Enabling residents to lead fulfilling, long and healthy lives
The only experiences I’ve had with Bocce Ball have been those involving sand, salt water and a lot of sunscreen. Although I’ve never played, I always knew it as a casual “beach game”. Saturday morning, as I pulled into the gravel lot at a Clayton facility, I realized how wrong I am.
I had arrived at the Special Olympics Bocce Ball preliminaries for State playoffs. I see teams grouped together wearing matching shirts, and other individuals in white shirts with large black letters reading “Officials”, accompanied by clipboards, tape measures, and whistles . Officials? I don’t remember seeing officials out in the sun and sand with tape measures.
The surrounding counties are represented by athletes in singles and double matches. I find the Orange County team; in their matching navy blue polo’s, with smiles on their faces. Quickly, I am approached by Colleen Lanigan, Orange County’s Special Olympics Coordinator.
Lanigan is one of fastest movinig and friendliest individuals I’ve ever met. Regardless of how busy she is making sure the athletes know the times of their matches and on which court, she is eager to take me around and introduce me to everyone. All of the athletes shake my hand, introduce themselves, and quickly help me learn the game of bocce. As they explain, I realize bocce ball is much more involved than the ambling beach version I was familiar with.
I find Ken Reid and Richard Williams waiting their turn in the shade, with their water bottles by their side. Reid and Williams are roommates at the Spring Glen Retirement Center, Residential Services Inc.’s retirement community for aging individuals with developmental disabilities. Reid and Williams lived in another RSI house, before Spring Glen opened in 2003. Reid offers me a seat next to him, and the 73-year-old who just celebrated his birthday last week, is eager to chat.
