State's Largest One-Day Bocce Tournament to Benefit Whatcom Dispute Resolution Center

The sixth incarnation of the Bellingham Bay Bocce Tournament is slated for Saturday, April 19 at the Bellingham Sportsplex. All proceeds from the event will be donated to the Whatcom Dispute Resolution Center (WDRC) in Bellingham, Wash.

Bellingham, Wash. (PRWEB) April 2, 2008 -- The sixth incarnation of the Bellingham Bay Bocce Tournament (http://www.boccemon.com/bhambay-tournament-08.shtml) is slated for Saturday, April 19 at the Bellingham Sportsplex. All proceeds from the event will be donated to the Whatcom Dispute Resolution Center (WDRC) (www.whatcomdrc.org) in Bellingham.

The tournament, which is managed by Bellingham businessman and nonprofit fundraiser Tom McNutt, will feature 32 teams (four players per team) ranging in age and skill.

"Bocce is one of those sports that nearly everyone has the ability to participate in," said McNutt, a Bellingham resident and bocce enthusiast who runs Boccemon.com. "It's this all-inclusive atmosphere that makes the tournament such a fun and engaging way to raise money for organizations such as the Whatcom Dispute Resolution Center, which does such important work in our community."

The fundraising event, which is the state's largest one-day bocce tournament, will also include a salmon barbecue and a Boundary Bay Brewery beer garden - with food donated by local businesses. Other details include:

•    Registration fees: $80 per team, $200 for business sponsorship of team

•    All ages and mixed teams can participate

•    Name on 'perpetual trophy' for winning team

•    Medals for first, second and third-place teams

•    Lunch included with registration

•    Teams will battle it out on eight, 12-foot by 60-foot perimeter-style courts laid out on field turf

•    Each match will be played to 12 points (see tournament rules)

•    First round is a round-robin segment

•    The top two teams from the round-robin segment will be chosen from each of the eight courts, then paired off in single-elimination rounds until a champion is declared

•    No rails

WDRC executive director Moonwater said the tournament will be a great venue for the community to come together to celebrate - while supporting a worthy cause.

"We are so thankful to all the businesses and individuals who helped put this together - particularly Tom McNutt," she said. "The mission of the WDRC will definitely be furthered through this wonderful outing."

Sponsors include: Boccemon, Nielson Bros., Inc., Golf Greens, Advanced Financial Solutions, Inc., Hardware Sales, Birch Equipment, Boundary Bay Brewery, Vocus, KGMI radio, The Weekly, Vis Seafoods, Dick's Drive-in, Midori, Hampton Inn, Washington Mutual, Barkley District, Moshi Moshi Sushi, Morgan Stanley, Jupiter Studios, Moceri Construction, Inc., Food Services of America, Ralf's Bavarian Originals, Northwest Recycling, Oikos Fellowship, Northcoast Electric Company, Deer Harbor Inn, Trader Joe's, Shannon Wallace, James Heintz, and Your2Agengents, Leon Henley and Family, Whatcom Educational Credit Union, Fairhaven Health, and SPIE.

Additional supporters include Avenue Bread, Pastazza, Keith Cox Autobahn, Copy Source, Seafood Producer's Co-op, Bornstein's Seafood and the Bellingham Food Co-op.

About the Whatcom Dispute Resolution Center

The WDRC (www.whatcomdrc.org) is a nonprofit dedicated to educating and training the public in peaceful conflict resolution skills, and providing trained mediators to empower the community to resolve conflicts in equitable and cooperative ways. The center is located at 13 Prospect St. in Bellingham. For additional information, please contact Moonwater, executive director, at 676-0122 or director @ whatcomdrc.org.

Getting Involved in the Bellingham Bay Bocce Tournament

For tournament sponsorship opportunities, contact the Whatcom Dispute Resolution Center. Tournament information is also available online at www.boccemon.com. Tournament sign-in starts at 9 a.m., and the tournament begins at 9:30 a.m. For additional information, please contact Moonwater, executive director, at 676-0122, director @ whatcomdrc.org; or Tom McNutt at (360) 224-2909, tom @ boccemon.com.

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