Holiday Spirit: Party di Go-Go
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Picnic in the Vineyards
Campo di Bocce, Picnic in the Vineyards
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US Bocce Championships
UNITED STATES NATIONAL BOCCE CHAMPIONSHIPS
CAMPO DI BOCCE OF LIVERMORE
JUNE 23-28, 2009
CAMPO DI BOCCE OF LIVERMORE IS PROUD TO ANNOUNCE THAT THE 2009 NATIONAL BOCCE CHAMPIONSHIPS WILL BE HELD IN LIVERMORE, CA DURING THE WEEK OF JUNE 23-28. THE NATION’S TOP BOCCE PLAYERS AS WELL AS RECREATIONAL PLAYERS FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY WILL BE IN ATTENDANCE AND COMPETING FOR THE TOP HONOR OF BEING CALLED THE NATIONS BEST TEAM AND INDIVIDUAL PLAYER.
THERE WILL BE FIVE TOURNAMENTS OCCURING THROUGHOUT THE WEEK:
1. OPEN PLAY IN THE B DIVISION- WHICH TYPICALLY CONSISTS OF BEGINNER TO INTERMEDIATE LEVEL OF PLAY
2. OPEN PLAY IN THE A DIVISION- WHICH TYPICALLY CONSISTS OF INTERMEDIATE TO ADVANCED LEVEL OF PLAY
3. UNDER 21 PUNTO, RAFFA, VOLO SINGLES CHAMPIONSHIP
4. WOMENS PUNTO, RAFFA, VOLO CHAMPIONSHIP
5. MENS PUNTO, RAFFA, VOLO CHAMPIONSHIP
PUNTO, RAFFA, VOLO IS THE INTERNATIONALLY RECOGNIZED STYLE OF BOCCE AND THE WINNER OF THE PUNTO, RAFFA, VOLO DIVISIONS WILL REPRESENT THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AT THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS LATER THIS YEAR. THE SITE OF THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS IS YET TO BE DETERMINED.
THIS WILL BE THE THIRD NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS CAMPO DI BOCCE AS A COMPANY HAS HOSTED THIS PRESTIGOUS EVENT.
1. 2002- CAMPO DI BOCCE OF LOS GATOS
2. 2007- CAMPO DI BOCCE OF LIVERMORE
3. 2009- CAMPO DI BOCCE OF LIVERMORE
THE PUBLIC IS HIGHLY ENCOURAGED TO COME AND SPECTATE AS WELL AS PARTICIPATE. THERE IS NO QUALIFYING STIPULATION, THEREFORE EVERYONE AND ANYONE WHO LOVES BOCCE IS WELCOME TO PARTICIPATE.
PLEASE CONTACT BENJAMIN MUSOLF WITH ANY QUESTIONS.
BENJAMIN MUSOLF
408-857-0074
BENJAMIN@CAMPODIBOCCE.COM
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Charity Bocce Tournament on Tony Bruno
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11th ANNUAL “BATTLE OF THE BAY” CELEBRITY BOCCE TOURNAMENT
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: TBA GLOBAL, INC.
Joel Roy at 415‐268‐9412 or jroy@tbaglobal.com
Craig Vandermause at 415‐268‐9409 or cvandermause@tbaglobal.com
JOHN MADDEN AND STEVE MARIUCCI HOST 11th ANNUAL “BATTLE OF THE BAY” CELEBRITY BOCCE TOURNAMENT
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – Former Oakland Raiders Head Coach and current NBC Sunday Night Football NFL broadcaster John Madden and former San Francisco 49ers Head Coach, University of California – Berkeley Head Coach and current NFL Network broadcaster Steve Mariucci will be co‐hosting the 11th Annual “Battle of the Bay” Celebrity Bocce Tournament at the beautiful Campo di Bocce facility in Livermore, California on Wednesday, June 3, 2009.
The tournament began in 1999 when Steve Mariucci was the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers and wanted to create a unique celebrity charity tournament with flare that would give back to the Bay Area community. The tournament has grown in reputation and popularity amongst locals through the years. Ten years later, the tournament has changed names to incorporate the entire Bay Area and hence changed names to the “Battle of the Bay”.
This year’s tournament has changed in format from years past in order to bring out the competitive spirit for a good cause. A limited 32 teams will participate in a playoff system and the top 8 teams will play for $100,000 in prize money that will be awarded to their specific designated charity. Over a quarter million dollars in total will be donated to Bay Area charities from this event and up to 700 people will be in attendance to enjoy the tournament and dinner auction at Campo di Bocce.
Over the past decade, more than $3 million dollars has been raised for local Bay Area charities, such as The Boys and Girls Club, Special Olympics and Kaleidoscope to name a few. The tournament is a unique event that has brought famous athletes, celebrities, dignitaries and business leaders together to enjoy an old world game in a venue dedicated to the sport of Bocce. All Bay Area professional sports teams and Fortune 500 companies, along with several local Universities and Colleges will be invited to participate in the tournament.
