Courtney Strickland. Wow! Incredible! Congratulations for winning the 2024 Women’s Singles PRV Bocce National Championship. Courtney also won Gold this week with Anthony LaBarbera in the Mixed Doubles Championship, and they finished 2nd together in 2023. Both hail from Greater Chicago and play at Mazzini Verdi and Highwood Bocce Club. In addition, Courtney was the Precision Raffa Shooting Champion in 2023.
The runner up is Teresa Passaglia. Teresa has been a fantastic player for 2-plus decades and used to play out of the Highwood Bocce Club as well, before going to Florida. Honorable mention goes to Brigid Reidy and Martha Crosley who won the Bronze Medals.
The 2024 US Bocce Men’s PRV Champion is none other than, Jose Botto. Botto has been a multiple time national champion over the last 20 years after moving to the USA from Argentina. For the past 12 years, in other tournaments, he has been teammates with runner up, Hunter Gallero. Gallero is also an exceptional player. They are both residents of Michigan and play out of the Palazzo di Bocce in Lake Orion, MI.
Nick Imo and Anthony LaBarbera are in the final four once again this week, both winning Bronze Medals in the Men’s Singles. Along with Hunter, they are all younger bocce players with long careers ahead of them. Nick won Bronze this week with Teresa Passaglia in Mixed Doubles and he finished with the Silver in the Men’s Doubles PRV with Greg Della Croce. Nick is from St. Louis and plays at the IABC, the host club for this year’s Nationals.
Anthony has been on fire all 4 days this week so far. Besides this Bronze Medal, he was the 1st Place Champion of both the Men’s Doubles with Maurizio Perrelli and Mixed Doubles with Courtney Strickland.
Anthony LaBarbera and Courtney Strickland are the Champions of the 2024 US Bocce Mixed Doubles Punto Raffa Volo Tournament at the IABC in St. Louis, MO. Congratulations to the duo who are from the Greater Chicago area. They often play at the Highwood Bocce Club. This is Anthony’s 2nd Gold Medal this week. Yesterday he won the Men’s Doubles PRV with Maurizio Perrelli. Last year Courtney won the Women’s Precision Raffa Shooting contest.
Gerald Gilligan and Jean Godin, veteran players from Northern California who often play at Campo di Bocce in the Bay Area, took the Silver Medal.
Mixed Doubles (PRV Rules), Tues – Wed 6/25-6/26:
Gold: Ant & Court – Chicagoland, IL (Anthony LaBarbera, Courtney Strickland)
Silver: Gilligan/Godin – Northern CA (Gerald Gilligan, Jean Godin)
Bronze: Thayer/Shindelus – Long Island, NY / Northern CA (Brad Thayer, Margaret Shindelus)
Bronze: Nick/Teresa – St. Louis, MO / Tampa, FL (Nick Imo, Teresa Passaglia)
This year’s Men’s Doubles Punto Raffa Volo Gold Medal goes to the Anthony LaBabera and Maurizo Perrelli of Team Mazzini Verdi. They are from the Chicago area and play at the Mazzini Verdi Bocce Club as well as the Highwood Bocce Club. Congratulations, guys, on your top place finish in the US Bocce National Championships! Silver medalists, Greg Della Croce and Nick Imo, are from the host club of the 2024 US Bocce Nationals, IABC. The 2 bronze medals are awared to 2 bocce teams from Northern California.
Men’s Doubles (PRV Rules), Mon-Tues. 6/24-6/25:
Gold: Mazzini Verdi – Chicagoland, IL (Anthony LaBabera, Maurizio Perrelli)
Silver: IABC (Italia America Bocce Club) – St. Louis, MO (Greg Della Croce, Nick Imo)
Bronze: California Roll – Northern CA (Mark Wolff, Alan Knox)
Bronze: D’Amore/Nicosia – Northern CA (Oscar D’Amore, Benedetto Nicosia)
Congratulations to Gina Imo and Teresa Passaglia of the St. Louis Dreamers for winning the Gold Medal in the Women’s Doubles PRV bocce tournament. The event is the first event of the 2024 US Bocce Nationals this summer in St. Louis, MO at the Italia America Bocce Club. Gina is a local to the host club and Teresa lives in Florida, however played bocce for years at Highwood and Mazzini Verdi. 2nd Place is awared to Diane Kelley and Rena Harel from California who play at Campo di Bocce. Campo di Bocce has been a long time sponsor of the US Bocce Federation and the National Teams.
