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18 SOLERA DIAMOND VALLEY | NOVEMBER 2019 Article and Pics By Mabel Durand, Resident It was rise and shine for 30 SDV bocce playing residents on October 26. The Bocce Club held their end of the year tournament and barbecue. Participants checked in and drew a card (red or black). Holding their cards up, all searching excitedly in the crowd looking for their matching card number. "Who has my matching Lucky 7?" "Who will be their team partner for their name on the Bocce Trophy Tournament?" Terry Conners, the Bocce Club vice-president, placed the teams on the score board. "Let the games begin!" It's a lot of strategy out there on that bocce court. First is to win that heads or tails coin toss, then be the first to roll out that little white ball, which is called a pallino, and roll your first lucky color, red or green ball, out to block that little pallino. Your opponent rolls next. Depending whose color is closest to the pallino at the end of all the balls being rolled, that color gets the points (one point each ball) of the number of balls closest to the pallino until the opponent's ball is the next to be closest. Ahhh, but is there a "bacio KISS" out there? If the pallino and a red or green ball are touching it is a "kiss" worth two points! Sometimes both team balls are so close. When in doubt you get that tape measure out because it gets deceiving which ball is actually closer. Each player has his or her own strategy, some banking it off the side walls, drop it way out there, gentle release or just simply roll it straight out there. Oh but actually, there is seldom a straight because there always seems to be a little bump in the road. "Looking good… going straight… oh yes… oh NO… a bump… dang it." Or there is our lovely Maureen Medill we call "Queen Veer," she is always yelling at her ball "Veer!" Maureen played well with her partner Bill Allen going into the semi-finals. The Final was exciting to watch between new SDV resident and new to bocce Randy Daniels partnering with Louis Cherpin against the team of Jeannie Strader Allen and Joe Costello. As you can see in their action pictures they were concentrating. Winning this close final game and getting their names engraved for the 2019 Bocce Tournament trophy were Louis Cherpin and Randy Daniels. BOCCE CLUB TOURNAMENT