BOCCE BOCCE BOCCE 2010!!

Here they are, the Champions of BOCCE 2010, the King and Queen, Denny and Fran 'Kick-Butt' Hines, BOCCE team extraordinaire!! Congratulations!! What skill! What focus! What concentration! What a lot of trash talk! Fran and Denny, we know that's what really won it for you, the trash talk....

The runners-up, Frank and Chris 'Lucky-Atmospherics' Browns, hey, they were in the zone, it wasn't no lucky fluke this time, they were smokin'!

Haha, and Sharon and John 'I-don't-know-if-we-should-play' Riegels, holy cow, 3rd place! This game takes a LOT of practice....and skill. Maybe they've been practicing on the sly.

Here's what we're all playing for.....Le Grande Trophey of BOCCE, enhanced this year by Kirk, it now has a walnut base, sanded, stained and polished for posterity. It is getting grander and grander every year....and more coveted. Thanks, Kirk, the trophy looks....ahem....professional, at least the base.

Last year's Champs, Amy and Kirk.....going for the 'Cutest Couple' Award. Amy, you ARE so cute. Well, I don't know, Kirk, nice try anyway.....

Now, let's talk about form from our top performers at this year's tourney.....check out Fran, our champ. I think it was the tongue-in-cheek manoever that was the winning ticket.

Denny, that's some kinda weird throw, but hey, you won! So! The off-balance, leg-behind, putzing-it-out-there throw is something to strive for.

Skippity-do-da....the crookedy-leg, more upright throw works for Frankie....

OMG, would ya look at that focus. Chris be the e-pit-o-me of focus and concentration! Talkin' bout the ZONE!

Our 4th place team......the only Roth team (of 4!) of the stacked Roth contingent....Ellen wouldn't allow them to play each other....it was a scheme to return the glory of the BOCCE Trophey to someone in the Roth familia.....Brian and Jean did their best to uphold the tradition....but alas, 4th place is pretty good but no cigar.

This is the inscrutable John Reigel form.....whether he was just standing around or throwin the BOCCE ball, this is the John Riegel form.

OK! Ha! Here's Fran teaching the unsure Sharon how to play BOCCE. Ha! Here is Fran talking trash to Sharon trying to intimidate the already underconfident Sharon. Ha! Here is Fran telling Sharon she's gonna Kick Her Butt!

Sharon's getting her fire up though, that girl can play BOCCE!

Alright! Now Sharon's into! Oh yeah! She loves this feeling of smacking other people's balls out of the way! Sharon loves threading her ball right to the sweet spot. Sharon is on fire now, baby!

The Roth gang.....I LOVE it! The whole fan-damily is there....boyfriends and girlfriends too. Young and not so young. Even though this family had 4! teams entered and the TOP 3 seeds....3 teams that didn't lose one game in the opening round.....they faded to obscurity with only Jean and Brian carrying the torch into the Championship round. Jean and Brian did quite well, making it to the semis....next year, Roths, more friends, a few ringers maybe......

Ahhhhhh.......it was a lovely night! Ahhhhhhhh.......the weather was perfect, the competition sizzling, the cheers of the crowd electrifying. Friends, conversation, laughter....trash talk. The lights, hey, we could almost see in the final rounds this year. What a glorious night!