The Watkins Mill varsity coed bocce team ended their season with a 2-4 record and is prepared to improve their performance for next season with more consistent practices and recruitment of new players.

Bocce is played with a set of balls that correspond to each team, along with a smaller ball, called the pallino. The pallino is thrown on the court by one team, and then the same team underhandedly throws a bocce ball, aiming to get the ball as close as possible to the pallino. The other team then throws their balls, and the winner of the set is determined by whose balls are closest to the pallino.

Paraeducator Casey Burdette has been coaching the bocce team for two years. Burdette took the job offer after learning that the team needed a new coach. “I did my homework and learned the rules and just stepped into it,” Burdette said.

During their short season, the team has seen noticeable development. “We had a slow start but we really started to come together,” Burdette added. “We’re starting to use strategy in plays; it’s not just about getting the ball close to the pallino.”

This year the program welcomed a number of new players, including freshman Alex Chaurand. “We work together as a team and we concentrate… by aiming the ball,” Chaurand said. Despite it being his first year, Chaurand already has goals that he would like to work on with his teammates. “Concentrating the ball to aim for the pallino [is something we want to work on],” Chaurand added.

Many players agreed that this season was full of memories. “We liked scoring points and cheering [for our teammates],” freshman Maria Hainer said.

“My favorite memories were the last two games, seeing people volunteering to sit out to make sure that another person has enough time to sit in,” Burdette added.

“We try our best to keep up our good work as a team,” Chaurand said. The nine person team has different mottos to keep each other focused and motivated.

“We win as a team and we lose as a team,” junior Khalil Gholson said.

“We’re going to try to recruit a little harder next year and just continue to develop better strategies,” Burdette said.  Along with improvement in their performance, Burdette hopes to see more general education players on the team next season. “From a social standpoint, our team would benefit greatly from a little more balance [in players],” Burdette added.