BocceLocal Practice Info

Bocce will begin practice in early August 2012 check back for specific date/location.

The Special Olympics North Carolina Eastern  Bocce tournament will be in Oct 2012.

We are currently seeking athletes interested in participating in our 2012 Fall Basketball Skills tournament.

If you are interested in participating in bocce for next year or would like more information please Contact Us.

You can also view the information below, beginning with the History of the sport, all of which is available from the Bocce resource section on the SONC website.

Special Notes

  1. All athletes must have an updated participation form on file in our office and at the SONC state office BEFORE they can begin ANY practice.
  2. All athletes who hope to advance to state games MUST attend a bocce qualifier.
  3. Athletes MUST be able to travel and stay with the delegation without parents.
  4. Also, while all athletes interested in bocce are welcome to train and participate in local events, not all athletes will be selected to attend the state games.

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The information below is taken directly from the documents available from the Bocce resource section on the SONC website.

History

Bocce originated in Italy and is also known as “boules,” which is similar to bowling. At the 1992 Special Olympics North Carolina (SONC) Summer Games, bocce boasted the largest increase in participation of any sport, from 40 athletes in nine local programs in 1991, to 108 athletes from 18 local programs in 1992.

Events Offered

SONC offers singles, doubles, Unified Sports doubles, team, and Unified Sports team competition.  Bocce is a game of skill and strategy. Depending on the event, players take a turn rolling a bocce ball toward the smallest ball (pallina), which has already been thrown onto the field. The players are given points for the balls thrown closest to the pallina.

As in all Special Olympics sports, athletes are grouped into competition divisions according to ability level and age and gender when appropriate.

Competition Opportunities

Area/Divisional Qualifiers are offered for bocce in the month of September. Particpation at a bocce qualifier is mandatory to be eligible for state-level competition. Doubles and teams must be consistent from qualifiers to the state-level competition.

SONC Bocce Tournament is split into two separate regional state-level competitions in October.

Rules & Resources

Please see the Special Olympics of North Carolina Bocce Page for a full list of current rules and resources.