Capo Email
4/14/2023
Welcome to the 2023 season!
Capo Meeting Email
First, as many of you have noticed, we have decided to forgo the capo meeting this year in favor of an email. In the end, the meeting was mostly a vehicle for delivering information. So, we’re just going to send it to you directly! As usual, if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to send an email to info@beniciabocce.org.
The Board and Officers
Next, I’d like to inform everyone of changes on the Board of Directors.
President - Steve Pieroni
Vice President - Beth Szabo
Treasurer - John Van Blake
Secretary - Matt DeClaire
Directors - Greg Richey, Scott Reep, Ron Kane, Zac Van Blake, Lynn Hannafin, Jorge Castaneda, Jenny Castaneda
Financials
Our financials are in good standing. We are now working with a surplus which enables us to invest in facilities and equipment.
Courts
The material added to Courts 3 and 4 last year was successfully removed on Thursday 4/13. The courts are ready for the City to install fresh Bocce Oyster Shell/Flour Blend to match courts 1 and 2.
Registration
We are pleased to announce that we have a total of 63 teams and 687 players registered for the upcoming season, with two new teams joining the league. We would like to recognize the best new team name, which goes to A Reason to Wine.
Schedule
League play starts Sunday, April 23rd.
Playoffs will be held from September 5th to September 16th.
Please review your team’s schedule online, and proactively start the rescheduling process for any matches you know your team cannot attend. beniciabocce.org/reschedule
Opening Day
On Saturday, April. 22nd, we’ll be holding an open play day from 11:00 until 1:00 as an opportunity to both get together, and also help out anyone who has questions. We will be conducting a court preparation clinic and encourage all capos to attend with the hope the courts will stay in better shape throughout the season. In addition, we plan to raffle off the old bocce balls as we purchased 4 new sets, and have a local pizza vendor serving pizza. First 25 slices are free! Please take this opportunity to meet and greet new teams and get some practice rolls in.
Rules
We’ve made some updates to the rules including the following changes. For full details, you can find the rules online at beniciabocce.org/rules
A match is forfeited if any team member plays without having signed their waiver.
In order to help keep our sheds in better order, Home teams are additionally responsible for ensuring proper shed organization at the end of the match.
Only capos and players in the current game are allowed inside the courts. This prevents large “measuring committees”.
Being that it’s hard to regulate and contain, music is now prohibited during play.
The Board has adopted a new “Zero Tolerance Policy” on bullying. We had several instances last season where Board members had to come down to the courts to diffuse situations. This is unacceptable. Capos are responsible for their team members. If you need to file a complaint, you can do so online at beniciabocce.org/complaint.
As a reminder, capos are required to provide the rules to each of their teammates and every member in the league is required to read and understand the Rules and the Standards of Conduct as a condition of participation in the Benicia Bocce League.
Shed
Please keep the sheds organized. There are labels throughout the shed identifying where the equipment/chairs/tables belong. If we work together, we can ensure we leave the sheds in good condition for the next team.
Please let us know about any equipment needs or failures. We will correct the problem as soon as we can.
Finally, we would like to remind you that we are here to support you throughout the season. If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to contact us at info@beniciabocce.org.
We wish all of our players a safe and enjoyable season.