Staten Island Celebrates New Bocce Season
Huge turnout of athletes near Verrazzano Narrows Bridge kicks off Forza Campioni’s fourth season
By Randy Robertson, NYC and Hudson Valley Regional Storyteller
Staten Island, NY – Retired FDNY firefighter Bob Hartie was one of New York City’s bravest and strongest for more than two decades. What he saw on a recent late afternoon along the Staten Island waterfront brought a lump to his throat and left him teary-eyed.
More than 60 Special Olympics New York athletes gathered with parents, coaches and officials at the South Beach bocce courts in the shadows of the Verrazzano Narrows Bridge. Hartie watched as his son, Robert, joined dozens of other young adults with intellectual disabilities in a joyous opening ceremony of the Forza Campioni League bocce season.
With matching shirts and abundant enthusiasm, the group overwhelmed the three bocce courts with pageantry, pizza, a torch run, the national anthem and then, at last, some competitive bocce games. The ceremonies were beautifully organized by Christine Johnson and Joanne Certo, co-founders of the league who each have worked with Special Olympics New York for more than two decades.
“The league gets bigger all the time,” Hartie said. “The volunteer coaches work so hard out here, they’re like saints. Christine and Joanne make it so much easier for all of us. And I’m thrilled to see how skilled some of these athletes are getting.”
Athletes started arriving at the courts almost two hours before the games began. Along came more athletes, and more athletes, and then even more athletes. Soon the park was a sight to behold, a community of special needs individuals and their parents and friends, as well as high school students who volunteer to score the matches.
“It’s all of Staten Island out here, and we’re a big borough,” Christine said. “We created the league to give everyone more opportunities to play.”
With team names like the Beach Boys, Judy’s Angels, the Bocce Girls and the Bocce Beasts, there will be plenty of action on these courts every Wednesday night even past the end of summer.
“We’ve got nine traditional teams and another six unified teams,” Joanne said. “We’ll play 17 weeks of games and playoffs. We’ll be out here until October when it starts getting darker earlier. For some of them it’s a family tradition, multiple generations participating, including some of the officials, who are students at Monsignor Farrell High School.”
While Joanne and Christine do their share of the work, they lean heavily on the parents and the athletes themselves to run this operation. There were athletes cleaning and prepping the courts and setting out the balls on the courts. Parents and community supporters passed out pizza and water and participated in friendly conversations as everyone enjoyed the perfect late-July weather in the park.
After the torch run, which included Hartie’s son Robert, the national anthem was sung by Anthony Pepe. Mary Pannese led the group in reciting the Special Olympics oath, then everyone posed for a group photo that stretched past the length of a bocce court.
When the games began at last, it was clear some athletes were clearly newer to the sport, while others demonstrated advanced skills. All wore matching red shirts with the Italian words “Forza Campioni” on the front, which translates in English to “Strength of Champions.” The league name is both a nod to the local mostly Italian men who meticulously maintain the bocce courts year-round, and to the athletes themselves who show strength in overcoming disabilities to compete.
As the sun started to set, nobody was in a hurry to leave. Games continued, athletes laughed and cheered each other on, and parents watched and chatted. The park was nearly as full as it had been for the torch run two hours earlier. It was just the kind of community event Christine and Joanne imagined when they started the league four years ago.
“We got lucky with the weather, and it’s a great night,” Christine said.
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