My first foray into Bocce was not going to result in my being invited onto the professional Bocce tour . . . even if there was one. Yet I had so much fun mingling with our guests in that way that I looked forward to the next event when it came. Once again the weather was gorgeous on Deck 15 and the green lawn looked spectacular under the brilliant blue Caribbean sky. Tim and I sallied forth to do battle with our guests and officer peers. This time with a bit of a clue as to what to do, I hoped we actually be a bit more competitive.
By random draw the officers are paired to play against guest teams and we drew a young couple from England on their honeymoon. They were simply lovely and it was a close match but on our final tosses we couldn’t make any magic happen and they got the win. However, there are always more guests to play than officer teams and so we were paired two more times to play in first round matches. Surprisingly, against more experienced teams who seemed to know the game, we won the next two matches. This meant we would advance to the second round. We now appeared to be on a roll and we easily dispatched our opponents and would move onto the third round of competition.
In the third round we were paired with a serious ten year old boy and his dad. The little boy took his time with every shot and was very competitive. After two ends we were up two points and they would need a stirring come back to win. The younger son of the family came up to me and started badgering me to lose because I was a nice person who wanted to make the passengers happy. I stared seriously into his eyes and asked him whatever gave him that impression. He continued to plead and taunt until . . . I threw him over the side of the ship! Okay, no I didn’t but in my mind I did. Instead Tim and I put on the most dominating display in our brief bocce career winning the maximum number of points (4) for that end and vanquishing the lad and his dad. When it comes to competition I don’t believe in losing on purpose.
The final round brought us to play another team of officers, our Hotel Director, Damien, and our Bar Manager, Clint. Damien has been the reigning champion for several cruises partnered with our Associate Hotel Director, Robert, who was off ship at a conference that day. Clint had willingly stepped up and the game was on. After two ends it was tied at 1-1 with the third and final end ahead of us. With only one toss left by Clint we were closest to get the final point. Clint does not have the expertise of Damien but he let go with the perfect shot. Just before it rolled to a stop it nicked Tim’s closest ball out of the way and settled gracefully into that first spot. By the narrowest of margins we had lost our chance at championship glory.
Bragging rights would remain with the HD, but we had made a statement and enjoyed a grand half an hour on the lawn. Perhaps there is a bocce championship in our future, but for now we needed to appreciate our valiant effort.
And the adventure continues . . .
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