Shaler Area Unified bocce teams face each other in playoffs

As if it were not nerve-wracking enough having two teams from the same school playing each other in the same sport, imagine that scenario pitting sister against brother. That’s exactly what’s about to play out on the bocce court in the first round of the playoffs Wednesday at Gateway High School.

The Shaler Area Unified bocce teams have clinched two of the four playoff positions in the North Central Division. The other two spots were earned by Pine-Richland and Hampton but because the No. 1 seed, Shaler Area Blue plays the No. 4 seed, Shaler Area White, players from the same high school will have to face off against one another. And, as it happens, one of the Shaler White captains is senior Cloe Wohlgemuth while one of the Shaler Blue captains is her younger brother, sophomore Brody Wohlgemuth.

“It’s going to be stressful,” Cloe, 18, said. “Only one of us is going to be able to advance and it’s very stressful on my mom on who to cheer for. It’s nerve-wracking but it’s also exciting because this is a once in a lifetime opportunity.”

For those not familiar with the sport, bocce is an Italian bowling game popular across the U.S.

Cloe plans to go to Slippery Rock University to study criminology and criminal justice but unfortunately for her the school doesn’t have a bocce program. However, Cloe said she plans to come back as a volunteer to help with the Shaler squads as other past players have.

Cloe indicated it’s a way to pay the school back for the opportunities she’s had to play bocce at Shaler. It’s normally outdoors on a lawn or in a yard with weighted balls aimed at a smaller target ball called a pallino.

The conditions Shaler and the other area high school teams will be playing under are different. They will be playing in a gym on a court made out of PVC Pipe with gel filled balls.

Each of Shaler Area High School’s Unified Bocce teams is made up of pairs including unified partner athletes and two students with special needs.

The Special Olympics Interscholastic Unified Sports program is supported by the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) and the Bureau of Special Education in the Pa. Department of Education. The Shaler teams are coached by Christin Pintar, a speech/language pathologist who is in her fifth year as bocce team coach. She says bocce is a great sport for special needs students.

“I think it’s because it’s a very accessible sport,” Pintar said. “You can play it with different levels of intellectual ability and also physical ability. They make accommodations for individuals who might be in a wheelchair or have more of a physical impairment. It just seems to be a very flexible sport for everybody to play and have a good time doing it.”

She said the character of the students taking part in the bocce program is what has made it successful.

“We have motivated students,” Pintar said. “The students want to be there and they want to do well.”

Rather than quickly clone herself, on Wednesday she’ll be at the helm of one of the Shaler squads while assistant coach Michelle Smyers will lead the other.