Unified Bocce
Coach: Gail Ward & Kelly Prussner
Returning Players to Watch: Tristian Albright, Quinn Jones & Aidan Wright
Key Games to Watch: Methacton, Norristown
Outlook:
Unified Bocce continues to gain attention and showcase teamwork. Many high schools in America have included the sport as a part of the sports they offer. Specifically, Pennsylvania schools and Pennsylvania as a whole has made a strong case for the importance of Unified Bocce. This sport is vital as it offers a special opportunity for all students to partner, compete, and work together. The goal of adding Unified Bocce aims to promote inclusion, acceptance and social skills for all students.
Upper Merion is one of the many schools in Pennsylvania that has recently started to include Unified Bocce and the team is preparing for a great season ahead. The Vikings last saw Bocce postseason play in the 2023-24 season, which they made the championship. Last season, Upper Merion came up just a bit short and did not participate in any playoff action. The goal for this year? Simple, get back to where they were in 23’.
“For this season we hope to build friendships amongst our athletes and our partners, a more inclusive environment. Hopefully, we find our way to the Montgomery County Championships, maybe a possible trip to Hershey,” said head coach Gail Ward.
Montgomery County holds the Bocce championships and tournaments. It’s called the “Montgomery County Championships,” as Ward stated. Montgomery County has held plenty of postseason bocce play throughout the years. They hold the Montgomery County Public Schools Championships, the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce Tournament, and the Special Olympics Montgomery County. The Special Olympics Montgomery County has resources and tournaments for bocce as a Special Olympics sport. The sport made its debut at the Special Olympics World Games in 1991, and local events have been ongoing for a while.
Hershey Park is another spot for Bocce postseason play and a part of the Hershey Italian Lodge. The lodge has a history of supporting Italian culture, and Bocce is an Italian sport. Hershey hosts the PIAA (Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association) Unified Bocce Championship, a Special Olympics event. The Hershey Italian Lodge was founded in the early 20th century to provide mutual assistance and a social center for Italian immigrants, and the tournament brings teams together from across Pennsylvania to compete in the sport.
For those unfamiliar with the sport Bocce in itself carries a ton of history. It started out in Ancient Greece and Rome, with evidence of early versions found in an Egyptian tomb from around 5200 B.C., they started with stones first instead of balls. The game, whose name comes from the Italian word for “ball,” spread through Europe and was popularized by Italian immigrants in the United States. Modern bocce evolved in the Piedmont region of Italy and France, and today it is played all around the world in both casual and competitive settings. Notable figures like Galileo and Sir Francis Drake were also fans of the sport.
Coach Ward is excited about this year’s team, “This year we are able to carry a roster of 10 players-5 athletes and 5 partners. We have our biggest roster to date with many students joining the practice team and helping mange the team.”
Upper Merion Bocce is about building team chemistry, showing leadership and building social skills and this is what it has always been about. The Vikings are nothing but excited for the upcoming season.
