A unique summer sport will be hitting the lawn at Foster Park this week as local Special Olympic athletes invite the public to come out and play.
On Thursday, June 16, everyone is invited to try their hand at bocce.
Bocce is an Italian lawn game in which two teams compete to bowl four wooden bocce balls closest to a marker ball, called a pallino.
Traditionally played on a flat course, bocce has become a popular pastime in Canadian backyards and parks in recent years.
Bocce has proven popular among Flin Flon’s Special Olympics athletes, said Heather Chrupalo, Special Olympics Norman Region team leader.
“When the bowling alley closed, a lot of the athletes weren’t doing anything, so we thought, why not bocce?”
Initially the group started playing in the Many Faces Education Centre gym, but moved outdoors last year onto a grass court at Foster Park.
Chrupalo said six players regularly meet up once a week to play bocce during the warmer weather.
On Thursday at 7 pm, locals are invited to come out and try the sport.
Special Olympics Awareness Week, celebrated in Manitoba from June 11 to 18, presents an opportunity to let the public know about local programs and also create an opportunity for potential volunteers or athletes to see what the group is all about.
Chrupalo said the local Special Olympics chapter currently offers bocce and swimming programs.
She said she would like to offer more sports, like snowshoeing and cross-country skiing, but needs volunteer coaches to
do so.
