With a name that sounds like “botch-uh,” boccia can be hard for many to pronounce but easy to love. At the 2026 National Veterans Golden Age Games in Tampa, the pace on the courts may look slower than track or basketball, yet the intensity is just as real. Every roll, angle and inch matters, and athletes of all abilities compete on truly level ground.
For VA Recreation Therapist Marina Leander, boccia is more than a game. Leander, who works primarily on the spinal cord injury unit at the Tampa VA Medical Center, served this year as boccia competition manager and an officiating referee. She helped oversee 12 courts, coordinate officials and volunteers, and guide Veterans through rounds that often came down to a single, carefully measured inch.
“Boccia uses a white target ball called the jack,” she explained. “Two sides—red and blue—each have six balls, and the goal is to get closer to the jack than your opponent over four rounds.” Ties are common, so tiebreakers and precise measurements become part of the excitement.
What impresses Leander most is not only the skill level, but the way Veterans lift one another up. “They are very competitive, but they love encouraging others,” she said. “We remind them every day: you’re here to have fun, to support each other and to enjoy it.”
It’s one reason boccia has quickly become a favorite among Veterans looking for a sport that is strategic, accessible and social.
“We’re not in Kansas anymore!”
Among the athletes competing in boccia this year is Marine Corps Veteran Mike Born. Originally from Topeka, Kansas, he arrived in Tampa with his teammates, the Fighting Toto’s. Asked how they picked the name, he laughed: “Where do we come from? Like, Toto, we’re not in Kansas anymore! That’s where it came from.”
Born, who receives his care through Topeka VA, first learned about the Golden Age Games when a fellow Veteran asked if he had ever tried it. That simple conversation led him to his first Games in Des Moines, Iowa, and he has been coming back ever since.
This year, he is competing in boccia, shuffleboard, cornhole and billiards, but boccia is his clear favorite. “I like it because it’s an easy sport,” he said with a smile. “There’s no real stress or strain on your body. I just like to play. If I win, fine; if I lose, who cares? I’m here to have a good time.”
For Born, staying active and connected is what matters most. Seeing Veterans with all kinds of physical abilities compete and support one another is one of the highlights.
He also appreciates the officials who keep boccia fair and fun. When shots land close to the jack, referees step in to measure and make the call. “They make sure whoever is closest gets the point, and I like that,” said Born.
The Games have taken him to Des Moines, Salt Lake City, Memphis and now Tampa, with Cleveland already on his list for next year. His advice to Veterans over 55 who may be hesitant to give adaptive sports a try is straightforward: “Just try it. It doesn’t cost anything to try. If you don’t like it, fine—but you’ll probably like it.”
For Leander, that kind of reaction is exactly why boccia matters. The sport offers a safe, structured space where Veterans can challenge themselves, travel, stay active and ease some of their families’ worries about aging. Most of all, it gives them a place to belong.
Boccia may have a tricky name, but for the Veterans who play it, the sport is simple at its core: strategy, precision and the joy of competing together.
Author: audreybhullar