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SPORTS
Lee Prioriello (left) with Youth Bocce Canada
Bocce at Toronto’s Parapan Am Games By Luke Galati
It
was in his hometown of Bojano, Campobasso, Molise, where Lee Prioriello watched his first game of bocce. At the time, he was only 12 years old – an onlooker, watching the men of the town play. Sixty-one years later, without skipping a beat, he describes it as “love at first sight.” Prioriello, now 73 and residing in North York, still has a deep passion for the game. He is the founder and president of Youth Bocce Canada, an organization that supports athletes with special needs. Prioriello’s office walls are covered with shiny trophies, most of them from his playing days. At one point, he was ranked the fifth best in the world – and he has the hardware to prove it. There are also framed photographs all around the room that show him with former Toronto Mayor Mel Lastman, Pope Benedict XVI, plus dozens of student-athletes with special needs and disabilities. “If it wasn’t for this sport, none of this would have happened,” he says. Youth Bocce Canada, which has been in existence since 1994, gives high-school students and young adults the chance to participate in the sport, travel the world to play in tournaments, and offers financial assistance to special needs athletes and parents. With the help of private companies – currently 72 sponsors – just over 20 years after inception, Prioriello has developed a program that serves over 400 students. For many athletes with disabilities who live in wheelchairs, bocce is a chance to show what they’ve got. The game shifts the perception of disabilities, and for bocce athletes, the fans and supporters, it’s a reminder of what is possible. Alison Levine is one of those athletes. The 24-year-old, who has a degenerative neuromuscular disorder, dreams of winning a gold medal at the Paralympics one day. But, for now, she has her sights set on making Canada proud at the Toronto 2015 Parapan Am Games taking place August 7-August 15. The Parapan Am Games, which are held after the Pan American Games, will showcase the skills and talents of athletes with physical disabilities. Bocce tour-
naments will be played by wheelchair athletes, many living with cerebral palsy, or related conditions. Levine is looking forward to competing. “I’m so happy that we’re going to have a big game here – the home court advantage in Canada.” All bocce events will be held at the state-of-theart Abilities Centre in Whitby, Ont.. “To see these athletes perform at a world-class level is pretty exciting, because it’s going to change people’s attitudes of abilities about abilities versus disabilities,” says Leo Plue, executive director of the Abilities Centre. He describes the Abilities Centre, and the sport of bocce as, “a microcosm of our society, where people of all ages and abilities come and participate together.” Bocce is an Italian sport, which dates back to the Ancient Romans. In fact, throwing balls toward a target is one of the oldest games known to mankind. The word “bocce” comes from the Latin word, “bottia,” which translates as “boss.” The word’s origin is likely due to the nature of this game that’s based on strategy, pinpoint accuracy and precision. Bocce was first introduced to the Paralympics at the 1984 New York and Stoke Mandeville games. There are four levels, depending on ability. “It is a sport for the most severely disabled individuals,” Levine says. “We have to have a certain level of disability to even be eligible for the sport. In daily life that minimum is considered to be extremely impaired.” Alison Levine “This game is not a contact sport, where people can get hurt,” explains Prioriello. “Here you don’t get hurt. You don’t have to be tall, strong, and fast. Regardless of your ability, you can play this sport.” By training and playing bocce, Levine has seen the power of the sport firsthand. “What it’s taught other people and myself is that no matter what life throws at you, whether you’re in a wheelchair, or you can’t move anything but your eyes and maybe a finger, you can do anything. If you want it bad enough, you can do it. There’s enjoyment of life, no matter what condition you’re in.” PANORAMITALIA.COM
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