Swampscott Senior Center sports new bocce court

SWAMPSCOTT – On the first day, the space was void and formless, except for bare ground. On the third day, there was bocce, and Rod Pickard saw that it was very good.Pickard, the Swampscott Senior Center’s co-director, said the center’s bocce court was constructed so quickly – in just a couple of days this week – that seniors have not had the time yet to learn how to play the game.Though representatives from Friends of the Senior Center received approval in April from the School Committee to construct a bocce court on land it shares with the high school, the group had expected a long fundraising process before actually seeing the court built. But after hearing about the center’s desire for the court, Bruce Paradise of Paradise Construction LLC and Nick Menino of Menino Construction offered to build the court for free.”That’s what I call great citizens in the town of Swampscott,” said Myron Stone, a Friends of the Senior Center member.Pickard said he suspects Paradise and Menino had such interest in the court because both are of Italian descent, which is the country of bocce’s origin.”The game is popular with people of Italian heritage,” said Pickard. Indeed, the game traces its origins to the Roman Empire.Menino and Paradise began construction on Tuesday and had the court finished by Thursday, save for a few benches and a scoreboard. Stone noted the Marblehead Community Center had paid $15,000 for its bocce court.The Friends will still be fundraising for extra equipment and bocce ball sets, but another business owner, Pepe Bolognese of Advanced Creations, will be making the scoreboard, also free of charge.When asked if the bocce court completion had done anything to fulfill its intended goal – to attract more men to the center – Stone said so far there had been some “conversations” with potential male bocce enthusiasts.”Men aren’t drawn to the senior center like women are,” Pickard explained. Bocce was decided to be an attractive addition because the men who were already frequenting the senior center were golf and bowling enthusiasts.Though many of the seniors don’t know how to play bocce yet, Stone and Pickard are enthusiastic about the future of the court, even planning a Swampscott league.”We’ll try to whip those Marblehead people,” said Stone with a smile.Pickard said there’s been no time for a grand opening, but he said there will probably be one next weekend.Kait Taylor can be reached at [email protected].