This article appeared in the August 2014 edition of the United States Bocce Federation Western Sector Newsletter.

The raffa shooting contest is one of the most fun and exciting events held at almost every national championship. It is a great event for spectators. The event was not held at Alpine in 2012 nor at Stockton in 2013. Fortunately, the Italia-America Bocce Club included the event at this year’s nationals in St. Louis. The event consists of a series of pre-set target balls with each target having a point value. The object is to hit as many targets as possible to get a high score. This is a medal event at the nationals and it was a shame that two recent host clubs were unable to set up the event.

At the nationals the event is open to all USBF members in good standing. The host club usually charges a ten-dollar entry fee and the competitors get one chance to hit ten targets and show off their shooting skills. A competitor does not have to be entered in the regular team or singles events in order to participate in this event. The contest is also available to open players who are not entered in the raffa competition. It was interesting this year as the women’s gold and silver medalists flew in from New York and California to cheer on a Western Sector raffa team and arrived just in time to enter the event. Congratulations to gold medalist Navina Bernardi and silver medalist Margaret Shindelus. Sharon Cooper won the bronze medal. All three women are from the Western Sector. The men’s division medalists were Jose Botto, gold; Jack Grandi, silver; and Natale Scala, bronze.

The goal of this month’s article is to explain how to set up the event so it can be used at local clubs. It does not have to be something mysterious that only the gurus at the nationals know how to run. It can be a great fundraiser and is one of the best ways for raffa shooters to develop a higher level of skill. Two or three players can set this up very quickly and rotate their turns. It works best with a shooter, scorekeeper, and set up person. Of course, the more the merrier!

There are a total of ten targets on the court. Each target has a point value as shown on the drawing and the total score is determined by adding the point values of all the valid targets that have been hit. There is a maximum total score of 36 points. In order for a shot to count, the shooter must first follow the raffa rules and release the ball from the B line (4 meter line) and the ball must land past the D line (9 meter line) on the shooter’s end of the court. When blocking balls are used, as on the B line, the target must be hit “clean” and the blocking ball must remain in its marked location.

The target balls are placed on the D line first. The balls are located one third of the distance between the center and sidewall or about two feet from the wall. It is not critical but it should be consistent. The pallino is placed on the line in the center of the court. Horizontal and vertical lines are drawn using soapstone or chalk to mark the center of the target ball. This makes it very easy to set up the target balls for the next shooter. The shooter must declare which target will be first and can shoot in any order such as left to right, pallino, right to left, etc. After three shots at the D line targets any missed targets are removed and the C line targets are set up and so on.

The targets on the B line have blocking balls in front. It is advisable to use a different color for these balls to differentiate from the target ball. A 12-inch carpenter’s speed square with a 45-degree beveled side can be used to assist with the setup of the B line targets. Mark the center of the target ball by making a cross as described above. Then place the tip of the speed square on the mark and draw a line at a 45-degree angle away from the center of the target ball. Make sure to keep the speed square parallel to the B line. Set the target ball and then place a ball as a spacer on the line to create the gap. The blocking ball is then placed against the spacer and its position can now be marked. The ball used to produce the gap can now be removed. The space between the blocking ball and the target ball should equal the diameter of the balls being used or 107mm.

Scorekeeping is very easy. A photocopy of the layout above can be used or a stand-alone score sheet can be created. Each target that is hit with a valid shot can be circled. After the last shot at the pallino near the backboard, just add up the point value of the circled targets.

This shooting contest process will provide an enjoyable way to practice raffa shooting and maybe prepare for the next big contest at the nationals! Instead of bragging, “I shot 80% yesterday in practice” a player can say, “I shot a 29 yesterday in practice. I only missed two targets!”