Three years after her son Christopher suddenly passed away, Rhonda Boyce of Coggan Station remembers the joy she felt when she saw her son play on the Special Olympics bocce team.
Christopher was a good player, so good that “Magic Hands” He had a unique way of carrying the ball up the court and scoring points.
Christopher was 53 when he passed away in 2021 and had been involved with Special Olympics since he was in his 20s.
“He’s been involved with Special Olympics for a long time. Chris started playing bocce ball when it was introduced as a recognized sport in the Special Olympics. So he’s been involved with bocce ball since it first started in the Special Olympics.” My mother said.
“He was especially good at bocce.” She added:
And he got that nickname because the ball would magically fly into scoring position.
In bocce, a small white ball called a pallino is rolled around the court. For the ball to be considered “in play”, it must pass the center line and remain within the court. This is called landing the pallino. If the first team does not land the pallino, the other team tosses it until they succeed, according to the rules of bocce. Players then take turns rolling the ball around the court. The goal is to be the player who gets the ball closest to the pallino and keeps it within the court.
“He would roll the ball down the court, and as the ball was slowly rolling, he would use his hands to guide the ball down the court, and then, like magic, as he got closer to, say, the pallino, the ball would curve where it needed to. He was so good at it that before long they gave him this nickname, ‘the magic hands.'” She said.
That’s why, for the past three years, the invitational tournament at Williamsport Area High School has been called the Chris. “Magic Hands” Boyce Special Olympics Bocce Invitational Tournament
When Chris died suddenly in his sleep, his parents, Rhonda and Ron, asked friends and relatives to donate to the Special Olympics in memory of their son.
“The donation to Special Olympics was very generous because that’s what we wanted. And the following year, Special Olympics wanted to do something to honor Chris because he was such an inspiration to athletes and to everyone. So they created this invitational tournament.” Rhonda said.
This year’s invitational tournament featured 17 teams from eight surrounding counties.
“This program allows them to come close and gives them a jump start on the competition to come. They’ll compete in the Bloomsburg Bocce Bash in the late fall, then have a playoff at Juniata College, all the way up to the state tournament at Villanova University.” Rhonda explained.
“This is an opportunity to practice skills competitively and meet new friends. Everyone is having a good time today so it’s a lot of fun.” She said.
For children and adults who have physical limitations that prevent them from participating in other sports, such as running or shooting basketballs, bocce is “That’s an amazing skill.”
“It’s probably one of the easiest sports for people who are a little more handicapped than others and really want to do something, but it gives them an opportunity to play, so it’s a really good sport.” She said.
She noted that one of the participants in Sunday’s invitational tournament was in a wheelchair. “That will do the trick.” She added:
“But for Chris, I think just playing with a partner and being with his friends really excelled at that sport. He played really well, so I think that was what he was good at.” She said.
His mother said Chris was looking forward to taking part in the competition, so it’s fitting that the event will be named after him.
“He was an inspiration to other athletes and he was rooting for everybody, but that’s what all the kids are like now. They’re all rooting for each other.” She said.
Although Chris often won gold medals at state meets, his mother acknowledged that he also lost sometimes.
“And that’s what was so inspiring about him. He started looking ahead to next year: ‘OK, next year I’m going to win gold.’ He was always looking ahead to the next competition. He was really great at that.” Rhonda said.
Volunteering at the invitational tournament was a natural fit for the Boyce family. Ron helped out on the bocce court set up on the high school gym floor as a Unified partner for one of the competitors. Their adult grandchildren also volunteered at the event, as did 15 members of Penn College’s wrestling team.
No local residents other than the athletes’ families came to cheer on the athletes.
“We have three courts but we’d like to expand to five. We’re finally getting off the ground with five courts in place. Once word gets out, we’d love to see the whole stadium filled with fans.” She said.
“It’s good for this rural area because the counties around us don’t have big cities like Allentown or places to go to compete without having to drive long distances, so this location is central. The nice thing about this invitational is that it’s actually the first tournament before the kickoff season of bocce season, so everyone can come here and practice and compete and have fun.” She said.
Rhonda encouraged parents to let their children of any age at least try bocce to see if it’s something they like.
“It’s just a fun activity and it’s not too hard to learn. All the kids here are great. From little kids to older kids, I think it’s great to see everyone come together and have a good time and compete.” She said.
Bocce is also offered at several local schools as a unified athletics sport sponsored by Special Olympics.
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