Don't forget our "Free Bocce Workshop" this Sat, July 31st at 1:00 pm.  Come on down.
Practice. Practice. Practice... Wed night is full! Mon and Tues teams let me know your plans.

Santa Rosa takes back Regional Bocce crown. Fall League starts August 9.

July 24. On a picture-perfect day in beautiful downtown Santa Rosa's Juilliard Park, four of the region's best bocce ball teams gathered for their biannual competition.  Twice a year, after the Santa Rosa Bocce League's Spring and Fall Seasons, the group sponsors a Regional Exhibition Match and invites neighboring cities.
"It took me a year-and-a-half to get the Hone Dogs down here to play. They're St. Helena's top team," says Founder and League President, Robert Battaile. "I knew how much our teams have improved. I promised them some serious competition and Santa Rosa delivered the victory!"

St. Helena has ninety teams playing. The local paper prints the scores every week.
Frane Franicevic, Captain of the Sunce Winery team shows that winning form.

The level of play at the Match was very high. The courts were unusually quiet as intense concentration sustained over hours of play was required. If you ever think "bocce's not a sport," you need to watch a tournament of this caliber. Or, better yet - play in one!
Marin's Bocce Gals. Santa Rosa Allstars on the right.
Bruce Stolbov and Lorraine Vannetti. One of our Founding Board Members, Nancy Kelly is seated.
Marin's Bocce Gals joined the fray, getting better with each game. The Gals play on courts with artificial surfaces in San Rafael. "The courts are like pool tables. When they come up here, it feels like you're rolling balls in a sand box," adds Battaile, relishing their special challenge. Marin has 150 bocce teams.

Santa Rosa has a Single Player Tournament and the top players become the "Santa Rosa Allstars." Battaile reminds us that "Marin beat the winning Sunce team; and we beat Marin. Therefore we're the best team. Right?"

Tides can and do change often. It's part of the beauty of the sport.
Bill Saltzman (left) and David Wallace from Sunce Winery.

David used to play in St. Helena and always dreamt of beating the Hone Dogs.
Sunce Winery won the Santa Rosa Bocce League's Spring Season for their second time since the League's inception in 2009. The fact that they have a bocce court at their winery has nothing to do with their success.

Team also gets the win for best wine at the Match.
The Hone Dogs introduced a new level of finesse to our bocce-consciousness. "Their focus and mindset was fun to watch," adds Battaile. "They've been keeping individual stats for years. They keep a record of every shot!"

The format was a round-robin tournament with a best-of-three game at the end. Sunce Winery and the Hone Dogs fought for control of the pallino. But, the Dogs' deadly short game couldn't defeat the wild-and-wooly long game that would ultimately win the day for Sunce. 12-6, 3-12, 12-8
IN OTHER NEWS:

1. "FREE BOCCE WORKSHOP on Sat July 31 at 1:00 at Juilliard Park.

2. FALL LEAGUE begins AUG 9.
Teams play on Mon, Tues and Wed nights (Wed is full, sorry) Teams are 7-15 players. Individuals and beginners welcome. Fun for all ages. $25 for adults. $15 for kids for a 10-week season. www.santarosabocce.com or 707-965-9568 for more info.

Left. Allstar, Gene Vannetti demonstrates the art of levitation.