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By Laura Drinan
Hometown Weekly Reporter
Every Friday from April to October, a group of women from the Dover Council on Aging set aside a couple of hours to get together and play bocce. While it may not be as popular of an activity nowadays, these women have an absolute blast playing.
“It’s obviously social, not super competitive - except we do cheer each other on, and we tease each other,” one participant said, smiling, after listening to the hurrahs of the opposing team when she unintentionally knocked their ball closer to the pallino.
“It’s just been ongoing for a while … They enjoy it tremendously, and we do also go to Medfield in late June,” she continued, explaining that the bocce court at the Dover Legion offers no relief from the sun in the hot summer months. “They welcome us over there, and then we get more people to play with!”
Although bocce is usually played with a team of two people against another pair, the women from the Dover Council on Aging simply play with whoever is present. Their usual group of eight splits into two teams of four, and the women find themselves on either the green team or the pink team, depending on whichever color bocce ball they are throwing.
“One of the biggest advantages here is the socialization for seniors,” one of the players said. “This crowd supports each other and talks to each other – it’s like a support group. Some great friendships have been developed here over the years.”
The women even estimated that the bocce group has been around for a decade. Some of the participants argued that it has been such a strong group over the years because they play casually, bring a sense of humor to the game, and because it’s an entertaining way to get some exercise and get outdoors.
“It’s outside, and when we’re here, we don’t care about anything but the game,” one of the women said. “We laugh, and we cheer each other on. It isn’t serious, and it’s so relaxing. I look forward to it every week.”
