Beer and bocce make for a great pairing.
More than 80 teams and 160 people competed in the annual Greater Vernon Open bocce tournament Saturday in Coldstream.
The event, sponsored by Okanagan Spring Brewery, had teams competing in Western Canada’s largest single-day bocce tournament for the richest prize purse – $1,000 in cash plus assorted prizes.
“When you combine the bocce, the beer, the famous Okanagan sunshine as well as the out-going, fun-loving, competitive, but friendly nature of Vernonites, it is no wonder that we have teams from the Lower Mainland, Alberta and from overseas making an effort to book their annual holidays around the GVO, to be in Vernon, for July,” said tournament co-founder Bill Trickey.
Now in its 12th year, teams from as far away as Scotland and New Zealand were able to sample not only the hospitality of the North Okanagan, but also some of the hometown brew.
“Okanagan Spring has been fantastic,” said Trickey. “Spring has helped sponsor the tournament for five years now, and it is through their generosity and commitment to local charities that make events like the GVO such as success.”
The Opp brothers of Surrey took home the first place prize of $400, while locals Karen Bedard and Elena Strezlecki took home $200 for being the top-placed all-female team.
As always, the GVO supports the Ride Don’t Hide charity for Canadian Mental Health.
The national charity has a special connection to Vernon and the tournament.
The Ride Don’t Hide charity founder, Mike Schratter, is the brother of the other tournament founder and organizer, Ed Schratter.
“My brother Mike biked around the world and started the Ride Don’t Hide movement as a way to raise awareness about the stigma associated with mental health issues in Canada,” said Ed.
The Greater Vernon Open bocce tournament runs every fourth weekend in July.