Ball? What are the rules?
A: Unified Bocce Ball is a sport sponsored by the Special Olympics for Salisbury and some surrounding districts. Each team has four balls, and there is one yellow ball– the pollina is a small yellow ball that has to be thrown between the boundaries set inside the court, if it is not the team has 3 tries to get inside the boundaries, if they miss all 3 times, the other team gets to roll. If the other team doesn’t get it the first try, officials place it in the middle of the first foul line.
Whatever team has their balls closer gains a point, if a ball hits and moves the Pollina it changes the entire dynamic of the game– this is called “Kissing the Pollina.” If the ball pops out of the court it is a ‘dead ball’. When counting points teams are allowed to call for a measure, to clarify what ball is closer.
Q: How do you help out in Bocce Ball?
A: I mainly just go to practices in case they need help., I usually practice with them when a player is missing. Everyone helps clean up afterwards., I just kind of am there as moral support for the coaches.
Q: How often do you find yourself attending the practices of Bocce Ball?
A: I attend all practices, they are only on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Q: Do you enjoy helping out with this? Specifically, what do you enjoy?
A: Yes, I just like being able to be a part of the sport since it’s so new so everybody is learning. This year was Salisbury’s first year having a Bocce‘s team, and that is only going to happen once so it’s a big thing for everyone involved.
Bocce Ball, the new and fun sport for Salisbury, the Unified Bocce Team’s season has come to an end. With an inside scoop provided by Makenna Jones, the 8 players on the Bocce team placed 2nd in the Bocce championships.
