On March 23 and 24, the Nassau Thunderbolts boccia team competed in the Jack Attack Regional Boccia Tournament in Columbus, Ohio.
The Nassau Thunderbolts began over 35 years ago as an adaptive track and field team before pivoting to boccia in the 1990s. Currently, the team has seven athletes who play at the national and international levels, led by head coach Mary Hodge. The team practices every Saturday at CP Nassau in Roosevelt.
The Jack Attack regional tournament was the team’s first regional competition since pre-COVID. Despite the long 12+ hour drive to get there, the Thunderbolts proved victorious, playing defensively and winning three gold medals in the BC2, BC3, and BC5 categories, as well as an overall team award for the most points scored.
Charlie Fleisch, who won the gold medal in the BC3 category, expressed pride in his performance at his first competition following a car crash that caused him major injuries last summer. “To win the gold for the first time I competed since the crash was a major accomplishment,” he said.
Boccia is a Paralympic sport where the aim is to get colored balls closer than your opponent’s to a white “jack” ball. Players are classified by physical ability and can throw, kick, or use a ramp and assistant to place their balls on the court. It is a game of precision, athleticism, and strategy. Athletes can play as individuals, in pairs, or as teams of three.
The Thunderbolts’ next competition will be the national competition this summer in Council Bluffs, Iowa.