The Perfect Amphitheater

There couldn't be a better setup for a Fan Fest than the promenade between Oriole Park and M&T Bank Stadium.  The sycamores edging the walkway created shade for tailgating and (what else?)  pickup lacrosse games on the grass. 

(Do people carry portable goals around in their trunks or something?  They materilize out of nowhere, like picnic tables.  Kids with sticks are right behind them.)

Along the the flag-lined route were festival tents with lacrosse challenges and other activities .  Fans of all ages are having a blast.

One thing I noticed is that the lax support is not confined to the two teams in the championship.  Lacrosse t-shirts from colleges and programs all around are proudly displayed.  A lot of Navy, a few Syracuse, and some youth players from Yorktown who seemed to have established a campsite on Lot H.  Very evident they are here to see the top level of competition and not necessarily the teams.

What is really cool is the main stage, which is situated right under the overpass.  Not only is it shaded and roughly in the middle, but the structural supports and the deck create a perfect acoustics for percussion.  (The overhead traffic adds a nice touch, too.)

About an hour before face-off, the 23 man drum line of the Marching Ravens took the stage for a show that drew everyone into the action.  If it was possible to energize the crowd any more, the drum line delivered.  Then they reassembled in front of the stage and led the parade into the stadium.

Here's a picture of what the promenade looked like even before the band began.

Terry told me the Terp women champs are going to be recognized on the field today.  Their game, and the crowd in Towson, was the talk of the US Lacrosse tent this afternoon.

It's been a great weekend for lacrosse in Baltimore. Why hold a championship anywhere else?

The F&F Factor

There are some among us who love hosting big events just because of all the excitement and energy they bring.  All well and good, say the pragmatic bean counters.  But the bottom line is, well,  the bottom line!  Fill those seats and feed those bellies.  Make those turnstiles and cash registers spin.

So it was a matter of concern in some quarters when all the Maryland-based schools in Division I fell during the early rounds, leaving only Salisbury in Division III carrying the standard for the home state.

What fills the most seats are FANS, right?  Much easier to attract fans when they're already here, or just a light rail away.

Fortunately, the weather gods and the demographics of the sport are smiling upon us.  It's a beautiful day in Baltimore.  Warm, but not too sunny.  That we couldn't predict, and we're grateful.

The one thing we could count on is that no matter which four teams made it to the finals, there were sure to be Marylander somewhere on the roster.  Sure enough, even Notre Dame (the only non-Eastern time zone team to make the finals in years) has some locals on their team.

This drives another dynamic of ticket sales -- Family and Friends.  That's what Terry loves about youth sports (prep and collegiate events are categorized as amateur youth.)  Those adolescents travel with boatloads of family, friends, former teammates, and Facebook followers.  So even without local or road warrior teams (like Syracuse or Princeton) we can rely upon the homegrown talent to bring their F&Fs to M&T en masse.

There's another F factor, and that's Festivities.  This year the youth program and on-site Lax Festival have attracted league teams from all over. (These youngsters are from Richmond.  They showed up, wielding sticks, at 10:30 and have been frolicking around the campus ever since.)  The entire Camden Yards complex is teeming with tailgaters, festival-goers, and kids playing catch on the grass.  (Rain garden is off-limits, guys.)

It's too soon to tell if all these F factors can compensate for the lack of a local team in Division I.  But after wandering around and talking with folks, I know it is a already a great experience for them,  Their delight in being here, celebrating the best of lacrosse in its epicenter, is hopefully apparent to the good folks from NCAA. 

It's a great day -- in a great place --- for NCAA lacrosse.

Countdown to Face-Off

The teams are in town (they were practicing on the field this afternoon) the fans (kids with sticks; parents with shopping bags) are flooding the Inner Harbor, and the festivities began at 6:00 PM with a pep rally for all participants at the dockside amphitheater.

The Merry Marketeers were there, in the team "Here to Play"uniforms. Terry was juggling press calls while ministering to the NCAA coordinators for most of the day. Everyone seems pleased with how Baltimore is embracing the activities.

We’ve been blessed with great local coverage and glorious weather. Hopefully that will translate into another big weekend at the gates.

I worked the crowd for a while, asking where folks were from and how long they planned to stay. (Most frequent answers – Long Island and all weekend.) One common denominator? Overwhelmingly, fans were happy this event is back in Baltimore.

It’s going to be an exciting tournament, with lax activities stretching from Oriole Park to M&T Bank Stadium and around the perimeter. I watched more booths going up today. It’s hard not to think about all the people it employs to produce a festival like this, and operate all the concessions and attractions.

