Submitted to Dorchester Banner/DCPS
The Cambridge-South Dorchester High School unified sports bocce team won the district title on Thursday. The 2018 squad is, in front from left: Becky Gilbert and Alyssa Holliday. Scond row: Dylan Wrigley, Keyano Dugars and Jackson Bradley. Third row: Jenna Ausmussen, Summer Reid, Hannah Harp, Haley Wright, Meghan O’Connor and Zoe Phillips. Coaches in back: Dan Catron and Jake Coleman.[/caption] STEVENSVILLE – The young men and women of Cambridge-South Dorchester’s bocce team tossed and rolled their way to success on the courts Thursday, bringing home a district championship. In doing so, they qualified for the state championships later this month. Bocce is the spring season unified sport in Maryland public schools. In unified sports, a student with a disability is paired with a non-disabled student – the two then go through the season together, allowing the student with a disability to experience the benefits of team sports. It is an ancient game, with roots in the Roman Empire. It spread around the world in more recent times, when Italian immigrants brought it to their new homes in North and South America, Australia and elsewhere. A match is started when one side throws a smaller ball, called a jack, into the court. Players take turns trying to throw their balls closest to the jack. The team with the closest ball scores a point. The length of matches can vary, but they usually end when a team reaches from 7 up to 13 points. But that’s all the technical stuff, and there’s more to unified bocce than that. “I love these kids, they are so much fun,” Coach Dan Catron wrote in a post on social media. “You and Jake do a great job with the kids,” Loren Williams wrote. “Congratulations, and good luck at States.” “We had so many clutch performances today,” Coach Coleman wrote. “It was amazing.” The students will take their skills on the road one more time this season, when they go to Washington College in Chestertown to compete for the state title on May 22. Action starts at 9 a.m. For information on Bayside Athletic Conference sports, visit mdbayside.digitalsports.com.