Celebrating (and Selling) History

If you live in Maryland, you’re probably aware of significant centennials on the horizon. If not, you soon will be because so many resources are assigned to market them. If there is one commodity Maryland enjoys in abundance, it’s history. Like sports, history and heritage are major producers in the Maryland visitor industry.

For the next few years, we will be observing the Sesquicentennial of the Civil War, (aka War Between the States, War of Northern Aggression, etc.,) much of which took place in our border state, and the Bicentennial of the War of 1812 and writing of the Star-Spangled Banner in 1814, which also brought action and acclaim to our shores.

Since the State of Maryland is celebrating these events and inviting visitors to join us, the Office of Sports Marketing is tagging every possible activity with historic significance. But sometimes these two realms intersect serendipitously. For one imaginative initiative, The Grand History Trail, we give a nod to our northern neighbors.

The Scenic Skies of Sugarloaf

This must be Maryland's month for transcontinental competition.  Last Friday, the Race Across America cyclists pedaled into Annapolis after a journey that began in Oceanside, California.

This Friday, a fleet of different vehicles will alight in Frederick after a multi-staged, 2,500 race that begins tomorrow in Fort Myers, Florida.  The Women’s Air Race Classic, which began in 1929, was made famous by Amelia Earhart.  This year, the race course brings her sisters in the celestial sorority to Maryland.

More than 50 teams (pilot and navigator) will be flying instrument-free, using their skills and finesse to manueuver among clouds and windstreams in an effort to clock the best times in the handicapped race.

In all, the race covers eleven states, with eight stops in four days.  It is a celebration of the role women have played in aviation history, and is an opportunity for all involved in general aviation to be a part of the fun.  This year’s race falls in the centennial of licensed women pilots and includes pilots ranging from college students to grandmothers.  Some of the pioneers, like the World War II WASPs, will be a part of the festivities.

The Frederick Terminus of the Air Race Classic is organized by the Sugarloaf Chapter of "The Ninety-Nines," a women pilots association.  It offers the opportunity for competitors and spectators to celebrate in style with the post-race “Meltdown Party,” in casual 1929-style.

On Saturday, there will be a special screening of “Breaking Through the Clouds: The First Women’s National Air Derby,” a documentary about the first race.

There are a full weekend of activities, including the awards ceremony at the Delaplaine Visual Arts Center.   In all, it's the opportunity to meet a spirits group of competitors, learn more about this history of aviation, and enjoy a visit to Frederick.

Game On!!! in Frederick, too

Terry reminded us yesterday that the Frederick Indoor Sports Complex was having their own family fun event this Saturday, centered by the big screen broadcast of the USA-England World Cup match.

This impressive facility was part of Team Terry's visit to Capital Region Maryland a few weeks ago, where he learned that several hundred of their faithful are expected to drop in for the festivities.

The Frederick region has a dynamic youth sports network (hockey is also big there, as is swimming) and they are building the facilities to support it. Terry said the Indoor Sports Complex is a major hub of this year round activity.

So if you're in Capital Region Maryland and want a day of family fun with fellow soccer-philes, check out the Indoor Sports Complex.  Directions available by clicking the link above.

REMEMBER TO SIGN THAT ONLINE PETITION TO BRING THE WORLD CUP HERE !!!

Touting de Tours

This is the week Terry and representatives from Medalist Sports will meet in Annapolis to determine the level of support for staging a week-long, statewide Tour de Maryland in 2012.  Terry invited tourism representatives from every jurisdiction, because an event of this magnitude brings visitors from all over.  It cannot happen without support from local governments to assist with logistics, either.

And yes, while corporate support is the lifeblood of any professional event, the place where the gears shift and the tread hits the trail is with the fans and cycling community.  This is where the outreach occurs and the volunteer base germinates.  Fortunately, Maryland has a thriving network of clubs, activities and events that will only be enhanced by the presence of a high profile, multi tiered event like Tour de Maryland.

The cycling community has many components, from the folks who use it as basic transportation to the daredevils who push the envelope with tricks and obstacle courses to the environmentalists who enjoy the experience of the many natural resources Maryland has to offer, to the fitness buffs who compete in triathlons and other challenges.

A large scale professional race like a Tour de Maryland taps into all these enthusiasts.  It gives them a platform to advocate cyling issues and draw attention to local businesses and resources that support bicycling.  It also includes them in the festivities and attractions in a festival atmosphere.

A good regional example of this model is the recent BikeJam in Baltimore.  I went last year and saw the professionals as they whizzed through Patterson Park in a day-glo colored blur.   Reminded me of a psychedelic poster I had in my dorm room.  But the races were only one of the attractions.  There were recreational rides, seminars on health and safety, and demonstrations of trick riding.

