Boccie
Multicultural Games

by Hans, Andy	Germantown Academy 6th grade	1996
by Julie, Elaine		1998

State the name of your game and why you chose it.

1996 team: The game is called boccie or lawn bowling. Sometimes it is spelled bocce. We chose it because it looked fun and easy to learn.

1998 team (Julie):  I chose this game because the name sounded cool and I vaguely remembered playing it and enjoying it.

List the countries where it is played and its origin.

1998 team:  Boccie is played all over the world.  It is known as lawn bowling, nine pins, skittles, petanque and more.  Boccie is the Italian name for the sport.  Boccie was probably first played in Ancient Egypt around 5200 B.C.  We know this because there was a picture of two boys playing the game in an Egyptian tomb.   Boccie spread though the continents and it was a major game played in the first modern Olympics in Athens in 1896.  Boccie is a tournament sport too.  The popularity has gone up and done through the centuries, but it has been very popular in the United States since it swept California in 1989l

Describe how your game is played. State the object of the game. Clearly describe the rules.

The object of the game is for one of the teams to get their balls closer to the jack than the other team.  Each team can have 1 to 4 players.  

• The team who wins the coin choice chooses their colors.  They also are the ones who roll the jack out. 
• Then each person rolls their  balls, one person at a time.  (4 players on team, each rolls once: 2 players per team, each rolls twice; 1 person per team, each person rolls 4 times)
• Each player tries to roll their ball as close as possible to the jack.  8 balls are rolled - this is a frame.  One team is awarded a point for balls closest to the jack.   Frames are bowled until one team accumulates 16 points for a win.

List the equipment needed.

• To play this game you need a jack (small white ball) and 4 bowls for each team. Bowls should not be larger than 16.5 inches. Each person has a certain color.   You can buy boccie ball sets which include 8 balls, half of which are a different color and pattern and the smaller object ball (called the jack or pallina). 
• This game is meant for playing anytime if you have the space. It can be an outdoor or indoor game. Actually, in Italy they have outdoor boccie stadiums where people play and watch during huge tournaments.
• the surface that you play on should be reasonably flat and packed down such as a driveway.

Make recommendations for what type of athlete would enjoy playing this game. What skills does it demand?

• Andy: Most athletes might think this game is a little boring. This game is probably made for non-active people.
• Hans: I don't think that every athlete (soccer, football) would like this game. This game was probably meant for older people like croquet.
• Julie:  Boccie is a fun game to play and has rules that are not confusing.  It is a game where almost anyone who is willing to have fun and play well and fairly can play.  Boccie can be played at a leisurely pace in the park or at a picnic.  It can also be played as an aggressive sport with strict rules and in tournament.  Even if you are a competitive athlete you can play this game. Boccie is not always an easy going game:  there are many tournaments around the world that are serious and pay large amounts of money.  The rules are played at their toughest and strictest. This kind of boccie is played by an athlete who is very devoted to the game.

What are your feelings about this game? Did you enjoy playing it? Would you recommend it?

• Andy: You can play this game anywhere. I think this game gets a little boring after awhile.
• Hans: My feelings about the game are that it seems a little boring (to me) although I am sure that a lot of other people like it.
• Julie:  Boccie is a great game to be played with family and friends.  You can have fun with it and also improve your skills.  I have played boccie twice and it was a fun, easy going and interesting game.  I think it is interesting because of the flexible rules, various versions and fascinating origin.  I hope that it will stay popular throughout the generations.

 

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