“We got this!” senior Autumn Henderson shouts, preparing for playoffs. Now, the team is gearing up as they get ready to focus on securing their title in playoffs. And this was only the first year Greater Latrobe High School has tried out something new, bocce ball, which is starting to progressively grow in the area.
Bocce is a sport that’s all about strategy, precision, and technique. While it might seem new to GLSD, the game has been around for centuries. In ancient Rome, players first used coconuts. Eventually, it spread through Europe and became very popular, especially in Italy and France, where they created the first leagues and clubs. Bocce came to the United States in the early 1900s, thanks to European immigrants, and now there are over 25 million players in the United States. (Allsport America).
This year, at GLSD, the team has worked its way up to ten players. [Eric Bisignani, Chris Fello, Trinity Guy, Ethan Haydo, Autumn Henderson, Brianna Hoffer, Mia Myers, Jordan Nelson, Conner Nett, and Vincenzo Zaccagnini]
Ms. Falkosky, a learning support teacher, and Mr. Heide, the athletic director at the time, decided they would dive head first into bringing this “fun and positive” activity to the school.
Even though it sounded like a great idea, starting the team wasn’t easy. They had to meet some requirements, like having at least eight players and alternates.
On top of that, the coaches had to do hours of training, and the team had to get organized quickly since the Special Olympics gave them a tight deadline. To help get things started, Mr. Heide came up with a list of students whom he thought would be a great fit based on their attitude in prior activities.
Last year, only two or three schools in the county had teams, and now six or seven more have joined in. Latrobe’s team might be new, but it’s already making an impact.
Henderson was choosing a place for flextime and saw that bocce ball was an option. She was curious about the whole sport and wanted to learn more. That’s when she decided to join the team.
The sport was completely new to Autumn. It was a little hard for her to grasp at first,
but that didn’t stop her from acquiring the skill to beat Ligonier at her first game.
“I enjoy being with my teammates,” expresses Autumn. It’s one of her favorite parts of her involvement. She loves the surrounding atmosphere of the games and practices.
Rolling the balls is a key factor in a successful game. Autumn says, “Trying to
get it at the perfect angle” is the hardest part.
Senior, Mia Myers, also joined the new bocce ball team. She enjoys the overall environment as well as how the game and team are so, “…encouraging and uplifting.” She loves seeing the look of joy and pride on her teammates’ faces and says it, “…outweighs any loss.”
For Mia, the team’s first game was also a memorable part of this whole experience. It was against Ligonier Valley and Mia’s team beat them 16-2. She says how communication was a big part of it. “Communication is an important skill in Bocce to voice motivation and strategy to each other,” said Mia.
The team practices on Mondays and Wednesdays in the hallways. They exercise rolling the balls while talking about strategic scenarios. All while building chemistry within the team to work collectively and positively.
Mia’s biggest influence has been both Ms. Falkosky and Mrs. Wilson. “They both portray such positivity in making everybody feel like they have a place. Their determination for success on this team pushes me to want to be my best self for my team,” said Mia
Even though this was their first year, the team finished the regular season strong with seven wins and only one loss. They are now heading into the postseason. Ms. Falkosky pointed out that her goal starting off was just to “have fun and see where it took us,” but the team ended up doing better than anyone expected. They will make their way to the first round of playoffs on February 25, 2025, and everyone is excited to see how far they can go. She’s hoping that this recognition will provoke people at school to get involved and that the student body and staff will show up to support the team in the future.
