Palmyra Unified Bocce team takes home bronze at state tournament in Hershey

One of Palmyra’s two Unified Bocce teams won third place in the state tournament on March 27 and earned bronze medals.

Unified bocce teams include special education students paired with non-special education students.

The Cougar community turned out to support, with Palmyra families and students taking over more than two sections in Hershey’s Giant Center.

Palmyra beat Downingtown East 10-3 in the first game but lost to Blackhawk 7-6 in the second. Palmyra had a lead and was set to take the last points to clinch the win, but the final Blackhawk roll hit the target ball away.

Palmyra played its final game of the day against Bald Eagle, beating them 12-1 to snag third place in the state. Blackhawk went on to win first place.

Palmyra coach Ron Danielwicz said he was incredibly proud of his students after their competition. Starting as a volunteer the previous year, he said many of these kids have been playing bocce for several years together.

“I’m proud of the kids — amazing group, and magical journey, magical run to this point,” he said. “Going into it, you knew they were special. We got a core group of seniors, and it’s all about them. They coach each other, they cheer for each other, and it was just special to be a part of.”

The team had a long run to get to the state championship. After a full regular season, they came in second in the division playoffs, won regionals, and came one shot away from the championship game.

Danielwicz said the bond between the players has extended beyond the competitions. They hang out outside of school and practices.

“They go to the movies, they go to their house, they hang out, and that’s what it’s about,” he said. “That’s the unified part of it. And they’ll take this experience with them forever. Like, we’re at the Giant Center.”

And people outside the team are starting to take notice. Danielwicz said he’s hearing that more students and teachers want to join in the fun next year. They’ll be losing several seniors, so there will be space for kids looking to join.

Ethan Scherer is one of those graduating seniors. He also takes part in track and field and used to play baseball.

But even though he’s played more physical sports, he said winning third place in the state bocce tournament was “one of the more exciting things” he’s done in his athletic career.

“It’s really special to me,” he said. “I’m going to miss playing unified bocce and I love this team.”

Scherer said his three years on the team made him more confident. He’s more willing to go and speak to new people, and he’s gotten experience being a leader. The sport’s impact has gone beyond the court.

And the greater school community has rallied around its team.

Palmyra Area High School principal Scott Richardson collected permission slips from students as they came into the building. Students, with parental permission, got an excused absence from school if they came to support the bocce team.

He said it’s a different student section compared to football games — no heckling allowed.

“Certainly we want to support this population of students,” he said between games. “They’re a critical part of our school, and their classrooms are purposefully in the center of our building. These kids have really gotten to know them, and I think a lot of our students started coming up saying, ‘Are we allowed to go to the bocce tournament?’ Talking with Dr. Kepler, we put a process in place and felt like this is a great opportunity for everybody.” 

For students who couldn’t make it to Hershey, they still had a chance to cheer on the team. On Wednesday, they lined Palmyra’s hallways with students to clap the bocce athletes out of the building.

Richardson said giving the special education students athletic experiences has been great for them. They got to feel the energy of the crowd and celebrate with their classmates after a good play.

“Many of these students may not have experiences like this, so it puts them right on the same stage with other athletes, and you can see how excited they get when everybody cheers for them,” he said. “There’s nothing but good that comes from that, whether or not we win or whether or not we lose — it’s about those experiences.” 

He said off the court, bocce has helped with student interactions between the special education classes and the general student population. On Fridays during the school year, students have the opportunity to visit the Cougar Cafe, a stand in the high school atrium run by the special education classes, which serves baked goods and iced coffee.

Students could bond during this time, but now they have even more in common to talk about.

“We don’t always understand differences very well, and I think it’s challenging sometimes for teenagers to enter a conversation,” Richardson said. “Between our Cougar Cafe, between this, I really think it makes it easier. I just see much more interaction between them and a regular body. It just creates an understanding. It creates an inclusiveness. It just continues to build on what I think is already a really positive culture of Palmyra.”