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There’s no stopping the bocce brigade

Elm Court residents take the action inside with gusto

By Adam Grybowski
Special Writer
   The whooping and clapping coming from Elm Court’s community room on Thursday evenings tends to stir the curiosity of residents shuffling past the room’s entrance. Bingo, the perennial favorite activity at this residence for low-income elderly and disabled people, hardly elicits this kind of excitement.
   Inside, 15 or so residents are playing a modified game of bocce ball. It has become quite a draw. Whoever sticks their head into the room is encouraged to join the fun, and many do.
   ”These people are 93, 94 years old, and they’re competing like crazy with each other,” says Joe Sabin, the volunteer who started the weekly game.
   Krishna Das Gupta gives up watching “Jeopardy” to play bocce. Her husband, Ashok, assists Mr. Sabin in coordinating the game. Gene Pinelli learned to play bocce in Italy and has a dead-accurate shot. Elizabeth Hyche prefers to remain in her seat when she bowls. Ruth Hester prefers to stand — one of the few times she rises from her wheelchair.
   Elm Court is a subsidized apartment house on Elm Road that is managed by Princeton Community House, Inc. Applicants must be 62 years or older to qualify for residency, although some disabled residents are younger.
   Most of the activities provide mental exercise, according to Rhona Parker, Elm Court’s social worker. Groups meet several times a month to discuss books and other topics of interest.
   But bocce ball is the most physical activity Elm Court offers. The atmosphere is competitive but supportive.
   ”The fact that people with physical limitations feel good enough to come out and throw that ball, that’s just terrific,” says Ms. Parker.
   Elm Court has tried to include more physical activities, with little success. The facility had a walking club a long time ago that never caught on. Ms. Sabin’s original idea was to go bowling, but bowling balls are heavy, and traveling to the alley can be intimidating for residents, Ms. Parker says. So few people showed up for the first bowling night, Mr. Sabin jokes, you could hear crickets chirping.
   ”No, no, no,” Helen Evans recalls saying when she heard of the bowling idea. “Bowling is not for seniors. Bocce is for seniors. The game is a combination of exercise, skill and fun.”
   Although bocce is normally played outdoors, residents prefer to play inside because it is easier to accommodate their various handicaps. Several bocce players are in wheelchairs. Others use a cane or walker to assist their movement.
   Elm Court uses official bocce balls, which are about the size of softballs. They may be the only official part of their game. The room is divided into two teams: red and green, the same colors as the grapes the players are served between turns. The “court” is carpeted and only about one-third of the official length. But rules are beside the point.
   ”I make the rules up as I go along,” says Mr. Sabin.
   In the beginning, when Mr. Sabin thought the game would be played outside, he built a U-shaped frame to nail into the ground. Since the game is played inside, he keeps the frame in a closet and places it every Thursday on the carpet in the community room. He uses blue tape to mark scoring targets within the frame, and he changes the scoring system every week. If scoring proves to be too easy, Mr. Sabin makes it harder. Sometimes he tweaks the rules between turns.
   If he didn’t spend his Thursday nights volunteering at Elm Court, Mr. Sabin says he would probably be in front of the TV watching baseball. He works in sales for Pedagogue Solutions, an assessment management company that specializes in online tests and surveys. He had been looking for a volunteer opportunity when he heard about Elm Court. “I wanted to make an impact,” he says.
   The residents say he is an indispensable part of the night. Although bocce ball has been a great success, no one asks to play when Mr. Sabin is not around.
   Mr. Sabin occasionally takes a turn to bowl the bocce, but entertaining the residents is his main role. The community room is his stage and the bocce players are his audience. He flips an imaginary coin to start the game. He runs around the room retrieving balls that roll into other rooms. He stoops on his hands and knees to determine if a ball is on the line. A joke or high-spirited remark always seems to be on the tip of his tongue.
   ”I think he’s having more fun than the players,” says Ms. Parker.
   While fun is an important part of the night, and players receive applause nearly every time they bowl, a special celebration is reserved for the announcement of the end-of-the-game tally. Mr. Sabin keeps score with a notepad and pen, and the players implore him to add more quickly. Two weeks ago, the green team held off the red team’s rally. Mr. Sabin announces the score, confirming green’s victory.
   ”Yes!” June Clark said. “Two weeks in a row!”