USA Boccia Nationals Coming to Naperville's Fort Hill Activity Center July 5-9

The 2017 USA Boccia National Tournament is coming to Naperville Park District's Fort Hill Activity Center July 5-9. During the event, the gymnasiums will be closed for regular activities, however, the fitness center, indoor track and other areas of the Activity Center will remain open. Spectators are welcome to attend the tournament events. Fort Hill Activity Center is located at 20 Fort Hill Drive in Naperville.

The tournament, hosted by Synergy Adaptive Athletics and USA Boccia, will provide an opportunity for competition among 95 athletes with a physical disability from around the country.

An indoor adapted version of the popular outdoor game of bocce/lawn bowling, boccia is a targeting sport played with leather-covered boccia balls of hacky-sack consistency. Boccia athletes can complete locally, regionally, nationally and even internationally, as part of the Paralympics.

"We are excited to be able to host a national boccia tournament at Fort Hill Activity Center," said Susan Nance, facility manager. "We are proud of our local athletes involved in boccia competition and hope that this event will encourage others to enjoy the sport."

"We have four local athletes who represented our country on Team USA in April in Montreal," said Jason Stubbeman, coordinator for Synergy Adaptive Athletics. "The tourney competition will include more than 30 injured veterans and we will have more than 13 states represented. Hosting it locally will give local athletes a chance to see a national tournament for the first time."

Synergy Adaptive Athletics is a collaborative program of Northeast DuPage Special Recreation Association and Western DuPage Special Recreation Association.

Tournament events also will be held at Players Indoor Sports Center, located at 1740 Quincy Ave., adjacent to Fort Hill Activity Center.