Bocce: The Answer to Dead Time on the 4th of July
Every 4th of July picnic has "dead" time. This dead time begins when your Uncle Al, sporting his red, white, and blue apron, makes the last call for burgers before shutting down the grill. It ends when your cousin Rick with the mullet lights his punk and starts blowing up the 400 bucks worth of TNT he picked up at the rez (he got a sweeeeeeeet deal, only to discover the half stick of dynamite he was saving for the "finale" is a dud).
Different people do different things with the dreaded 4th of July picnic dead time. Your Grandma Florence and Great Aunt Bernice usually head inside because it's getting too cold for them. Your mom starts setting up chairs in the front yard--stadium style, to capture the best angles of Rick's fireworks display. Your 4th grade cousin Darren is drooling all over Rick's purchases, talking about how "awesome it's going to be when we light off the 'Sparkling Chinese Torpedo.'"
And you? Well, you're not just sure what to do.
The game is on inside, but it's the Dodgers and Giants, two teams you couldn't care less about. The Nacho Cheese Doritos call your name for a second, but you've been eating all day long and are feeling like a blimp. A croquet set is sitting beside the food table, but you've been around the block enough times to know by the time you get all the wickets lined up properly and stakes pounded into the grass, you will have missed Rick's show.
So why not try a game of bocce (pronounced BAH-chee)? Bocce sets can be purchased at most sporting goods stores or Fred Meyer, Wal-Mart, etc. Each set contains a total of 9 balls; 1 ball is small, the other 8 are larger and come in four different colors (two of each color). The game has official rules, but I think they're a waste of time. Just gather 1-3 other people who are sick of the dead time and give each of them two balls of the same color. Then, throw the little ball out into the yard somewhere. The object of the game is to throw/roll one or both of your balls closest to the little ball without touching it. The player who gets his/her ball closest to the little ball receives 2 points, while the player whose ball is second closest receives 1 point. After all players have made their throws/rolls and points have been awarded, throw the little ball to a different spot in the yard and begin the next round. The first player to collect 16 points is declared the winner.
Here are a couple tips that will make bocce a staple for years to come during 4th of July dead time:
1. Toss the little ball into interesting and challenging places. Tool sheds, gardens, large plastic yard toys, dog runs (watch out for that poop!) and compost piles offer unique challenges and give the game an "off-road" feel, which is nice.
2. Make a wager. Nothing fuels family competition like gambling.
3. Keep your eye on the sky. Bocce is a lot of fun, and time will fly while you're playing. So be ready to put the game away as you see the sun slipping out of view in the west. Because there's one thing you and I both know for sure: you don't want to miss the Sparkling Chinese Torpedo.
Different people do different things with the dreaded 4th of July picnic dead time. Your Grandma Florence and Great Aunt Bernice usually head inside because it's getting too cold for them. Your mom starts setting up chairs in the front yard--stadium style, to capture the best angles of Rick's fireworks display. Your 4th grade cousin Darren is drooling all over Rick's purchases, talking about how "awesome it's going to be when we light off the 'Sparkling Chinese Torpedo.'"
And you? Well, you're not just sure what to do.
The game is on inside, but it's the Dodgers and Giants, two teams you couldn't care less about. The Nacho Cheese Doritos call your name for a second, but you've been eating all day long and are feeling like a blimp. A croquet set is sitting beside the food table, but you've been around the block enough times to know by the time you get all the wickets lined up properly and stakes pounded into the grass, you will have missed Rick's show.
So why not try a game of bocce (pronounced BAH-chee)? Bocce sets can be purchased at most sporting goods stores or Fred Meyer, Wal-Mart, etc. Each set contains a total of 9 balls; 1 ball is small, the other 8 are larger and come in four different colors (two of each color). The game has official rules, but I think they're a waste of time. Just gather 1-3 other people who are sick of the dead time and give each of them two balls of the same color. Then, throw the little ball out into the yard somewhere. The object of the game is to throw/roll one or both of your balls closest to the little ball without touching it. The player who gets his/her ball closest to the little ball receives 2 points, while the player whose ball is second closest receives 1 point. After all players have made their throws/rolls and points have been awarded, throw the little ball to a different spot in the yard and begin the next round. The first player to collect 16 points is declared the winner.
Here are a couple tips that will make bocce a staple for years to come during 4th of July dead time:
1. Toss the little ball into interesting and challenging places. Tool sheds, gardens, large plastic yard toys, dog runs (watch out for that poop!) and compost piles offer unique challenges and give the game an "off-road" feel, which is nice.
2. Make a wager. Nothing fuels family competition like gambling.
3. Keep your eye on the sky. Bocce is a lot of fun, and time will fly while you're playing. So be ready to put the game away as you see the sun slipping out of view in the west. Because there's one thing you and I both know for sure: you don't want to miss the Sparkling Chinese Torpedo.
posted by Small Fish at 10:46 PM
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AP - Angle Lake, SeaTac WA
Larry Watson and eldest son Nathan, ralled from an early deficit to defeat Peter, Shari and Gabriela 9-5 in front of a standing room only crowd on the shores of the Great Angle Lake.
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