I'll be there bright and early tomorrow. But I'm almost willing to bet the tailgaters will get there first.  They always do.

The $75 Million Weekend

In our pride at hosting the nationally televised NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship, we don't want to overlook those other lucrative events bringing young athletes, their parents (and their checkbooks) to Maryland for the weekend.

In the lacrosse column, there is the Women's NCAA championships taking place just up the road from M&T at Johnny Unitus Stadium in Towson.  There is also the previously mentioned Youth Lacrosse tourney and the activities associated with the Final Four at M&T.  This is a first time event intended to bring more youngsters into the excitement surrounding the college championship.  That will be taking place at the Cedar Lane complex.

Also at Cedar Lane (it's a pretty big place) is the National Women's Lacrosse tournament, which is the top of the women's club lacrosse programs.  That event is separate from (but always held in tandum with) the collegiate finals.

But in other parts of Maryland, there are prestigious soccer tournaments taking place.  The Elite Soccer Columbia Invitational  this weekend, brings several hundred top boys and girls teams in for the long holiday weekend.  That is a several million dollar impact event.

So Terry figured it up.  With all the men, women, boys, girls soccer lacrosse club collegiate stuff taking place, the State of Maryland is having a $75 million dollar worth of sports events weekend.

And just think -- the sun will be shining on all this economic activity.  And there is even more to come.

Four Maryland Teams on the Road to Baltimore

Hard to believe, but the NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championships will take place in less than three weeks.

While ticket sales have picked up of late, action will escalate as the field  becomes clearer.  The selection process, mysterious in its works, took place yesterday.  The presence of four Maryland teams among the 16 contestents bodes well for the home tournament.

Some are still smarting from the failure of Navy (losing to Army TWICE) to advance to post season play.  And Towson's loss to Delaware over the weekend kept them from the dance.

But the good news (and big surprise) is that both Johns Hopkins and Loyola made the cut.  Add Mount St. Mary's (who have the dubious distinction of drawing UVa in the first round) and the number 4 ranked Terps to the mix and you have four Maryland Division I teams all striving to make it to Baltimore for Memorial Day.

Hopkins has never lost in the first round, but it won't be easy this year because they have to play Duke in Durham.  Loyola will travel to Ithica to play Cornell, last year's runner up who were also edged by Princeton for the Ivy League title this year.

The Terps will host Hofstra next weekend, the only Maryland  team to enjoy a home advantage.  At least until they make it to Baltimore.

Good luck, Maryland teams.  We hope to see you here.

More Fun for Lax Fans

We love having the cameras visit Camden Yards because it's the chance to show a national (sometimes international) audience what a great place we have here.

Sometimes, as is the case with the ESPNU crew, they come bearing gifts to enhance the fan experience.

The 24-hour college sports network is covering 40 regular-season lacrosse games and every first-round and quarterfinal matchup of the men’s NCAA Tournament, which means they're spending a lot of quality time in Maryland this spring.

What makes it even better for us is ESPNU also brings the 2010 ESPNU Lacrosse Tour, ESPNU Monument and “Game of L-A-X” mini-tournament to some of the events they cover.

I had the opportunity to see their activities at the Face-Off Classic last month, and it was a lot of fun for youngsters and their families.  I was delighted to learn they'll be back on Saturday for the "Day of Rivals."

2010 ESPNU Lacrosse Tour is a mini-lacrosse fan fest, with a mini-lacrosse field set outside the stadium.  In addition to the mini-field, there are two LED TV’s playing ESPNU lacrosse highlights, and bleachers to encourage viewing and fan participation.  The ESPNU monument (a 24-foot tall, interactive monument designed in the likeness of the ESPNU logo) is also on display.

The highlight of each ESPNU Lacrosse Tour event is the “Game of L-A-X,” hosted by Mike Powell, two-time national champion at Syracuse.   The “Game of L-A-X” is played similar to the basketball game of H-O-R-S-E. One contestant must complete a trick and his opponent has the opportunity to match the trick or receive a letter. The first person to force his opponent to obtain all three letters wins the game.   ESPNU has a prize package for the winner.

The ESPNU Lacrosse Tour is free to attend and fans of all ages are welcome to participate.  You can find them just outside the stadium near Unitas Plaza.

Eyes on the Skies

You know it must be time for an Army-Navy game when you get notified about some special guests overhead.

