Bocce Ball at Urban University

 Daniel’s Thoughts on Bocce Ball with Urban University

On Saturday, September 27th, my brothers David and Dallas and I had the chance to play bocce ball at an event hosted by Urban University. My mom and stepdad, JW, joined in on the fun too. Everyone wore name tags so it was easier to know who was who, and it really helped us connect and bond with each other.

The goal of the game was simple: roll your ball as close as possible to the silver ball. Our practice match was split into two teams and my team used the red balls and the other team used green. We played until 11 points. My first couple of rolls went too far, but by my third try I finally got the hang of it and made my best throw of the day.

After practicing, Miss Rose introduced what she called the “Bocce Olympics.” The event lasted from 2:00–5:00, with a pizza and salad break at 3:00. Once we ate, everyone was divided into seven teams. I was on Team 3, named the High Rollers, while David was on Team 6. Funny enough, we had to face each other right away! My team used the green balls, and David’s team used the red.

Since I’m a visual learner, I made sure to watch how other players rolled before it was my turn. That strategy really helped me. We played up to seven points, and as High Rollers, we ended up playing five rounds total and ended up winning three and losing two.

Overall, I had so much fun playing bocce ball for the first time. It was a great way to learn something new, meet new people, and spend time with my family. Big thanks to Miss Rose and Urban University for hosting such an amazing event and letting us be a part of it!

*David’s Thoughts*

I had a great time at Urban University 

Playing the Bocci Olympics With my family 

Playing Bocci was a new experience for me 

And something new that I learned from 

Different cultures and environments 

I enjoyed learning how to play this game 

With my family

And meet new people

And get to socialize more with older 

And younger individuals 

We first started with a practice game

To get warmed up

At first it was hard to me

But after a few practice sessions 

I got used to it 

And they told me 

When you throw the ball 

You don’t have to throw it so hard

I imagined it like bowling 

Or like cornhole the way the game

Is set up

Because each player has a ball

Red or green 

And then there is a small silver ball

That one person throws in the middle 

Of the court or wherever the farthest it goes

And each person on each team

Gets to throw the ball 

At least to the silver ball 

And you could knock out the other 

Opponents ball out if it’s blocking 

The silver ball

But the objective is to get next to 

The silver ball

Each team has to score to 7 points 

Whoever scores to 7 points wins the game 

We started with the practice rounds 

Then after a few practice sessions 

It was time for the championship game 

I was facing my Mom

I honestly didn’t want to beat her

I wanted to let her win

But I still kept my A-Game

And in the end

My mom ended up winning 

The championship! 

Her team won she won a big prize of m&ms

After the event me and my brother 

Had met an individual 

Who was also on the spectrum 

Looking for job opportunities 

And I also got to meet with Ms. Rose

Who put together this wonderful event 

That me and my family had enjoyed 

Very much