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The
leisurely construction of two bocce lanes is finished.
Tucked between Northwest Park and Eighth avenues and
Flanders and Glisan streets, the spanking new lanes sit
in the North Park Blocks between basketball courts.
Bocce (pronounced botch-ee) is a centuries-old,
come-as-you-are sport. It originated in ancient times,
but most people today associate it with Italians who
play the game in streets and shady parks, usually not
far from a glass of vino.
Italy isn't the only country with a version of lawn
bowling, of course. The French have a similar game they
call pétanque, and the English have "bowls"
and "crown green bowling." Bocce is big in
Spain, too.
Now it's downtown Portland's turn to give bocce a whirl.
Bill Marinelli is the feisty 68-year-old
Italian-American who got the ball rolling almost three
years ago. Marinelli, a graduate of Holy Redeemer
Elementary School and Central Catholic High School,
plays in Portland and Vancouver, Wash., bocce leagues
and remembers his grandparents playing it in Portland's
Duniway Park when he was a boy.
"The whole area was Italian back then," says
the dapper Marinelli, dressed this day in a blue blazer
with brass buttons, pins with the flags of Italy and the
United States affixed to his lapel. Something of a
charmer, Marinelli wears a handlebar mustache. His car
has a bumper sticker that reads: "The Luckiest
People Marry Italians."
Here's how bocce, a game that rewards finesse over
sweat, is played: Two teams one red, one green are
required. The object of the game is to roll the hard
rubber balls, which are about the size of grapefruits,
as close to the small white ball, or pallino, as
possible. Players can "kiss," or nudge, the
pallino closer or farther, depending on their opponent's
position. Points are earned and added up at the end of
each round.
The new Portland courts have unique qualities. At 60
feet by 12 feet, they are shorter than the standard
90-by-13-foot lanes. These lanes' sandy surfaces are
made of ash, clay and finely ground oyster shells. A
French drain a gravel-filled trench with sand on top
surrounds the lanes both to keep rainwater from
collecting and to direct runoff away from the sewer
system.
Marinelli is a member of the Paisan Club and the Sons of
Italy, both Italian-American social clubs. As such, he's
earned himself the nickname "Mr. Network." He
belongs to the Italian American Chamber of Commerce, a
group that is helping establish sister-city status
between Portland and Bologna, Italy.
When Marinelli first decided that the neighborhood could
use a couple of bocce courts, he enlisted fellow bocce
player and Pearl District neighbor Dianna Hanken-Hu as
his liaison. They teamed up with Fredrick Zal, a young
architect who became the project's pro-bono landscape
designer.
"It all started with Bill's scribble on a
napkin," Zal says, holding up a thick binder that
charts the project's journey from casual doodle to
officially sanctioned project.
There were a few hurdles, Zal explains. Permanent
additions to Portland's public parks must be built to
last 40 years, he learned. A structure has to be built
to withstand anything from earthquakes to collisions
with park maintenance trucks. The city also required the
French drain to ensure proper drainage of rainwater.
In other words, Marinelli says, "these courts will
last forever."
The three organizers figured it would cost about $2,000
to $3,000 to pull this off. The final price tag
ballooned to $18,000.
Many people pitched in to help raise the money. Gino
Schettini of nearby Piazza Italia restaurant held a
fund-raiser. Pearl neighbor Dick Ponzi of Ponzi
Vineyards donated the wine. Portland Parks &
Recreation eventually awarded the team a grant of $5,000
to finish the project.
The names of other friends and supporters of the bocce
courts can be found in small bronze plates along the
courts' perimeter.
Over a glass of Escudo Rojo at a neighborhood wine bar,
Marinelli says, "There were a few times I almost
told the city where to sit." His determined
personality helped him get here, though: "I'm a
bulldog. I don't let go very easy."
When a pretty woman enters the cafe, he looks up, taps
his fingers, and says with a shrug and twinkle in his
eye, "And I've got young blood."
A ribbon-cutting ceremony for the bocce courts is
scheduled for 6 p.m. Wednesday, June 11, in the North
Park Blocks.
Contact
Michaela Bancud at
mbancud@portlandtribune.com
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Where
to find bocce in Portland
There are courts behind St. Philip Neri Catholic
Church, 2408 S.E. 16th Ave., and in Westmoreland
Park, Southeast Bybee Boulevard and McLoughlin
Boulevard.
Many stores sell bocce sets. They generally run
from $30 to $100.
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© 2003 THE PORTLAND TRIBUNE
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Bill Marinelli, the force behind the construction of the new bocce lanes in the North Park Blocks, displays winning form.
Fredrick Zal (left) donated his services as the architect of the $18,000 bocce project. Taking the new court out for a spin with Zal are Marinelli (bowling) and Chad Menninger.
Photography:
Jim Clark, Portland Tribune
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