WAUBONSIE VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL

HISTORY: Bocce is a game in which a ball is rolled down a lane with the aim of coming to rest near a smaller
object ball called a pallino or jack. Not only is it among the earliest known outdoor pastimes, but it is played in more
countries than any other ball game, with the exception of soccer.
The exact history of Bocce is difficult to chart. Although there is evidence of similar games being played as early as
5000 B.C. in Egypt and 300 B.C. in Greece, the earliest direct lineage of Bocce can be traced to an ancient form
played in the Italian Alps about 2,000 years ago. It involved the tossing of stones with the intent of coming closest to
a smaller object stone. Accounts are given of this game being especially popular with the Roman soldiers who
played it as a pastime between battles during the Punic Wars about 264 B.C.

PLAYING BOCCE BALL: A game can be contested between two players, or two teams of two or
four. A match is started by a randomly chosen side being given the opportunity to throw a smaller ball, the jack
(called a pallino or boccino in some areas), from one end of the court into a zone near the other end of the court
of about 5 metres in length, ending 2 metres from the end of the court. If they miss twice, the other team is awarded
the opportunity to place the jack anywhere they choose within the zone.

The side that places the jack is given the opportunity to bowl the first bocce ball. Once the first bowl has taken
place, the other side has the opportunity to bowl. From then on, the side which does not have the ball closest to the
jack has a chance to bowl, up until one side or the other has used their four balls. At that point, the other side bowls
its remaining bocce balls. Like lawn bowls, the team with the closest ball or balls to the jack is awarded one point
for each ball that is closer to the jack than the other side's closest ball. The contest continues until one team scores
13 points (though this can vary regionally).

In this scenario the red team would score two

points because they have two balls closer to the
jack than the blue team does.