The four-time national women’s runner-up will compete in the five-day tournament as part of a 12-strong Australian contingent, competing in the joint World Volo and Raffe Championship at Mersin, Turkey.
She is training every day under the guidance of coach, and husband Joe.
The Grecos only have a 100-metre walk from their Solar Crt home to the Kyabram Bocce Club.
They said the close proximity of the bocce club was a total coincidence, the home coming up in the middle of last year when they decided to downsize.
Mary will be part of the groundbreaking championship, which will break new ground by joining the Federation of Volo (FIB) and Confederation of Raffa (CBI).
She and Morwell’s Diane Penny will represent Australia in the women’s competition, under Raffe bocce conditions.
It is the first time the various bocce codes have come together at a global level.
Bocce has three versions, Raffa bocce, Volo (a discipline of Baule) and Petaque.
Mary will compete in the Raffa version, where the major difference to Volo is a significantly shorter throwing distance for the one-kilogram bowl.
Baule is contested on a rink 15-20 metres in length, whereas the Raffa rink is five metres long.
Raffa and Volo are versions played mainly by Italians and Greeks, while Baule bocce is the French version of the sport.
The Australian men’s team will contest under Volo bocce rules.
Mary has been competing, on and off, for 30 years, but said she had only taken it “a bit more seriously” in the past 20 years.
She was part of the Australian team that competed at the world titles in China eight years ago.
“We didn’t do real great, China was so strong,” she said.
Her partner for Turkey, Diane Penny, is a former world champion. She and her son won a mixed event after the China event.
Australia will compete in the juniors, men’s and women’s divisions of the titles, in singles, doubles and mixed competition.
The event stars on November 1 and will be used by the Grecos as the launching pad to a European vacation.
“We will extend the trip by another week. We plan to include Gallipoli on the trip,” Mary said.
There are expected to be more than dozen countries competing in the world titles, with competitors from the United Kingdom, United States, Italy, Greece, China, Japan and the host country Turkey.
Mary has qualified through her performance at regional level and then at the national titles.
“The nationals were held in Morwell on the Queens Birthday weekend in June,’’ she said.
Morwell will host the Raffa Championships in November this year.
Mary was runner-up to Queenslander Barbara Jones, who has beaten her four times in the national final.
Bocce has been a part of the Greco family for many years, even the couple’s three children — Angelo, Josephine and Anthony — played when they lived with their family.
They are now spread far and wide, in Melbourne, Geelong and Alexandra.
Mary attended the first national training session two weeks ago, in Melbourne, where she was informed of the conditions of her receiving financial support from the national organisation.
“It’s a $5000 trip. Bocce Australia will pay a quarter, but we must complete 30 hours of community work in order to qualify for the funding,” she said.
Bocce Australia has a Bocce GoFundMe page if any body wishes to sponsor. All disciplines of Bocce can be viewed by going to the website, www.bocceaustralia.com.au
Mary and Joe plan to run clinics at the Kyabram club, but are offering coaching support to anyone — young or old — who is interested in being involved in the sport.
“Our community work could be as simple as running some coaching clinics after school or work. We will hold them at the Kyabram club (Italian Social Bocce Club),” she said, where husband Joe is the treasurer and was a foundation member in 1974.
Mary said she owed a big thank you to the Kyabram Bocce Club, North East Bocce Association and the Kyabram Club for their encouragement and support.
Anyone interested in being involved in bocce coaching can phone the Grecos on 0419 157 605.
12°C