Boccia just might be South Floridas newest sport, and its changing lives. Boccia was popularized in Europe and can be played by athletes with varying levels of disability, and was introduced to the CMAA Therapeutic Recreation Center in Lake Worth by Canadian Paralympian Marco Dispaltro while he vacationing in South Florida in 2011. Its been a life changer for Denise DeMello, whos been disabled her whole life, but also very competitive.”I have family members who are involved in sports but I could never do it because I was always in a wheelchair,” said DeMello. “But now I can actually be an athlete.”Charles Brown, who suffered a spinal cord injury as a member of the Marine Corp, wasnt sure what to do with his competitive juices, until Dispaltro introduced him to Boccia.”The adrenaline rush,” recalled Brown as to why he was hooked right away. “The ability to compete and participate. Its really filled in the need where you want to be competitive somewhere.”The sport is a lot like the game Bocci Ball, as players compete to get their colored balls the closet to the white jack ball. The game may sound tame, but dont let the description fool you.”Theres a lot of mind games,” said Dispaldro. “I mean sports theres a lot of mind games going on.”

via WPEC-TV CBS12 News :: Sports – South Floridas newest sport Boccia is a game changer.