Residents find lawn bowling is a great way to get to know your neighbors
Forget the Kentucky Derby and the PGA Championship, some of the most tenacious competitors can be found on the bocce courts at Oak Crest, an Erickson Living community in Parkville, Md. Residents of Oak Crest meet twice weekly to compete, socialize, and relax with friends and neighbors over a friendly game of bocce.
“Bocce is a lot of fun. We just go out and have a good time and it’s okay if we win and it’s okay if we lose. You make new friends and meet new people. Our team is all female and we do our best to keep it lighthearted,” says Polly Carroll, who learned to play shortly after moving to Oak Crest eight years ago.
Dating back to Egypt 5,000 BC, bocce, also known as Italian lawn bowling, is a popular yard game played all over the world. According to the United States Bocce Federation, the early Romans were among the first to play a game resembling what we know as bocce today using coconuts brought back from Africa and later bocce balls carved out of hard olive wood. Beginning with Emperor Augustus, bocce became the sport of statesman and rulers. It later made its way to the United States with Italian immigrants in the early 1900s.
The concept is simple. There are two teams, consisting of two to eight players. Each player is given two balls (boccia). One team tosses a small ball (pallino) onto the bocce field. Then players take turns rolling to see who can get their ball closest to the pallino. After each player has thrown their balls, the team closest to the pallino receives the point.
Fun for everyone
Today bocce is the third most-popular sport in the world behind soccer and golf. From Pinstripes Bistro, Bowling, and Bocce in North Bethesda to Cedar Lane Park in Columbia to the casual back alley bocce courts of Little Italy, bocce is popping up in parks, bars, and backyards across Maryland. And with good reason; it’s fun, social, and easy to play.
“Bocce is popular because it is easy to learn,” says Oak Crest Wellness Manager Julie Sega, who offers administrative support to the league. “It’s fun to be outside exercising and socializing. There is also that competitive spirit the residents love.”
John Gregory, a retired Math teacher who resides at Oak Crest, began playing bocce seven years ago. He now organizes Oak Crest’s bocce league.
“We play two days a week from April through June and then pick back up in September,” says John. “This is the league’s first time officially back on the courts since taking a hiatus during the pandemic. We didn’t formally play games last year, but the bocce equipment was there for anyone who wanted to play, and I played many times.”
Doug Jaymont moved to Oak Crest in 2015, the same year he learned how to play bocce. “I never knew anything about bocce before I moved to Oak Crest,” says Doug. “It looked like a fun game to play and very interesting so I approached one of the players and asked how I could get on a team. They needed another player and invited me to join their team.”
Doug says some teams are quite competitive and others play just for fun. “There are people who just come out in the evenings, not to compete but just to play and socialize. I have made a lot of friends through bocce. My team gets together for dinner. Some teams play cards together. It’s a good way to meet people.”
John encourages new players to join a team and learn the sport. “The more the merrier. Even if you’ve never touched a bocce ball, you can still come out and have fun and be successful,” says John.
The best way to learn how to play is to go out on the court a few times, get a feel for the weight of the balls, and get familiar with the court. Most courts are on a little bit of an angle so you may get a faster roll on one end versus the other. But after a few tries, you will easily get the hang of it.”
In addition to bocce, Oak Crest offers plenty of other opportunities for outdoor enthusiasts, including a putting green, a half-mile walking trail, 10- by-10-foot gardening beds, a greenhouse, and a one-acre pond.
Written by Danielle Rexrode
Beautiful walking paths, gardens, resort-style amenities, an on-site medical center staffed by full-time medical professionals, and new friends await at Oak Crest. Request a free brochure or schedule a visit now!
About Oak Crest: Oak Crest, one of 20 continuing care retirement communities managed by Erickson Living®, is situated on a scenic 87-acre campus in Parkville, Maryland. The not-for-profit community of more than 2,100 residents and 1,250 employees is governed by its own board of directors, affiliated with National Senior Campuses, Inc., who provide independent financial and operational oversight of Oak Crest. Additional information can be found at OakCrestCommunity.com.