There are other bicycle events in the coming months that focus more on recreation, health, and fitness.  Tour Dem Parks, Hon in Baltimore began eight years ago as a way to showcase the newly opened Gwynns Falls Trail.  It has expanded over the years to include four different routes.  The 14 mile family ride (that's the one I did,) a 25 mile that adds Druid Hill Park, a 35 mile which includes even more of Baltimore, and a metric century (64 miles) that extends to Patapsco State Park.

You can tell who's there for the long haul.  They show up in matching spandex and sunglass ensembles.  They are either part of a racing team or a triathlon training program.  And they carry more water than a camel.

The event has grown every year.  In 2009, more than 1,000 participated.  Even more are expected this June 13.

Because almost all the courses take riders through the Camden Yards complex, this is a good way to learn how bicycle-friendly and easily accessible the stadiums are.  This year, a large map of the Gwynns Falls Trail and Baltimore will be in place at the corner of Warner and Ostend.  This will remind all our visitors just how convenient we are to downtown and the public/alternative transportation routes.

The inaugural Tour de Frederick is a little more ambitious, lasting the weekend of August 13-15 and giving participants the opportunity to take in the piedmont experience with trips to the ballpark and museums. (Can you see the tourism factor now?)

In October, the Sea Gull Century is planning its 22nd annual event, beginning and ending at Salisbury University and taking in many of the sights of Maryland's Eastern Shore.  Last year, more than 6,000 participated.

So you can already see how well the bicycle community is organized in three major regions of Maryland with entirely different demographics.  Just imagine an event that would showcase the entire state's bicycle community and enhance the many resources and activities we already have.

We'll find out a lot more of what is possible and what needs to be done to make this happen in Maryland.

If you are part of the cycling or tourism communities and want to learn more about this informational meeting, blip Tweety at info@marylandsports.us.

Team Terry on Tour – The Treasures of Frederick County

Perhaps you entered Frederick County to check out Civil War battle sites, but you will quickly find an abundance of sports culture. Frederick has everything to offer from outdoor BMX skate parks to indoor hockey and ice skating, and plenty of soccer and baseball in between.

The first venue we visited on our trip was the Frederick Indoor Sports Center. The FISC had a lot of potential under its previous ownership, but it has really taken a huge leap in the past year with new owners Jay Jeffrey and Tony Checchia. Jay and Tony were long time players at the FISC and dreamed of the ultimate indoor sports complex.

Currently they house Soccer, Lacrosse, and Flag football teams, as well as recreational play on their two full sized turf fields but they are hoping to expand their facility towards dodge ball, field hockey, kickball, and competitive running in the near future. We even got wind of the quirky; although very athletic LFL (Lingerie Football League) using the facility for their team training camp.

After upgrading the two turfs Jay and Tony added a sports lounge. You no longer have to wait in a stinky locker room for your teams turn at the pitch; you can have a full meal with a sideline view! The lounge will get a lot of action come June, as they are hosting viewing parties for all of the games in the World Cup!

Just a stones throw away from the FISC we landed ourselves at Skate Frederick, an indoor ice arena. As with many of us, Frederick was not able to avoid Mother Nature and her evil snow storms this past winter and Skate Frederick fell victim to her as well. After clearing one of their sheets of ice for a bit of spring cleaning they noticed a pipe burst under the ice.

Although they are down one rink it didn’t look to be slowing them down whatsoever, as one of the few facilities in the region that is open 365 days a year, patrons just learned to share the ice a little. The second sheet is on track to be laid within the next month, and the facility will be back up to its former glory in no time.

From there we made our way into the City of Frederick, where we met up with Roelkey Myers, the Director of Frederick City Parks and Rec. It is so apparent the role that history plays in the town of Frederick when we entered the Frederick Sports Hall of Fame; there are pictures and autographed sports equipment dating back to the 1800’s.

We then made our way to McCurdy field, a beautiful stadium used by the Babe Ruth Little League.

The next stop was very exciting because neither Marketeer had been to a full scale skate park before. The Hillstreet Skate Park is a very large venue with multiple bowls, rails, banks and ledges, each at various degrees of difficulty. The scariest being the clover shaped bowl with a straight 13 foot drop down.


You can’t talk sports in Frederick without going to see a Frederick Keys baseball game in Harry Grove Stadium! Thanks to Dave Ziedelis, the General Manager for the Keys, we had the best seat in the house. It turned out to be a perfect day for baseball. Unfortunately the Keys were not blessed with the same luck. They had a bit of a rough start, and although they rallied in the fourth to come back from a 6-0 start the Nationals took the win. It seemed like a recurring theme with the Nat’s and O’s last week.

Our last stop on the tour was the Athletic Department at Mount St. Mary’s University. With the grotto of the Gods starring down the hill at them it is no wonder that the Athletic Department has had so much success. It doesn’t hurt to have top notch facilities.

