And the Bocce League Championship Winner Is….

The spirit of competition was present, but it was outdone by lighthearted camaraderie and an air of fun at the annual Charles J. Pineno Marco Island Bocce League championship tournament.

Held recently at Mackle Park, the tourney marks the conclusion of a ten-week-long season that begins in early January. 

Capturing this year’s league crown was the Beach I team, which consisted of Gus Scola, Gary Bourassa, Roma Brodak and Bill Reid. The runner-up was Beach II, which consisted of Nick Fernandez, Dolores Fernandez, Patty Herchenroder and Gene Herchenroder. Third place went to the Marco 5 squad and its members Bob Hulnick, Abe Bangarzi, Tina DiBiase and Connie DiVito. 

The league was founded in 2017 by the late Charles J. Pineno, who passed away in 2021. This year, there were 168 players, divided into seven divisions of 24 players, each division divided into six teams containing four members. There were originally 24 teams in the playoff round, said Russ Wickrowski, who was one of the league organizers. 

He said both men and women and a wide range of ages take part, the youngest in their forties or fifties, but most aged 70 and above, while noting there was a 94-year-old who participated this year.

“It's as much social as it is competitive,” added Wickrowski. “We make so many friends here and meet so many people, people that you wouldn't know otherwise, you know? And we've made some lasting relationships for people all over the United States. So that's what we really are after here - to get to have a good time, get out of the condo or house, be among people, make a lot of friends and a lot of memories.

For more information about the Charles J. Pineno Marco Island Bocce League, visit marcoislandbocceleague.com/index.html. Mackle Park is located at 1361 Andalusia Terrace. For more information, visit cityofmarcoisland.com/parksrec/page/frank-e-mackle-park.