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Akron Bar’s bocce tourney raises $1,800 for charity
SHERRY KARABIN
Legal News Reporter
Published: September 29, 2017
Members of the Akron legal community put their tossing skills to the test recently at a bocce tournament designed to raise funds to help those living in the city’s North Hill community.
“Bocce with the Bar” took place Sept. 6 at the Carovillese Club on Cuyahoga Falls Ave. in North Hill, with 18 teams participating in the single-elimination competition that featured live music and pasta dinners.
The event raised $1,800 that will be distributed to a local charity by the Akron Bar Foundation, the charitable arm of the Akron Bar Association.
“We are accepting grant applications right now from local charities hoping to receive the funds,” said Daniel Leffler, president of the board of the Akron Bar Foundation. “There is obviously a lot of need in every one of our communities and this is especially true in immigrant communities like North Hill.
“It will be a tough decision to decide where these funds should go,” Leffler said. “I think events like these are very important and it’s great to see the legal community band together for a good cause.”
Ninth District Court of Appeals Judge Thomas Teodosio came up with the idea for the tournament.
“Over the summer I played bocce at the Carovillese Club a number of times with my friends,” said Judge Teodosio. “We all had such a good time and I thought it would be a great social event for attorneys.
“I discussed the idea with the bar’s executive director C. Allen Nichols and Nick Di Orio from the club and everyone agreed that it was an excellent opportunity to bring lawyers together for fun and camaraderie.”
Judge Teodosio said the event was so successful that it will become an annual tradition.
“We may have to make the tournament a two-day or an all-day event to accommodate everyone who is interested in playing next year,” said Judge Teodosio.
The judge said he would also like to see the tournament evolve into a double elimination format to guarantee each team at least two games.
The event cost $40 per team, which included the entry fee and a pasta dinner.
Non-players were able to purchase a pasta dinner, which included spaghetti, ravioli or rigatoni, salad, bread, coffee and spumoni ice cream for $8 per person. There was also a cash bar, which benefited the club.
According to the United States Bocce Federation website, the concept of throwing balls toward a target is the oldest game known to mankind. The website states that as early as the year 5000 B.C. the Egyptians played a form of bocce with polished rocks, but it was the early Romans who were among the first to play what resembles bocce today.
The object of bocce is for the players to toss their balls closest to the small target ball known as the pallino. While the game has been popular in Europe and in the U.S. among older generations of Italian descent, bocce is making a resurgence and is quickly becoming trendy, attracting younger people of various backgrounds.
I’ve played bocce my whole life, mostly with family or at various organizations,” said Judge Teodosio.
He and his wife Summit County Juvenile Court Judge Linda Tucci Teodosio were among several sponsors of the event.
Each of the 18 teams that took part in the tournament were made up of four to five members and players did not have to belong to the Akron Bar Association to participate.
The players ranged from law students and young lawyers to experienced and retired attorneys.
The University of Akron School of Law was among the organizations that participated in the event.
The Akron Law team was made up of Daniel Brean, assistant professor of law, Lia Evans, director of alumni and development, Charles Oldfield, assistant dean of student affairs and Dean Christopher J. (C.J.) Peters.
“We’re always looking for ways to connect with the local bench and bar,” said Peters. “We have a close relationship with the bar since about 50 percent of its members are graduates of Akron Law.
“We do a lot of official activities with the bar, but it was nice to be part of a more casual event where everyone could relax and have fun.”
While the team was eliminated in the first round, Peters said it was satisfying to be part of an effort to raise money for the immigrant community of North Hill.
“This event underscores for me the kind of welcoming community Akron is,” he said.
The winning team was from the law firm of Roderick Linton Belfance.
Members included associates Marc Chenowith, Brandon Pauley, Steven Heimberger and team captain Kristopher Immel.
“Judge Teodosio discussed the tournament with me and I decided to put a team together for our firm,” said Immel.
“A few of us had played bocce before, mostly in the backyard, but with a little luck and some good shots, we were able to win.
“Myself and at least one other member of the team are former college athletes so I think our competitive drive took over,” said Immel.
Any organization that wants to apply for the money raised at the event should contact Ikel Kelly at 330-253-5007.