In this case, it's the upcoming "Day of Rivals" lacrosse doubleheader at M&T Bank Stadium.

On April 17th at approximately 4:00 PM, four Navy jets will be zooming by to inspire the Mids in their battle against arch-rival Army.  (We haven't heard if any tanks will joining us, but with Ft. Meade so close there should be some hardware available to cheer West Point on.)

Second match of the day will be another storied rivalry between two state powerhouses -- Maryland and Johns Hopkins -- at 6:30 PM.

Last month's "Face-Off Classic" brought 20,000 to the stadium, so we expect another big turnout with this beautiful weather we're having.  Plan to join us and get a look at some of those teams that might be coming back next month for the NCAA Championship Tournament.

Nine Months

As a gestation period, it seems like an eternity (especially that last trimester.) For organizing and promoting a major three day event, nine months is nothing.

A quick look at the calendar this week told me that a) my water bill is due, and b) the NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship will be facing off in Baltimore in just nine months, after an absence of two years.

An event of this magnitude does not consist of intense labor pains on the last day (but you can count on that, too.) It's an ongoing engagement of community stakeholders committed to making the event a success. Nine months flies by as one detail after another is addressed. Logistics, marketing, outreach, volunteer recruitment, accommodations, media relations all need careful planning and lead time.

However, the rules of engagement first have to be blessed by the NCAA. It is, after all, their event and they have very specific regulations that must be followed to the letter. So while the host city and state are raring to begin, they take the lead from the NCAA governing body.

I called Terry to check the status and learned he was meeting with NCAA officials this week. He referred me to their site:

Much of the marketing and outreach will handled by Inside Lacrosse Magazine.

The 2010 Division I Women’s Lacrosse Championship will take place at Towson’s Johnny Unitas Stadium on May 28 and 30. This will mark the first time the men’s and women’s championships will be in the same city the same weekend.

There will also be, for the first time, an NCAA Youth Lax Day - Saturday, May 29th -to celebrate local and national youth lacrosse. There will be a special Youth Lax section in the stadium, featuring discounted tickets.

Youth Lax Day will have a pre-game gathering area for participating programs wearing team jerseys, with a parade to the stadium and around the field . When you consider all the lax programs in this area alone, you can imagine what a delegation that could be. They might have muster at Camden Yards and march in like the brigade of Midshipmen before the Notre Dame game.

There is more on the line than producing a well-organized event that provides a wonderful fan experience and generates lots of loot for the locals. It’s no secret that Team Terry and the Maryland lacrosse community have been lobbying the NCAA decision makers to designate Baltimore on Memorial Day weekend a lacrosse tradition.

“Permanent” is actually the word they have in mind, but with the continued growth in the popularity of lacrosse, it behooves the NCAA to stage their marquee event in emerging markets. So an occasional visit to the hinderlands is appropriate and healthy for the sport. But you can’t top Maryland as the holy grail of lacrosse action, or Baltimore as a venue people want to visit and celebrate the sport. The NCAA Championship should be held here regularly.

Anyway, the clock is ticking. Nine months. Let the stomach churning begin. Nothing a few Saltines can’t handle. . .

Tickets now on sale for 2010 NCAA lacrosse championship

Great story in the Baltimore Sun today about the return of NCAA lacrosse to Baltimore, tickets sales, and why the event flourishes here in Tankagas State. Some of the top industry insiders reiterate what we said earlier about Maryland’s appeal for holding major lacrosse events. Here are some quotes from Edward Lee's story in the Sun:

"I'm a New York guy, and I went to school in New York, but I realize that in terms of a concentrated area, that is the heart of lacrosse," CBS College Sports analyst Paul Carcaterra, a former Syracuse All-America midfielder, said of Baltimore. "You can argue that New York is a better state than Maryland in terms of lacrosse on the high school and college lacrosse levels. But from the standpoint of a concentrated area, when you're talking about New York, you're talking from Syracuse to Long Island, which can be 300 miles in some cases. When you think about Maryland lacrosse, you think about a concentrated 45-mile area. It is the heartland in terms of being that centrally located area."

Others believe it's convenient for more fans to travel and watch the games, too.

"I just think Baltimore is better situated to service the fans," said Quint Kessenich, ESPN analyst and former Johns Hopkins All-America goalie. " Southwest Airlines can fly you to BWI [Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport] cheap. The hotels are nearby, [so] you don't have to rent a car. And it's the Northeast corridor - D.C., Virginia, New Jersey. Think about the amount of fans within a four-hour radius."
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