TBA Global, Inc., a top‐tier Bay Area Event Planning, Destination Management and Production Company will be handling the marketing, public relations and logistics of the event. For more information on the tournament or how to participate, please contact Joel Roy or Craig Vandermause of TBA Global, Inc. (contact information listed above).
More about Campo di Bocce:
Campo di Bocce (www.campodibocce.com) of Livermore is a family‐owned Italian restaurant and United States Bocce Federation affiliated Bocce Club located in the beautiful Livermore Valley Wine Country. Originating in Los Gatos in February 1997, the second location (Livermore, CA) location opened its doors June 2006. Playing host to the 2007 and 2009 United States Bocce Federation Championships and the 2006 North American Championships, Campo di Bocce of Livermore has gained international recognition as a destination facility for bocce players across the globe; all the while, making bocce accessible to people of all ability levels. Truly the ultimate experience in dining and recreation, Campo di Bocce of Livermore offers 8 World Class, State‐of‐the‐Art bocce courts, traditional Italian cuisine, a superb local wine list and friendly atmosphere of casual elegance. Escape to Italy in your own backyard – with dining indoors in any one of our spacious dining areas or outdoors with views of surrounding vineyards, Campo di Bocce of Livermore truly is an escape from the norm.
More about TBA Global, Inc.
Founded in 1994, TBA Global (www.tbaglobal.com) is a privately‐held agency that creates nontraditional marketing and communications programs, events and meetings for high‐profile businesses and associations worldwide. TBA Global’s awardwinning teams create, produce and execute unique and compelling solutions that grow clients’ business by creating, connecting, and optimizing their marketing and communications investments to key internal and external audiences. TBA Global is ranked in the top 100 U.S. marketing organizations and among the Top 50 Sales Promotion Agencies by Advertising Age magazine (May 5, 2008). TBA Global has 18 offices in North America and the U.K.
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On a Roll!
Pleasanton Weekly.com | Cover Story - Friday, March 6, 2009
by Janet Pelletier
Meet Navina Bernardi, Salinna Grant, Tiffany Garland-Martini and Megan Wiseman. These four young women from Pleasanton and Livermore will be representing the United States March 28 in the World Bocce Championships in Bavagna, Italy.
They are the youngest women’s team to ever represent the country for the ancient Italian sport. Practices are held twice a week at Campo di Bocce in Livermore, the unofficial mecca for bocce enthusiasts. The team is coached by Ben Musolf, who co-owns the restaurant, which features indoor and outdoor courts, and is an avid player himself.
“This is really the first time that the U.S. has had a women’s youth group who will be competing on a youthful, athletic level, so it’s really exciting,” Musolf said.
The women earned their spots on the team after a grueling singles tryout held in November.
For Bernardi, the experience is one she knows she will never forget. At 14 years old, the Carondelet Catholic High School freshman is the youngest on the team.
“I come from an Italian family and remember lawn bowling growing up,” she said. “What I like about the sport is that my 79-year-old grandpa and my 4-year-old cousin can play. Anybody can play this game.”
Bernardi’s entire family–mother, father and brother–plays the sport. Her brother Joey, 20, holds the record for shooting.
“I cannot wait to go to Italy,” said her dad Dario Bernardi. “Our family is 100 percent Italian; my wife was born in northern Italy. We’re hoping that some of our family members who live there are able to make the drive to watch the competition.”
Also hoping for some support is Garland-Martini, whose family also originates from Italy.
“It’s a shock,” Garland-Martini said of her reaction to being named to the team. “You always dream about playing for the U.S. and now I’m doing it.”
A Pleasanton native, the 32-year-old said she got her start playing in leagues at Campo di Bocce over two years ago.
“My mom had a stroke and bocce for her was a great rehab,” she said.
She started playing more intensely soon after.
“What I really like about bocce is it’s a sport where you can relax, drink wine and hang out with family and friends. I still play with my parents all the time.”
And bocce truly is a sport for all ages. Coach Musolf said he can’t really pinpoint a typical customer because it ranges, but if he had to narrow it down, it would be 25-55 years old.
“We have corporate team-building groups from major companies playing here, families, youths, people who come here for date night–it really is everybody,” he said.
That may be surprising to those who aren’t avid bocce players. History shows that bocce was first documented in a painting in 5200 B.C. and grew in popularity in the Italian region. Bocce is now the second most popular sport in Italy next to soccer (or futbol) and the second most popular ball sport in the world. Players wear similar-style jerseys.
