The bocce team has put in hard work and dedication during practices and finally got to apply it during the new season’s games. The players did this by giving the games their all and helping each other along the way. Each player contributes through their own unique strengths within the different aspects of the game. With new members, there comes the challenge of learning the strengths of each player and using this knowledge for game strategies. 

“We have a lot of new members to the team. I think the team’s biggest strength is their ability to work together. They all listen really well to each other and they all show good leadership,” Head Coach Ms. Kennedy Carnahan said, “The season is going well so far. I hope that we will be able to make it to the playoffs in late February, but we will have to wait and see.”

As the season continues, the team is striving to improve by incorporating more practice into their preparation for upcoming games. Players have quickly learned that the floors of gyms can really be challenging to play on. Many gym floors are uneven. When the players roll on their turn, the floor sends the balls in all different directions. This added challenge is something that the team can not prepare for. They will need to travel to other school districts for games and will not be able to determine how to best play on that court prior to games. However, the practices still allow the players to get more familiar with the game in general, practice on their home court and get to know each other better. During games, the players talk to one another as they wait for their turn to roll. 

“I think they are all becoming friends outside the team. We did a disability event where they got to work together. We are also doing a March Madness event so that they will be able to work together for that too,” Carnahan said. 

At the end of March, the bocce team will be participating in a “March Madness” style of tournament. The tournament will be held all day in the gym. Players will compete in single- elimination games. Each team will consist of four Gen. Ed. students and one of Ms. Carnahan’s students. This tournament will be used as a fun way for the players to practice their skills together. 

“The best thing about bocce is being able to spend time with the students of Cafe 116 and learning how unique everyone is. I think if we really work for it we can go further than we did last year. Our team has a lot of potential this year,” junior Brenna McIlvain said.