Through the din of cheering, handslapping, whispered advice, shouted encouragement, and overall chaos of the bocce tournament in the Lied Recreation Center, there is an underlying theme of happiness. 

The athletes are happy to goad each other on, help select the proper ball, and point out where to throw the ball, while team captains stand by watching them perform and volunteers point brightly colored red and green flags to help the teams keep track of whose turn it is.

“Bocce is a game where you throw the white ball, and then do your best to get your other balls close to it,” said Vicki Rooney, 19.

Rooney and her team, the Central Clinton Savers, from Dewitt, are high-fiving each other after every shot. 

Mallory Bousselet, 20, makes sure to point out which ball would be best for each of her teammates and keeps her hands in the air so as soon they make a shot, she can slap their hands and say “good job.”

The Central Clinton Savers played the Glenwood Resource Center Team, where Brent Johannes, 14, Austin Jerrett, 12, and John Merrill, 13, took turns shooting and pointing out which way the ball should be rolled.

Kevin Merrill, 14, watched from the floor, getting up occasionally to shoot and then going back to sitting cross-legged and watching the other athletes. All four, however, said they were winning and had gotten seven points.

The tournament is split up into divisions and each athlete is paired with at least three other people but no more than eight said Pam Wagner, vice president of games and competition.

“First they’re split up by age, then sex, and then finally entry time or distance, and then each division has an opportunity for a gold, silver or bronze medal,” Wagner said. “So our elite athletes and then our very lowest functioning ones can win a medal.”

Each team that played in Thursday’s tournament has already one first place in one of Iowa’s 11 geographical districts, Wagner said. From there, they come to Ames and compete in any of the 22 different events offered during the Summer Games.

Athletes from a variety of backgrounds enter the competition; some teams are considered independents and others come from schools and centers all across the state, Wagner said, whose favorite part of the day is watching everyone react to participating in the games.

“You know some many of these people have brothers and sisters that come to college here and now they get to come to college too,” Wagner said.