Largest Bocce Purse in North American Draws Crowd to Michigan

Bocce Invitational attracts top players as support for sport grows.

Orion Township, MI (PRWEB) November 8, 2006 -- The Battaglia Bocce Invitational, just completing its sixth year, attracted 34 of the best teams in North America on October 27th-28th, 2006. The event included several teams from Palazzo di Bocce, including one that took home the top prize of $8,000. With a total purse of $16,500, the event has the largest purse for a tournament of its kind in North America.

The winning three-person team, Palazzo di Bocce #3, was led by Jorge Moreno of Rochester Hills, MI. He was joined by Jose Botto, also of Rochester Hills, and Fabio Fin of Chicago, IL. Team Delorme of Montreal placed second and Team Montreal of Montreal placed third.

Another Palazzo di Bocce team captained by Jason Wisniewski, Bocce Manager at Palazzo di Bocce, took seventh place at the Battaglia Bocce Invitational. Earlier this year, Wisniewski's team won the North American Team Championships and placed fifth at the World Championships, held in Brazil, the best finish ever for a U.S. team.

"The BBI continues to be a wonderful opportunity for the top bocce players in the area and from around the United States and Canada to demonstrate their skills," says Wisniewski.

In addition to teams based at the Palazzo di Bocce, competitors from California, Florida, St. Louis, Montreal, Toronto, New York, Cleveland and Windsor, Ont., were present at the Battaglia Bocce Invitational.

Anthony Battaglia, developer and owner of Palazzo di Bocce, founded the event in 2001, hosting the tournament at his home before moving it in 2004 to the then newly built Palazzo di Bocce.

"Bocce is a game that's unique in a number of respects, most notably because its simplicity appeals to people of any age," says Battaglia, a former construction company executive who took up the game in the early 1990s. A competitive player himself, Battaglia was designated as "Ambassador for Development of Bocce in the North American Market" by the Confédération Bouliste Internationale (CBI) and its President, Mr. Romolo Rizzoli in 2006.

Battaglia's goal of increasing the competitive level of bocce play in North America includes incorporating the Battaglia Bocce Invitational into a Professional Bocce Organization Tour as a Masters-type event in the 2007-2008 season.

"The momentum for bocce is most certainly going to continue, thanks in part to the popularity of tournaments like the BBI," said Battaglia. A unique characteristic of Palazzo di Bocce is being able to offer both competitive play and the social aspect of the sport, underscoring the fact that the game for many is "just plain fun."

"We are doing our part here at Palazzo di Bocce to make sure that people from around the country get the chance to experience this game in an ideal environment. That will continue."

Battaglia has plans to open another Palazzo di Bocce in Chicago (in 2008) with other cities to follow.

For further information, visit www.BoccePalace.com or call 248-371-9987.

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