Langara athletics department has bocce, croquet sets available for students to borrow

Langara students looking to soak up some sun, kill some time and get a little exercise this spring can go to the school’s athletics department for some free and fun games.

From bocce balls to volleyballs, footballs to Frisbees, Langara’s gymnasium staff has plenty of equipment for students to sign out and use on campus grounds, free of charge.

Yes, you read that right: FREE

“There’s a variety of equipment that people are welcome to take out and use on the field,” said Carly Scarr, Langara Athletics department assistant. She said lately, however, not many students are taking advantage of the equipment.

“Students who come to play in the gymnasium make use of the equipment, but in terms of [students] taking stuff outside… not very many people do. I think it’s a combination of people not knowing and obviously the weather. We get a lot more people coming to sign stuff out in the summer when there’s just not that many people on campus.”

The department has purchased new games in recent years including ladder ball, also called “Hillbilly Golf” and bocce, the classic Italian game.

In ladder ball, players throw bolas, two small balls connected by a length of rope, and wrap them around one of three rungs on a ladder stuck in the grass.

In bocce, players throw heavy colored balls toward a small target ball and the closest wins.

If you don’t know, now you know

Scarr said staff or students in the work assistant program are in the gym’s office, G004 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays to help students looking to book equipment.

All students need is an Langara ID card, which the office holds as collateral until equipment is returned.

Reported by Chris Slater