Bocce Tonight in People's Park
With the kickoff of the Neighborhood Business Showcase, Exit133 will be hosting a summer-long bocce tournament. It’s been over a year since our last consistent bocce season and we’re ready to start playing again. So here’s how it’ll work:
Each night of the showcase, if we can find some grass to play on, we’ll be out playing bocce. Tonight’s match will be in People’s Park on MLK. If you’ve never played before, we’re here to tell you — this is an easy game. Given some of our abilities … you may even win.
The entrance fee is a receipt of at least $5 from one of the local businesses in the neighborhood in which we’re playing. Tonight, for example, you could go to Johnson Candy Co., before heading to the game.
Here are the general rules:
Teams will be in pairs.
The number of teams may be limited by the number of bocce sets available. We’ll have a lot there, but bring one if you have one.
Where we differ from some bocce aficionados, is that we don’t really care which way the pallino is thrown to start out each frame (hint pallino is secret bocce code for small white ball). Sure, nice grass or oyster shell courts are great, but what if I want to venture into those tree roots over there. That’s completely legit in our way of playing.
Scoring will be consistent with standard bocce rules. The objective of the game is to get as many of your team’s balls closer to the pallino than the other team’s closest ball. Each ball you can get inside your opponent’s first ball will be a point.
Games will go to thirteen points or until time runs out for the round.
More complete rules will be available tonight.
This is the first week so we’ll see how this goes, but we expect to throw the first pallino at 5:30. We hope to have the final match starting at 7:05.
1st and 2nd place will receive points that will accumulate over the course of the summer toward a big finale in September. Start playing now! Get those early season points before folks hone their bocce skills.
Tonight’s prize: $50 to Tempest Lounge. Should the winner be under 21 years old, we’ll find an alternative.
Tell your friends.
Filed under: Business-District-Showcase
10 comments
O onbroadway May 22, 2008
Wish I could make it, but I’m glad Exit 133 bocce is stating up again – even if entry is more structured these days. (Dang, I never thought to ask for a receipt at the Tempest.) Exit 133 bocce was/is a fun, no pressure way to begin meeting lots of great people in Tacoma, and a way to finally meet people you may have only known or read on-line. Bocce courts are for sissies – head for the tree roots.
M michael buchanan May 22, 2008
I’ll be there after a stop at Johnson Candy! My first attemt was a year ago before I moved back to Tacoma, but you were rained out and I did not know you always adjurned to Doyle’s. No Bocce set yet, we’ll see how badly I do.
G Gadsby Glasrud May 22, 2008
I’m moments away from my next adventure.
I hope to attend one of these Thursday evening to observe and cheer for victory.
Best of luck, and I’ll see you there later this summer!
H Heather May 22, 2008
My fiance and his hetero-life-mate are planning to school all ya’ll. Should be highly entertaining.
See ya there!
E Erik B. May 22, 2008
Tonight’s prize: $50 to Tempest Lounge.
Wow. Nice. If someone was good at chalk and Bocce, they could almost make a living competing in Tacoma if a few more competitions opened up.
D drizell May 23, 2008
Great to see some prizes. Great to have local businesses supporting a relatively new pastime. I’ve only made it out to bocce once, since I live in Centralia, but I’ll try to make it more often this summer. It’s worth the drive, and sometimes you end up sipping pints at Doyles and throwing darts long into the evening, if you’re lucky.
H Heather May 23, 2008
Yay! Justin won. I hope he shares…
I heard the final score was Justin 13, Rob 11, and Rick 11, but I’ll let Dave or Derek confirm that.
<b>Thanks Exit 133!</b> It was fun! Plus, I thoroughly enjoyed warming up with a cup of hot cider (plus a little something) over at the Tempest while the guys finished the game.
I took a few pictures, which I will post over on Feed>>Tacoma after the holiday — if any of them turned out.
See you next week!
J Justin May 23, 2008
Thanks for putting this on, it was a lot of fun! We’ll have to head to the Tempest after the next match I’m able to attend so we can share the winnings!
R Rob Collins May 23, 2008
Thanks Justin for kicking our butts!
Hope everyone had as good of a time as I. The UTBA thanks Exit133, their supporters, CDA, and all who came out to join in the fun! See you next week to win the ultimate price from Ruston.
M Megan May 23, 2008
I got all jazzed about bocce, sent out an email proposing that Friday night plans for drinks at the Tempest be modified to include a bocce competition, resolved to stop home after work to grab my set …and then read the comments where I realized that today is not, in fact, the 22nd.
I’ve got to start checking Exit 133 every day.