The Special Olympics Unified Bocce team is now an after-school sports program, and it will offer varsity letters and play after-school games like other Baldwin sports teams. 

Baldwin has had a unified bocce team for years, with games being held during the school day. Now it has been made an after-school sport, and Special Olympics co-sponsor Eric Jankoski is excited about the change.

 “I feel like we are taking a great step forward in running Unified Bocce more closely along the lines of how all of our other sports are here at Baldwin,” Jankoski said. 

The school board appointed Harrison Middle School teacher Victoria Sgattoni to be the head coach for Baldwin. 

 “I was in high school when they started playing during the school day,” Sgattoni said. “I was in Partners PE and got involved with it.”

Senior Sara Scheeser is excited about joining the bocce team for her first year. 

“I think it’s really awesome that Baldwin includes all these different groups of people. It’s something that you don’t see a lot,” Scheeser said. “I thought it would be a great way to have fun while also including those that aren’t able to participate in regular sports.”

Even with the competitive after-school team, Baldwin will continue to field a recreational bocce team that will play games during the school day.

“We will have five after-school competitions (running from mid-January through mid-February), and then playoffs if our team qualifies. Our recreational team that will train and competes during the school day will have two matches,” Jankoski said. 

The after-school team will have the chance to earn a varsity letter.

“This will be the first year that a varsity letter will be offered for Unified Bocce players who take part in the after-school program, which is very exciting,” Jankoski said.