Fourth Annual Bellingham Bay Bocce Tournament Post-Tourney follow-up

1st Place 2006
Sons of Ichiro

2nd Place                        3rd Place                           4th Place
Westside Bocce         Bellingham Bay Bocce Club         Orbitrons

Results from the 4th annual Bellingham Bay Bocce Tournament held in the Sportsplex last Saturday April 25 are as follows… First place went to the Sons of Ichiro and second place went to Westside Bocce. Both teams are from West Seattle and the championship match was especially exciting as the father of the 18 year old on the Sons of Ichiro team was playing for Westside Bocce. It was great to have the classic father/son face-off in the championship round. Third place went to the Bellingham Bay Bocce Club , and fourth to the Orbitrons of Bellingham.

128 contestants ranging in age from 5 to 85 competed on 8 temporary courts set up on the soccer turf. The largest one day bocce tournament in Washington State has evolved each year into what is now an international event. Players came from far away like Sandpoint, Alaska, Forest Grove , Oregon, and Twisp, Washington. People think of this as a game for old men but the winning team had an 18 year old member. Men, women, and youth all laughed and shared community. Mention "bocce" in a crowd of jocks and they might snicker a bit. Tournament organizer, Tom McNutt says, "this is because the game makes them nervous." He further suggests that, "many men don't like games that allow for them get beaten by their date". Each year McNutt and his wife Erin put on this event for a different local Whatcom County charity. This year, with help from their friend Jay Johnson, they found business sponsors like Birch Equipment, Barkley Village, Bornstein's Seafood, and Avenue Bread , for 22 of the 32 four person teams, to benefit Whatcom County Hospice. Multiple Sportcraft brand bocce sets were given away and Playaboule from Seattle contributed significantly to the Hospice cause. The "light up" night balls are a new product, and were a big hit with young and old alike. If you missed the fun this year put in on your calendar for April 2007. To view a list of logos and links of participating businesses please visit the Bellingham Bay Bocce Tournament link.