cross-nyc urban bocce 2004

- a test of wills -

25 september 2004

an all day tournament (on 4 surfaces)

click photos for larger images. the full index of all images is available here.

tom, the organizer, reviews the instructions and sets the day's schedule.

the first surface of the day is grass (with games to be played on roosevelt island, in the shadow of the overhead tram and the 59th street bridge).

about halfway into the games, the police arrive and force the tournament players to pack the bocce sets away and light out for the subway and the second game of the day (grass games to be concluded in prospect park later in the day).

on the wood chips of central park, tara and dan ("the alpha underdogs") get serious, using all of their concentration to beat "early retirement" (the team name shawn and i decided on).

jamie, the ref, had to step in a few times for official measurements (he was also kind enough to take a lot of the photos you see here).

jackie and tom ("the underhill twins"), started their winning ways early.

on the subway between central park and prospect park, tom shows off the planned bracket system for the final showdown.

the dirt surface at prospect park proves to be challenging, as shawn and i lose again.

upon completion of all bocce games, the seeding for the tournament needs to be decided. because there are a few teams tied for various positions, the need for a showdown "simul-bocc" is needed.

on the sandy beach at coney island, "the order of the dill" sends "early retirement" into permanent retirement, knocking shawn and me out of the competition.

as dusk takes hold, the intensity rises and winning teams drop balls closer and closer to each other, each game becoming more and more vicious.

for the final round everyone remains fascinated by every throw.

dan and tara, underdogs no more, take the cup (to be displayed a few weeks later at FLOYD NY.

shawn's pictures * allyson's pictures (3 pages!)

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