Famee Sports
Dolomite Ski Group:
Another very successful, memorable and safe outing can be recorded for the
Dolomite Ski Club who once again this year travelled to Quebec's Mt.
Tremblant to share in a long weekend of great skiing, fabulous food, an
abundance of good times and camaraderie. Although a wee bit chilly on the
mountain there was plenty of sparkling sun, warm coverings not to mention
good "spirits" to keep everyone warm and cosy. Thank you to all who
participated. Your generous spirit and sense of fun and adventure, help make
this annual excursion the great success that it is.
Dolomite Ski Club has organized a trip to Mt.
Tremblant, Quebec, Wed Feb 26, 2020 to March 1, 2020
(FOR
PROGRAM SEE HERE)
&
(FOR PRICE DETAILS SEE HERE)
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Chairperson:
Mara Mian,
Committee
Members: Carla
Bomben, Giamba Toniolo, Ariella Marcus, Giorgio DiRenzo, and Ivana Pontisso.
Annual Golf Tournament: For all the avid golfers looking forward to the glories of summer, the tornament is set for june, see Calendar for date and place. Net proceeds of the day will go to Villa Leonardo Gambin. Dinner normaly follows at Famee Furlane Club Annual Golf Tournament:
BOCCE: An International Game
with Ancient Roots: If you are thinking that, with all the hype over the
World Cup, soccer must be the most played ball game in the world, guess
again! Bocce is the number one ball game, played in more countries than
soccer, and has a long and illustrious history.
No one really knows where
or when it all originated, but there is evidence that games like bocce were
played as early as 5000 BC in Egypt, and 300 BC in Greece.
The earliest form of the game we now call bocce is traced to the Italian
Alps about 2,000 years ago, and it involved tossing stones, with the goal of
getting as close to a smaller object stone as possible.
There have been accounts of this game being a popular pastime of
the Roman soldiers taking breaks between battles in the Punic Wars of 264
BC, at times using coconuts brought back from Africa. Even the Emperor
Augustus was known to partake in a friendly game. Because of the Romans,
bocce spread through out the Roman Empire.
The name 'bocce'
developed around the time of the Middle Ages, when vulgar Latin became the
common language, and the word 'bottia' meaning ball - became the Italian
word boccia or Bocce, as the game came to be known. Interestingly, it was
the Classic Latin word 'boulles' which evolved into the English word 'bowls'
referring to the similar game played in England.
Bocce has known its ups
and downs throughout the centuries. At one point, it has become so popular
that it was outlawed in several kingdoms, as it was felt to be interfering
with affairs of state - too many politicians were taking bocce breaks!
In 1576, the Republic of Venice publicly condemned it, and thereafter those
who disobeyed were punished with fines and imprisonment. Eventually, the
game became an organized sport with France the first to start, followed
closely by Italy, specifically northern Italy (Friuli!!!). The first
organized Italian League was formed in Piedmont in 1947; world championships
are held every year.
Here at the Famee Furlane, we are doing our bit
to contribute to the ongoing popularity of the game. The Ladies and Men's
Bocciofila Clubs are active in tournaments within the organization and with
clubs throughout the Toronto area.
Watching them play gives you a sense
that time has stopped for a while, and nothing else exists except for what's
happening in the bocce lanes. Maybe there's not enough of that these days,
with our hectic schedules and the push to 'multitask' to death. It's
also a way to get off the couch, away from the TV and actually socialize
with others in a friendly, at times competitive, manner.
So next time you are thinking of sitting down in front of the boob
tube, think, I could be playing Bocce instead!
Rosemary Maraldo