Bocce is 70
centuries old and so are the arguments that go with it. Bocce, the bowling
game of the Caesar's, isn't a sport. It is an excuse - an excuse to get
out of the house for several hours, to sip a glass of wine, to bet a few
lira and to provide fuel for the universal Italian hobby of arguing. Bocce
is the direct ancestor of such games as bowling, lawn bowling, duck pins
and candle pins. It also could be called the stepfather of such modern
pastimes as curling, shuffleboard and horse shoe pitching.
Reprinted from an
article from Dodge News Magazine (July, 1967) in a story by Harold Claasen.
Each year
the Clinton Bocce Ball Club is in charge of Little Italy Festival Town's
tournaments. There are two L.I.F.T. tournaments on Saturday - one is for
men and the other is for women. There are also two tournaments on Sunday
with one tournament for men and one for women. Sunday's tournament is the
Indiana State Bocce Ball Tournament. Both tournaments are sanctioned
through Indianapolis by Little Italy Festival Town, Inc. The tournaments
start at 11 a.m. Saturday and Sunday and registrations will be accepted
from 9 a.m. till 10:30 a.m. each day. These tournaments are held at
Sportland Park on South Ninth Street, and registration is $20 per team per
tournament. These tournaments have been drawing between 130 to 150 players
for the two days' events. Teams come from many states, and this last
years' teams came from as far away as Florida, West Virginia, Michigan and
Texas. Clothing, trophies and cash make this an extremely attractive event
with well over $4,000 in prizes. Illinois teams in the past have provided
very stiff competition as they have very ambitious programs in their
state.
This article is
reprinted from the 1997 Bollettino.
The Bocce Hall of Fame
Clinton now
has its own Bocce Hall of Fame. President Jerry Krasek formed a committee
in 1998 to start a Hall of Fame for players and club officials that have
kept the game of bocce a family sport. The 2001 inductees into the Hall
are: Domenic "Poncho" Avenatti, Taft Cheek, Joe Cottrell Sr., Roy
Hastings, Felicie Tuberosa, Perry Faulds, Silvio Vitali, Bill Vitaniemi,
Bob Smith, Lisa Stevens & Bertha Faulds.
Those slated for induction into the Hall in 2002 are: Jules Benetti, Aaron
Caress, Bill Crevits, Bruno DeRocchi, Pete Nora, Jim Rendaci, Mel Savio,
Chris Scaggiari, John Tuberosa Jr., Tobie Tuberosa, Mariam Vitali & Eva
DeMichael.
2003 was a very successful year for the Clinton Bocce Club. We held our
Bocce Hall of Fame Banquet on August 27 at the Moose Lodge. Twelve people
were inducted.
Front Row -
Sonja Vitaniemi, Fran Krasek, France Bales ( Daughter Angel Faulds
accepting), Rich Tuberosa, Jerry Krasek. Back Row - Dave Barnes, Bill
Vitaniemi, Norm Cottrell (deceased - son Tim Cottrel accepting award), Tom
Tuberosa (John Tuberosa brother accepting award). Also inducted were Don
Fassero, Rich Girardi & John Savio (deceased).
A special plaque with 8 individuals, who helped the club and had devoted
much of their efforts towards the sport of bocce ball in years past. They
were Sam Iaconetti, John Giovanni, Angelo Tasso, Pete (Blackstone) Picco,
Pete Varda, Joe Fenoglio, Jim Ferrare & Lee Franklin.
The two
plaques are displayed at the Wine Garden Museum.
On September 28, the bocce club held a family picnic and final tourney at
the Krasek villa. Forty people attended and the team of Bill Smith & Fred
McGammon won 1st. 2nd went to Frank Krasek, 3rd Mike Volk and Bill
Vitaniemi.
For more information on
the LIFT Bocce Tournaments you can contact Jerry Krasek at 765-832-6878.
