Photo: Kendall Buhl/WBZ NewsRadio
METHUEN, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — There's more than one championship competition going on in Massachusetts.
While Foxboro is hosting World Cup soccer matches, Methuen has the U.S. Bocce National Championship this week.
The United States Bocce Federation and Methuen Sons of Italy are behind the competition that will determine who will play in the World Championship in Rio Grande de Sol, Brazil in October.
The matches this week are being held at the Methuen Sons of Italy clubhouse on Merrimack Street that feature four international courts.
Danny Passaglia, United States Bocce Federation President, said the conditions at the Methuen courts are fast. "It's a challenge," he said. "It's a lot faster than most courts that people and players are used to."
But that's okay, according to Team USA's Miles Russell, a highly decorated bocce player from Illinois, who has played all over the U.S. and internationally. "If you always have the same courts all of the time it almost becomes too easy and not exciting. You have to figure things out. That's what keeps the game interesting."
Regardless of the conditions, while the competition on the court is fierce, off of it it's all about the camaraderie.
The competition in Methuen started on Monday and runs through June 28.
WBZ NewsRadio's Kendall Buhl (@WBZKendall) reports.