North Allegheny installs new bocce courts to help boost unified team

United Bocce at North Allegheny is upping its game this year.

Two new bocce courts, located at the senior high campus off Perry Highway in McCandless, were built this past summer, complete with the official bocce regulations, even down to crushed oyster powder at its base.

This will be the third season of the Unified Bocce team, made up of students from ninth to 12th grade, said Rachel Tengowski, one of the bocce coaches.

“We’ve had a team for three seasons now, and we feel we have been learning and improving each year. We have not made the playoffs yet, but that is a goal we have,” said Tengowski, a social worker at the senior high, who coaches alongside Melinda Beck, a special education teacher.

The new bocce courts were repurposed from a small grass field that was used for physical education, track and field, and parking, according to Bob Bozzuto, director of athletics for North Allegheny.

The court is multipurpose and can be used for physical education, clubs, as well as the Unified Bocce Program. Only a portion of the grass field was used, he said.

“We wanted to raise the standards and support the Special Olympics in its ongoing efforts to develop the sport of bocce as a Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association sport,” Bozzuto said.

The outdoor bocce courts cost approximately $10,000 to $15,000 and were partially funded by a grant, fundraising efforts and a contribution by the district, via materials and workmanship, Bozzuto said.

Any high school student can try out for the team.

North Allegheny currently has two bocce teams, with eight players on each team, or a total of 16 athletes.

Four of the players on each team are students with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Since there can only be 16 players, students do have to try out to be on the team. However, Tengowski said there is a bocce recreational team for anyone interested in playing, but isn’t on the competitive team.

The recreational team is a great way to improve skills and enjoy the sport, she said. Many benefits are attributed to bocce, including team-building opportunities.

“It helps students develop and practice their bocce skills, but it also helps with other skills, including things like working with others, following directions, handling challenges, encouraging peers and building self-confidence. Additionally, it’s just fun,” Tengowski said.

Unified Bocce requires players to roll four balls with the goal of getting closest to an object ball, also known as a palina.

The Special Olympics sponsors the team. The agreement with Special Olympics is that the school district funds the Unified Bocce Program. Under that provision, the Special Olympics asks that the participation fees be waived, Bozzuto said.