Bocce is an Italian game also known as Italian Lawn Bowling. The basic principle of the sport is to roll a bocce ball closest to the target ball, which is called a Pallino. Bocce as a Special Olympics sport provides people with special needs the opportunity to have social contact, develop physically and to gain self-confidence. Next to soccer and golf, bocce is the third most participated sport in the world.
| Coaches | Jeff Connolly – Head Coach Tina Connolly – Sport Director |
| Season Dates & Times | Practices: Saturdays, starting April 11, 2026 through June 6, 2026 Qualifiers: State Games: June 13 to 14, 2026 at Towson University Signup Begins: Sunday, February 22, 2026 at 6 PM |
| Athlete & Volunteer Registration Expiration Date | Sport’s State Games competition date: June 14, 2026 All Forms must be up to date before the signup date (fourth Sunday in February). The expiration date on an Athlete’s Registration form, or a Volunteer’s certification, must be after the above State Games competition date to participate in the upcoming season. |
You can find the official Special Olympics Rules, Fact Sheet, Coaching Guide, and other resources at this link: Special Olympics Bocce.
SOMO will provide athletes with bocce balls.
No phones allowed on the courts.
Athletes are to wear their yellow SOMO T-shirts to practice. SOMO will provide new athletes with a SOMO Polo Shirt and a SOMO baseball cap for use at Bocce Qualifiers and State Games. Returning Athletes are expected to use the Polo Shirts and Caps that they received last year. Athletes must also wear khaki shorts, long skirts or pants at Bocce competitions, as well as closed-toe shoes (e.g., sneakers) that will not damage the turf. No cargo shorts allowed. Athletes can keep their SOMO baseball cap after the season. Athletes should not return their SOMO Polo shirt at the end of the season. If the shirt is lost or damaged the athlete will need to reimburse SOMO for the cost of the shirt which is $25.00.
Location: Margaret Schweinhaut Senior Center (1000 Forest Glen Road, Silver Spring, MD 20901).
We practice outside, to the left of the Center’s entrance, either on the covered Bocce courts or the nearby grass field. Bathrooms are available in the Senior Center.
Timing: Practice occurs every Saturday morning (9:00 AM to 12:15 PM), from the season start until the Saturday a week before Summer Games. There is no practice on Easter/Passover weekend, and usually there is no practice on Memorial Day weekend. The Head Coach will announce plans for Memorial Day weekend during the season. We will NOT have practice on the weekends of Bocce Qualifiers.
Athletes should arrive promptly and ready to train. Coaches plan athlete pairings to maximize training benefits, usually pairing athletes with their expected Doubles partner for competition. Late arrivals disrupt those plans and reduce training for both athletes. Late arriving athletes will also miss some practice as they typically need to wait for a practice break before they are inserted into the rotations.
Activities: Practice begins with a team meeting and attendance check. Coaches then pair athletes into teams for bocce play with coach support. During some practices, selected athletes will work with coaches to measure their skills for divisioning purposes.
The SOMO Bocce Team participates in the following Bocce Qualifiers:
One other Qualifier is possible if coaching support is available:
The State Competition for Bocce is held at Special Olympics Maryland’s Summer Games at Towson University near Baltimore in mid-June.
Bocce athletes must attend at least 80% of the offered practices and participate in 2 Qualifiers to be eligible to participate in the State’s Summer Games. One of the Qualifiers must be the SOMO Spring Games. On an exception basis, the Head Coach may excuse a SOMO Spring Games absence if the athlete attends two other Qualifiers.
Athletes should strive to attend all practices. All athletes owe it to their doubles partner to practice together as much as possible before Summer Games. In addition, Bocce is a growing sport in Maryland and the Bocce venue at Summer Games is nearing capacity. SOMD may need to impose an attendance cap on our Bocce team. If a cap is imposed, athletes who attend all practices will have a preference when Coaches select athletes to attend Summer Games.
Athletes participating in Bocce may also participate in the Friday Evening Conditioning program, but not in other Spring sports. The Head Coach may make limited exceptions, but any athlete participating in other Spring sports other than Friday Evening Conditioning may not be eligible for Bocce competition at Summer Games.
SOMO asks Bocce athletes to read and sign an Athlete Participation Contract that outlines their commitment to the sport. Please find it HERE and bring a signed copy to the first practice.
Our Summer Games Bocce delegation will be a mix of “In-House” athletes and “Day-of” athletes. “In-House” athletes stay with coaches and chaperones in a Towson University dorm. “Day-of” athletes travel to Towson with their chaperone for each day of competition.
Some “Day-of” athletes only participate in 1 day of competition. If you are a “Day-of” athlete, please tell the Head Coach if you wish to only participate in 1 day of competition. Normally first-year Bocce athletes are considered “Day-of” athletes
The “In-House” Delegation slots are very limited and have specific requirements for qualification. First, athletes must have a level of independence, appropriate behaviors, and a level of responsibility to be able to follow a schedule consistent with dorm requirements to be considered for housing. In addition, a strong record of attending practice, arriving on-time, and displaying good sportsmanship improve an athlete’s chance of being selected for the “In-House” Delegation.
We use many volunteers in our Bocce program and are always looking for more.