Women’s Doubles (PRV Rules), Mon-Tues. 6/24-6/25:
Gold: St. Louis Dreamers – St. Louis, MO / Tampa, FL (Gina Imo, Teresa Passaglia)
Silver: Left Coast Bocce – Northern CA (Diane Kelley, Rena Harel)
Bronze: Shindelus/Godin – Northern CA (Margaret Shindelus, Jean Godin)
Bronze: Bocce Gals – Northern CA (Joanne Lopez, Emi Fuji)
Welcome note from the 2024 US Bocce National Championship chairman, Robert Della Croce. A daily schedule and announcement of Bocce Broadcast Network providing live broadcasting are included.
Presidential Letter by Danny Passaglia.
Mario Massa is the first bocce player to be inducted into the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame.
The opening ceremonies of the 2024 US Bocce Nationals kick off on Sunday, June 23, 2024 at 6:00 PM with a welcoming party as well. On Saturday, June 29, the games will wrap up and the Awards Ceremony will be held in the evening.
This year is a World Championships qualifier year for Mixed Doubles, Women’s Singles and Men’s Singles. The winners will compete against Canadian Champions for the honor of representing North America this November in Turkey. We will also qualify 1 woman and 1 man for the Precision Raffa Shooting Competition.
Bocce Broadcast Network will be airing the games on Youtube.
This year’s annual Tom Gialde Memorial Bocce Tournament will take place August 2 – 4, 2024 in Kansas City, MO. The American Sons of Columbus is the home of the event where Tom was a long time member. The bocce club is an affiliate of the US Bocce Federation. Download:
The North American Cup was a long standing tradition before a hiatus of roughly a decade, however it was resurrected in Montreal last year. The 2024 international bocce tournment will be held in Boston, specifically at the Methuen Sons of Italy. It’s a Punto Raffa Volo competition. PRV is the short name for the advanced modality of the global sport of bocce and is played across both North and South America, Europe, Asia, Oceana and Africa. The Methuen Sons of Italy Lodge 902’s modern facility that was finished in 2013 boasts 4 professional international courts, a bar, function hall and kitchen. The organization celebrated it’s 100th anniversary just a few years ago.
Top teams from Greater Toronto and Greater Montreal will participate in this 3×3 internationally sanctioned tournament. Also, experienced players from IL, OH, MI, MO, NY, MA, RI, CT, NH, FL, CA are expected to compete as well.
Opening ceremonies are at 4:00 PM on Friday, August 9, 2024 and the games will start immediately after. Round Robin play continues throughout Saturday and the Playoffs will be on Sunday. During the weekend, a Precision Shooting Contest will also take place. This is another type of bocce where players can showcase their Raffa and Volo talents. Punto means point, a slow roll of the bocce. Raffa is a more aggressive shot that’s purpose is to displace one or more bocce. Volo means flight and is a shot that is in the air and must hit the target ball directly or withing 40 cm (approxiamtely 14″).
Attached are a tournament flyer and registration form for players to download. The tournament is open to the public for viewing. Donations and sponsorships are welcomed. The contact information is on both the promotional flyer and the registration form.
It’s that time of year again to get on the phone to plan your team partnerships for the US Bocce Nationals. For the 9th time, the Italia America Bocce Club in St. Louis will host our annual championships this coming June 23rd – 29th. Robert della Croce recently sent us all the documents for registration and other information he prepared with his siblings Greg and Paola and the whole IABC Nationals committee.
You likely have questions.We have the answers.
What Punto Raffa Volo events are offered? and the schedule?
Are there any Open Rules Bocce touraments?
Where’s the best place to stay?
What are the uniform requirements?
I heard I need to be a member of the US Bocce Federation. Is that true?
Are there time limits or 8 frame limits on the PRV games?
