TRAVERSE CITY -- It was a pastoral panorama: a bocce tournament on the lawn of Building 50, the afternoon event preceded by an elegant picnic.
More than 60 players comprising 16 teams faced off in the first Bocce Tournament Saturday afternoon in Traverse City, launching what organizers plan to be at least an annual event.
The Cultural Italian American Organization al Villaggio hosted the gathering, which after a leisurely repast and rain interruptions stretched into the evening. Finally, a hard fought final match resulted in Team Vozza taking home the championship trophy and the game of bocce having won a local venue.
"What's nice about the game, just like any other game, it's definitely an easy way to have fun but for someone like my dad and uncle, there's a definite strategy and it gets competitive," said Angelo Vozza, who played with his dad, brother and uncle. "There are special types of shots that allow you to knock somebody else outside the ring. It can be a little kids sport but definitely an adult sport, too."
Getting into the Italian spirit of things, bocce teams at the tournament sported names such as Olga's Pasta Squadra, I Cinghiali (the wild boars,) Gli Amici (just friends) and Solo per Divertimento (just for fun.)
Not everyone involved could point to an Italian heritage. Just like the Cultural Italian American Organization al Villaggio, which has hosted monthly movie nights since January, anyone interested in Italian culture was welcome. The 60-70 attendees at those informal get-togethers, which include a potluck and wine, decided to bring their fellowship outdoors for the summer and the bocce tournament was born.
"It was a lot more fun than I thought it was going to be," said Pam Carney of Traverse City, who with her husband Dennis weighed in as the Irish contingent on a team. "It was fun, a lot of fun. I'd do it again."
Temporary 12- by 60-foot courts were marked off for the classic Italian game. The grassy imperfections of these make-shift courts contrasted with typical clay ones that are lined by wooden boards.
Ray Minervini, the Village at Grand Traverse Commons founder and a member of the Cultural Italian American Organization al Villaggio, is having two traditional bocce courts installed on the grounds.
Sometimes the bumps, slopes and divots on Saturday's courts made for an interesting game.
"The official bocce court, with hard packed clay and boards, is a completely different game," said Pete LaPlaca of Traverse City, whose brother, Frank, drove up from Dearborn to play on his team. "Here, you have to play the pitch and roll, every court here is a little different."
As novices to the game, the Carneys initially found that the uneven courts gave them an advantage.
"One thing about those courts is they were all different levels, so it took you about half the game to get to know if you threw the ball where it would go," she noted. "We played our last game against a husband and wife who have a court in their backyard. At first we were beating them 6-3 but then they finally got the lay of the land and they won."
The Cultural Italian American Organization al Villaggio represents what is possible at the Grand Traverse Commons, noted Minervini. Growing up in an Italian neighborhood on the East Side of Detroit, Minervini was immersed in shared activities and culture all within a central, walkable location.
"There were bocce courts scattered around the neighborhoods," he recalled.
The various businesses, activities, games and gatherings that take place at the Village hark back to those busy, dynamic neighborhoods of his youth.
"It's an opportunity for social interaction and conviviality, which is what the Village is all about," he said of the Cultural Italian American Organization al Villaggio.
The concept brings to life the much-used term of community, embracing activities that have real people doing real things.
"When we came here we didn't put a gate on the road," said Minervini, starkly illustrating his philosophical approach to the development.
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