European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - February 21, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Saturday february 21, 1987 the stars and stripes Page 9 is photo by Jod a Potjer essential id the traditional sport of Bossel inf is the 2.2-Pound Bosse Ball made of rubber with a Lead Center a rolling Bosse Ball gathers German and american fans byjoe Mapother Wilri Itti Haien bpm in Ahlhorn Germany Tom Poppe gripped the Black Ball and stared Down the Lane before him a Lane about 5 Miles Long with no pins standing at the other end. No matter. Poppe had been in this situation before. I be been bosseling1 for quite a while the airman first class said. This sport is like a Cross Between Bowling and  except there Are no pins or clubs just a 2.2-Pound Bosse Ball made of rubber with a Lead Center. The object of the traditional game popular in the North German Region of East Friesland is to cover the course with the fewest underhand throws. Poppe was Gosseling for one of two teams entered by Del 3, 81st tac fighter Wing. The Wing is stationed at Raf bin Waters England the Forward detachment flies out of Ahlhorn. The detachment took top honors last year in a Boss cling tournament sponsored by near by Grosson Ancien. Poppy s Mission on this saturday afternoon was to preserve that ranking. Rematch time had arrived and poppy s team was but one of a dozen hopefuls. As Poppe stood under a cold Winter Sun and pre pared to Bossel it was doubtful that Many of the air men with the rest of the Wing in England knew about the drama that was about to unfold on the Frozen Plains. One person who knew was Poppe s commander it col. William Blaesing. He was ready to Bossel his first Bosse Ball Ever for the Honor of the 81st. Every Man into the fray. You May Bossy when ready Poppe. Grossen Knelsen mayor Friedrich Rucher was on hand. H is town though it lies outside of East Friesland proper adopted Boss cling and has i iced a tournament each year for the past three years. Ruether s role was that of cheerleader. Every Man into the fray. Game rules in this tournament called for teams of six with four official cheerleaders per team. A knowledge of Plaud Wulsch the East frisian dialect helps in cheering a Boss cling team on Accord ing to Adolf warns a race organizer with 15 years of Boss cling experience under h is oct. Having a Little bit of schnapps on hand is Par for the course. After a i Boss cling Isa Winter sport. To sumlers have him lossing rubber Clay or wooden balls around East Friesland for hundreds of years but the origins of he game Are murky. It is popular in the frisian areas of Germany and Holland. A similar game is played in parts of Europe settled by celtic tribes. As Bosse balls thudded onto the Frozen country Lane and rolled the length of a soccer Field and More he 12 teams moved off of the starting line. The Lack of ice on the Roadway meant Boss Clurs were looking to place their balls in a rut that would keep the team moving along the straight and Nar Row f the Ball leaves the Road it s played from where it lands. As the last team went All a Long line of bos sclera stretched off into the horizon the crowd resembled Yolks marchers but for the sound of the rubber balls hitting Frozen dirt and words of encouragement shouted at the Bosse balls As they bounced along toward greater glory. Judges accompanied each team to tally the throws. It was obvious Early in the Competition that the americans were lacking the killer instinct. We Don t care who wins or loses said master sgt. Richard Wright one of the mainstays for the Ameri cans my whole idea for being out Here is not even exercise. It s to get together with the German comm  however the German Community was having its own troubles finding the competitive razor s Edge to Cut through to Victory. Asked whether the americans would win again Manfred Lohfeld with the Grosson in ctn team replied for us that is of no  just to have been Here k the whole thing Rucher confided. For the record Del 3 teams placed first and fourth. A team from hum Losen placed second. Del 3 s Ger Man air Force partners from helicopter transport so 64 landed a team in third place. The winning learn covered the 8.1-Kilometer course in s3 throws with their last throw going 85 meters past the finish line this last number would be used As a lie breaker in Case to teams scored the same number of throws the last place finisher covered the course in 142 throws with their last toss Landing 56 meters beyond the finish line. And then it was off for a traditional meal of of Fels Grue Kohl and Pink potatoes kale and stuffed saus Geeker and Frics Richcr land Cin a Clear schnapps were there to quench the thirst. If something was loss in the translation it is because As Adolf warns said Bosseler Don t speak German they speak Plaisi Uisch. That is part of the  Dodds Roundup 3 speakers scheduled for March conference Wiesbaden Ilion los Singer William Bosher or. And Jeanne Oil have accepted invitations to speak Al the department or defense dependents schools Germany Region s administrators conference March 16-30 at bad  Ingon. Less incr is superintendent of the Beverly Hills Calif combined school District. Bosher is the superintendent of schools in Herrick county a. Oti is the director of associates programs for learning an education consulting firm in Akron Ohio. Germany students invited to enter essay contest Wiesbaden Germany Region school children in grades i through 8 have been invited by the department of education to compete in an essay contest in conjunction with he Bicentennial of the . Constitution. The essays entitled what he Constitution Means to me and to our country will be submitted 10 the Region. Contestants will be grouped in grades 1-2, j-4, 5-6 and 7-8, Region officials will select one essay from each two Grade group ing and Forward those la Dodds Headquarters in Washington . The essays will compete with those submitted from other regions and Dodds will Forward its selections to the department of education. A department of education panel will select 150 essayists from Dodds and stateside schools and Honor them later in the year in Washington. Contact social studies coordinators Robert Lykins or George Gran Ham Al 06121-88143 for More information. 100 kids set to take part in math counts event Wiesbaden More than 100 students rep resenting 30 Middle schools in Dodds Germany Region will compete feb. 28 in the math counts Competition at Heidelberg Middle school. This is the. Second year the Region has conducted math counts in which seventh and eighth Grade students compete in problem solving. Individual and team Competition begins Al 11 . The top 20 teams will Advance to the Keiit Stag of Region Competition april 4, also at Hei Delberg Middle school. The lop four finishers in the april Competition will be nominated to attend the National Competition in Washington . Last year. Scan Moran annd Chris Sabatke of Bonn and Robert Wiest of Heidelberg advanced to the Washington Competition. Four students in Germany get Roth scholarships we Bruecken Germany four seniors in Germany Region High schools have been awarded four year air farce Junior Roth scholarships. Clint Jacob and Marcus Hail of Wei Bruecken and Jeff plies and James Clavenna of Wiesbaden and Kaiserslautern respectively received the scholarships Worth up to $70,000. Jacob plans to attend Brigham Young univer sity. Hail Wui enrol at the University of Wishington. Plies a 4.0 student plans 10 enrol in the Massachusetts Institute of technology. Clavenna Hopes to attend the air Force acad Emy. He has an alternative plan of enrolment Al the University of notre Dame. Child development course offered in Kaiserslautern Kaiserslautern a chiral Tenas col lege is offering a child development program aimed at child care givers and those who Deal with children with special education needs. The term runs from March through May. Classes will be held in a variety of locations to the  area. The rec credit course costs j174. Those interested can Call Ruth roman at 0631-48654 for Mare information