Highwood Bocce Hosts National Bocce Tournament June 20-24

HIGHWOOD, IL – [June 20-24, 2017] The Highwood Bocce Club will host the 2017 United States Bocce Federation (USBF) National Championships June 20-24, 2017, at the Highwood Bocce Club, 440 Bank Lane, Highwood, IL, 60040. The annual event is hosted by a different club each year, most recently by Campo di Bocce in Livermore, CA in 2016 and Methuen Sons of Italy just outside of Boston, MA in 2015. It attracts the top players from across the country who compete for the national championship title, a $4,000 grand prize and more than $9,200 in total prize money.

“We are honored to have the United States Bocce Championships return to Highwood in 2017,” said Peter Pieracci, president of the Highwood Bocce Club. “Paolo Giannetti and his committee have done an outstanding job preparing us for this event and we are now ready to welcome the best players from around the country to our world class courts and club.”

Three bocce events will be held over the course of the week including two Open team competitions and a Punto Raffa Volo (PRV) tournament. The Italian game of bocce is the world’s oldest sport, and has been described as a cross between bowling and shuffleboard. Players at opposite ends of a court hurl bocce balls toward a smaller pallino ball with the goal of coming closest in distance to the pallino. The game can be played in teams or in singles competition. The Open competitions for the National Tournament will feature traditional play where players use the sideboards to angle shots and target balls at any location on the court. The PRV tournament is an internationally recognized style where players compete in a precise format, calling their shots, much like a billiards game.

All competitive events are free and open to the public.

SCHEDULE:

• Tuesday, June 20, 8:30 AM: Opening Ceremony
• Tuesday, June 20, 9 AM: Open Bocce Team Tournament
• Wednesday, June 21, 9 AM: Club Open Tournament
• Thursday, June 22, 9 AM: Singles Punto Raffa Volo Tournament Day 1
• Friday, June 23, 9 AM: Singles Punto Raffa Volo Tournament Day 2
• Saturday, June 24, 9 AM: Singles Punto Raffa Volo Tournament Final Day
• Saturday evening: Awards Banquet

“We are so proud of the Highwood Bocce Ball Club and are thrilled the USBF has chosen this site to host the 2017 United States Bocce Federation National Tournament,” said Charlie Pecaro, Mayor of Highwood. “Our Club is one of a kind, literally built by hand by Highwood’s residents and the social center of the community where neighbors gathered to play bocce and forge lifelong friendships. We are proud that Highwood is the home of this nationally recognized Club and look forward to welcoming competitors to Highwood.”

Highwood’s Bocce Courts are widely recognized as some of the best in the nation. The Highwood Bocce Club last hosted the U.S. Bocce Federation's national tournament in 2008 and was the site of the 1996 World Championship competition which drew teams from 14 countries.

The origin of the Highwood Bocce Club dates to 1969 when members of the city's Italian-American residents wanted an outdoor area to play bocce. They were offered use of the property along the railroad tracks that the city had just acquired. Local tradesman and founding members of the Club constructed the current building on the property. More recently in 2009, the Club hired Aurelio Colleoni, a prestigious firm from Gorgonzola, Italy, to install world-class, regulation indoor courts. Today the club includes more than 450 members from across the north shore and hosts leagues, open play, and social events throughout the year. More information is available at www.highwoodbocce.com.