Like any Italian activity last Wednesday’s season ending Dante Club Bocce League games began with a big meal consisting of pasta, salad, sausage and wine.
It is the 40th year that the league has been in existence. A few have been there from the beginning like Carlo Didone who has played in all 40 bocce campaigns since the league was founded in 1976.
Milt Workewich has played for 30 years. Others are more recent participants.
Wednesday was the last night of the league play and while a couple of teams were vying for the number one position, all eight teams will participate in the Dante League Bocce playoffs commencing March 23 and concluding with the league championship on April 6.
The eight teams that will compete in the playoffs are:
Team 1 battling for first place against Didone’s Team 2 can be called the “Barber’s Team” as it boasts two barbers Tony Garito of the Razor’s Strop in the 101 Mall and Alfonso DeLuca, the former owner of Alfonso’s Hair Charisma in Schumacher. Not only are one they one of the top teams in the league, but Team 1 also has the best haircuts. Rounding out Team 1 are Roy McCord, Lucio Leone, Dorion Cassaniti, Bruno Bellini and Guy Giroux.
Team 2 is steeped in experience. Let’s call them “The Masters of Bocce”. Carlo Didone has been playing bocce at the Dante Club for 40 years ever since the league started in 1976. Milt Workewich has been playing for 30 years. Also on Team 2 are Dan Andreatta, Alfonso Colarossi, Garry Smith, Danilo Bernardi, Enzo Delbel and Clifford Laming.
Team 3 could be called Team Ciccone as it has among its players Dante Club President Hector Ciccone and Anthony Ciccone in addition to Peter Flaminio, Ryan Taylor, Rudy Schiratti, Lorn Cook and Ralph Foran.
Team 4 should be subtitled the Flying Frenchmen as it has on its squad Maurice Lemire and Marcel Gauthier (OK, he is Belgian, but close enough!). Other team members are Nevio Salvati, Brock Ciotti, Don Babcock and Glen Campbell.
Team 5 anchored by Dominic and Pat Sangiuliano. Also on the team are Frank Garito, Pascal Dumoulin, Ross Clausi (IL Professore), Barry Young and Gino Canzio
The Team 6 squad consists of the effervescent Domenic Colontonio and his father Odone Colontonio. Domenic is known to break out in song at any given moment. Also on the team are Rick Cybulski, Sal Cassaniti, Jim Romain, Brian Cronmiller, Marcel Bougie and Bob DiMarco.
Team 7 is an eclectic team compose of Vince Purifcati, Rodney Brousseau, Anthony Workewich, Irvin Graham, John Duffenais, Ernie Biasetti and Pietro DiProfio along with Paul Bragagnola.
Which leads to Team 8 – Team Rubino with five Rubinos on the squad. Frank Rubino, Sam Rubino, Vito Rubino, Frank B. Rubino and John Rubino. Sandwiched in between the Rubinos are Vito Flaminio, Frank Narda and Andy Gelinas
For those new to the game the play is very similar to curling except that it is played on a dirt court with balls instead of on ice and with rocks.
The game starts when the small white ball is thrown up court. The white ball serves as moveable house. The object is to get your team balls as close to the white ball in order to score points. The defenders try to knock their opponents’ balls away from the white ball and place their own close to it.
Though the game was brought to Timmins by Italian immigrants it’s popularity has spread to wider Timmins community and as you can see from the diverse names of the players it has become a multi-cultural game that reflects Timmins itself.
