ROLLING RIGHT ALONG
BERWICK — Imagine sitting at a football game between Berwick and Southern Columbia, and every catch in traffic, every tackle, and every rushing touchdown was applauded by every fan in attendance.
No matter the outcome, everybody went home happy that the athletes on the two teams just had fun and did their best.
Can't picture it?
Well, that's precisely what the two schools did Thursday evening in the high school gym at Berwick in a sport that is growing by the day.
With over 400 teams already competing in the PIAA, as part of the Special Olympics, Berwick is just the latest to gain a team — two actually — in bocce ball, joining the Heartland Conference. The first team won 11-9 in the final series to remain a strong 5-1. Southern won the second match, 11-7, to drop the Bulldogs' second team to 2-4, a group of kids coach Sue Zarrett says are young and "just warming up."
"Danville was a really good opponent, but this score was really close and exciting," Berwick athlete Lilly Rupp said. "It was good competition."
Bocce ball is a sport in which teams score points by rolling a softball-sized ball as close as possible to a golfball-sized ball called a pallina on a 60-by-7-foot court. Each team throws four balls per round, with each team's balls a different color to distinguish them.
Building a new team
Zarrett, a math teacher at the middle school, was out to dinner with a friend in April, who told her all about the sport. It piqued her interest and she decided to start a team at Berwick. Zarrett wasn't scared of rejection, saying, "When people hear who the sport is for, who can say no?"
The idea wasn't met with denial. In fact, after the school board approved it, Central Columbia was open to helping Berwick get started, becoming the fifth Press Enterprise region school to have a team, along with Mount Carmel and Danville.
"We were in need of equipment, and I called Central coach Brett Sarnoski and he lent me everything we needed for our spring season [intersquad matches]," Zarrett said. "Everything I needed or questions I had, Brett was there to help me."
And if there was any hesitation from athletic director Bo Orlando about adding to the 20 teams the district already had, it quickly subsided when the Bulldogs hosted the Blue Jays — who continued to help the Bulldogs with game day strategies — and he took in the atmosphere.
"Our fanbase, the crowd, everybody has really taken a liking to it," Orlando, who was heard cheering for good rolls throughout the matches, said. "I know when I first heard it, I'm full Italian and play a lot of bocce, I was excited, but this is at a whole different level. I told someone that with other sports, you're playing rivals and other teams, and fans are yelling at referees or their own teams. With this, everybody cheers every throw and it's refreshing that there is no animosity, but it's still competitive."
Strength in numbers
The applause and cheering were in abundance on Thursday, and over 100 spectators were there to cheer for every roll.
Dozens of those came for a short time through the S.O.A.R. club to cheer on their peers, including Olivia Stoneroad and Hailey Richards, members of both teams.
"I love it. I think it's a good way for kids to accept who they are," S.O.A.R. leader Jodi Walp said. "We all have our strengths and weaknesses. It's a great way to accept everyone."
The athletes soaked in all of the support, even as they needed some direction. Southern's Blade Miknich needed a "partner," or regular education peer, to point out where the pallina was, always giving two thumbs up after every roll. Meanwhile, teammates were required to clear the wall for Berwick's Rheannon Billig to get onto the court with her walker and lend her a ramp for rolling the ball. In both instances, teammates did the work, not the coaches.
"I like all of it and think we should cheer everyone on, even people from the other side," Berwick athlete Hailey Richards said.
Berwick has strength in numbers, with its two teams comprising eight athletes and eight partners. There was initial fear because 14 had come out, but after saying they needed two more to form a pair of teams, or six kids wouldn't play, interest spiked. It hasn't gone down since, leading Zarrett to believe the team will continue to maintain substantial numbers.
There's also a strength in character on display. When one team is on the bleachers, they're seen and heard cheering on teammates as if the final score depended on them from the sidelines. It stretches beyond the team, too.
"Some kids missed their chance to come out this year and are excited to get the opportunity next year," Zarrett said. "Even in the community, people are curious when they can get their hands on our bocce t-shirts, and we have plans for a senior dinner, even with us just losing two players [Mallory Frye and Pam Hegland]."
Zarrett also credits much of the interest to assistant coach and life skills teacher Deb Kern, as well as to the video department reaching out to ask students what being included means to them. The video was shown to both middle school and high school students to promote both bocce ball and mental awareness.
Should either Berwick team qualify for the playoffs, they would compete in regionals before the state finals.
In the end, Zarrett couldn't be prouder of how much progress has been made beyond wins and losses.
"On a unified team, everyone belongs, and it's inclusion in action."
Link to story: https://pressenterpriseonline....