The first being the Olympic sized training pool. In the same building there is the beautiful Knott Arena, where the stands are as pretty as the court; everything is touched in a warm, inviting hardwood. Going out the back side of the Knott Athletic Complex is the most beautiful view. To paint a picture for you, we were standing atop a set of stairs staring down a single lane road that looks like its driving off into the sunset. On either side of the road are baseball and softball fields. Slightly off to the left is a competition sized track and field facility. Due to the flat, wide open plane the throwing and jumping events are susceptible to winds. So in an effort to prevent delays they added an extra running lane so they could change directions with the wind.

The most notable field is the Waldron Family Field which houses the Mounts Men’s and Woman’s Soccer and Lacrosse teams. The field glows it is so perfectly green and the stands are pretty enough to rival any pro stadium. It is no wonder that Assistant Athletic Director Mike Hardisky travels over an hour to work everyday. It must be worth it to arrive at such a thriving and absolutely breathtaking sports complex.

Spinning Statewide

Historical fact:   the first bicycle arrived in Leonardtown on a steamship in 1879.  The folks in Patuxent Velo have been celebrating this historic occasion for 13 years with a professional level race through the streets of historic downtown Leonardtown. 

This year's edition of the Leonardtown Criterium will take place on Sunday, May 16th. There will be nine different races held throughout the day, including one kids race. Spectators are invited to come out and cheer from the sidelines along the Leonardtown Square as the cyclists race by.

One week later is the annual Bike Jam in Patterson Park, a favorite of pedal pushers everywhere.  Like the Leonardtown Crit, it involves professional cyclists competing for cash prizes, as well as a community festival and celebration of bicycling as a fitness regimen, recreational endeavor, and transportation alternative.  Patterson Park, in east Baltimore, is a midtown oasis just above Canton. 

Patterson Park and Canton are also competition grounds for the hilarious counter culture bicycle competition known as the Kinetic Sculpture Race, which takes place this Saturday.

Beginning at the Visionary Art Museum, the wacky array of contestants parade down Boston Street before testing their amphibious capabilities at the boat launch in Canton.  If they don't sink (lifeguards in kayaks on duty) they progress to Patterson Park for an endurance test through the mud.  The vehicle deemed most mediocre wins the competition.

(While the merits of this triathlon as a legitimate sports challenge may be questionable, it is a favorite in both the artistic and cycling communities.  Until you've seen a bicycle-powered vehicle drive off a ramp into Baltimore harbor, you haven't experienced Charm City culture.)

Of course in June, the ultra-endurance Race Across America finishes in Annapolis.   245 cycling enthusiasts will begin pedaling in a six- to nine-day bicycle race that starts in California. Over the course of their journey, they will ride 3,000 miles through 14 states.  There are even some locals competing, which you can read about in our media section.

As long as we're talking bicycles, I have to give a shout out again to Spokes, the Frederick based magazine that covers all things bicycle in the mid Atlantic region.  Spokes is behind the nascent Tour de Frederick, which will take place August 13-15. 

Spokes is a great source of calendar events about local competitions of all stripes, as it the website BikeRide.

So you can see how much enthusiasm there is in Maryland for cyclists and their contests.  So it is a good time to harness all these sources and regions to put together a mega media event that would involve the entire state (and its diverse geography) in a week-long challenge.  That's why Team Terry is holding a meeting on June 3 at 10 am at the Sheraton Annapolis on Jennifer Road for Medalist Sports to make a preliminary presentation to cycling enthusiasts, county leaders, and tourism officials about staging a Tour de Maryland.

Give Terry a buzz at (410) 767-3373 if you'd like to come.  Medalist Sports has staged premiere events all over the world.  They're the best in the business and we'd love to have them do something here.  So put June 3rd on your calendar and pedal on over.

Au Natural on the Appalachian

Just an alert to those taking advantage of this beautiful Father's Day Sunday with an old fashioned family hike on the Appalachian Trail.

Today is Summer Solstice. In the hardcore hoofing community, it is celebrated as Hike Naked Day. Nothing to do with Maryland, Father's Day, or even Sunday. It just happens that this expression of nature coincides with the annual migration of hikers transversing the entire trail. They generally begin in Georgia, just as soon as weather permits. That puts them in Maryland at solistice time when this summer ritual manifests.

That's right -- in addition to ticks and poison ivy, Maryland is blessed with seasonal flashers.

Supposedly these wandering naturalists carry emergency fig leaves (a bare necessity?) in case of unexpected encounters with civilization. But if startled while picnicking on one of the many magnificent vistas in Frederick or Washington County, just remember not to look below the (ahem) timberline.

The Appalacian Trail is one of the treasures of Maryland, and you should experience it. Get more information at: Appalachian Trail Conservancy: http://www.appalachiantrail.org/