Campo has played host to the 2006 North American Bocce Championships, the 2007 National Championships and will be holding the 2009 National Bocce Championships in June. In May, Campo will host perhaps its biggest draw–the 11th annual John Madden and Steve Mariucci Battle of the Bay Charity Bocce Tournament. For the first time, the charity tournament will be televised live from Livermore on ESPN.
Bocce popularity in Pleasanton is pretty apparent. There are two courts in Ruby Hill’s clubhouse where tournaments are frequently played, the Pleasanton Senior Center has courts and offers games for senior citizens and a court is even planned for the recently approved senior housing community at Ironwood off Valley Avenue and Busch Road.
But bocce is not just a sport for the “mature.”
“People usually don’t know a lot about bocce,” Garland-Martini said. “Most people stereotype it as just an older-person game.”
It’s an image the youthful women’s team is hoping they can debunk in Italy, when they compete March 28-April 5.
During the multiple-days competition, the women will compete in four events, including speed shooting, doubles speed shooting, precision shooting and doubles Volo. The four will also be joined by four other Bay Area women who play on the Punto, Raffa, Volo team: Rena Harel, Maria Narayan, Debbie O’Sullivan and Colleen Randazzo, coached by John Ross. The American team is one of 16, among the likes of Italy, France, China and Algeria.
Those interested in seeing the women in action before they cross the Atlantic can stop by from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays and 3 to 5 p.m. Thursdays at Campo di Bocce, 175 E. Vineyard Ave., Livermore. A sponsorship dinner for both womens’ teams will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. March 17. Cost is $25. Email Musolf at benjamin@campodibocce.com.
Profiles of the U.S. Women’s Volo team
Navina Bernardi, 14, Pleasanton
Bernardi is relatively new to the game and is the youngest player on the team. Her family is from Italy and her father and brother both have competed on the national and international level. She was first introduced to bocce by her grandparents. Tennis is her first love.
Salinna Grant, 24, Livermore
Grant’s athletic career began with basketball at age 9. She then used her quickness and agility in track and field and softball. While playing collegiate basketball at Ohlone College in Fremont, she has received honorable mention and other player awards. She started playing bocce after she started working at Campo di Bocce in 2006. Since then, she has competed regionally and nationally, earning the bronze medal at the 2008 National Bocce Championships in Illinois. She attends Cal State East Bay.
Tiffany Garland-Martini, 32, Pleasanton
As captain of the women’s team representing the U.S., Garland-Martini plays a multitude of sports. She first played bocce two years ago and was on the team with Grant that won the bronze at the national championships.
Megan Wiseman, 24, Livermore
Wiseman also won bronze at the national championships and has been an athlete all her life, excelling at soccer, softball, basketball and now bocce. She started playing bocce when she worked at Campo di Bocce. Her performance on the national level escalated her to the international level where she competed in the North American Bocce Championships in Toronto, Ontario, where her team earned the silver medal. She attends Cal State East Bay.
Coach Ben Musolf
Musolf co-owns Campo di Bocce and has been an athlete all his life, playing soccer and hockey. He started playing bocce 11 years ago at Campo di Bocce in Los Gatos. The need for athleticism and a chess-like strategy appealed to him about the sport. Musolf has played host to the national and international events and has coached the men’s Volo team in Nice, France in 2003, earning a fifth-place finish in the world.
Did you know?
* Bocce was first documented in a 5200 B.C. painting of two boys playing, which was discovered by an English scientist, Sir Francis Petrial, in an Egyptian tomb.
* Bocce has evolved from being a crude sport played with rounded rocks or even coconuts to the modern game with composite or metal balls.
* Bocce has been known under many names: lawn bowling, nine pins, skittles and pentanque to name a few–and has seen many rule changes.
* The popularity of bocce in America has been on the rise since it swept California in 1989. There are more than 25 million bocce enthusiasts who have heard of the sport, play recreationally or play on structured courts in the United States today.
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Bocce’s Best to Take a Trip of a Lifetime
Eight Bay Area women are headed to the Italian town of Bevagna (pictured) to represent the U.S. at the World Bocce Championships.
Video courtesy of NBC Bay Area.
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2009 United States Bocce National Championships and 2009 Campo di Bocce Invitational
Well the wait is over and here it is. The registration forms for the can be found here.
The events this year for the United States Bocce Federation Championships are as follows:
1. Men’s Singles
2. Women’s Singles
3. Under 21 Singles (As long as the entrant turns 21 in 2009 he is
eligible)
4. Precision Shooting and Lagging Competition
There will also be an Open Invitational hosted by Campo di Bocce prior to the National Championships. There will be an A and B division, some rules and stipulations will apply, please see entry form for details.
Let’s have a great year and I wish everyone all of the luck needed to accomplish their Bocce goals.
Please do not hesitate to contact the following if you have any questions regarding the upcoming Championships and Invitational:
– Benjamin Musolf (Co-Chair)
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