Maryland Takes Center Stage

The weather was perfect this weekend for an exciting and eventful array of sports around the state. From horse racing to cycling to extreme races, there was something for everyone to participate in. Here is a snapshot of why Maryland is a growing Sports destination:

Maryland will have another, as the 137^th Preakness featured the largest crowd ever. Over 120,000 people donned their snazziest outfits, partied, jammed and celebrated horse racing at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore City. The horse racing did not disappoint either. I Will Have Another narrowly defeated Bodemeister to put itself in position to become the first Triple Crown winner since 1978. Stay tuned to see if I Will Have Another attempts to make history at the Belmont Stakes on June 9^th.    

Let the Madness Begin!

In Under Armour’s most recent, Under the Armour episode, Brandon Jennings, the starting point guard for the Milwaukee Bucks emphatically said, “The harder you work when nobody is watching, the less you bleed when you go out there and perform.” A sports season can reveal a person character, span a lifetime of emotions- the highest highs and the lowest lows- but in the end; when tournament time rolls around, no matter what sport he/she plays, the team who works the hardest and overcomes those lows walks out on top.

Let’s Hear it for the Girls!

The first weekend in November is all about the ladies…well at least when it comes to athletics! There are quite a few tournaments taking place in Maryland over the next couple of days featuring women athletes.  We’ve got a little bit of everything going on this weekend.  The 2011 ACC Field Hockey Championships got underway yesterday in College Park, the NJCAA Region 20 Women’s Volleyball Tournament starts tomorrow and goes through Sunday at the College of Southern Maryland, the Primetime Showcase girl’s lacrosse tournament is on Saturday and the Fall Lax Clash tournament is on Sunday, both at Cedar Lane Park in Bel Air.

Ocean City Stays Busy

Ocean City was the place to be this past week, hosting the 38^th Annual White Marlin Open at Harbour Island- which showcased the world’s largest billfish tournament, and the 2011 Ocean City Lacrosse Classic- which featured some of the nation’s elite past, present, and future lacrosse players.

Autos, Bikes & Boats, Oh My!

Winners at the IHRA Junior Dragster Final

There were many exciting sporting events that took place this past weekend in our great state.  From fishing to cycling, Maryland had something to offer all sports fans.   We’ll be covering auto racing in Southern Maryland, bicycle road racing in the suburbs of DC, tuna fishing down the beach and youth lacrosse in and around Baltimore.

First up were the IHRA Junior Dragster Finals.  Held at the Maryland International Raceway in Budds Creek, the three-day event featured practice sessions, special races, games, and the final points-based competition on Sunday. The Junior Dragster racers from Northeast Dragway in North Carolina won the IHRA Junior Team Finals against 26 teams from 18 different tracks.

National Lacrosse Champions Crowned

The Maryland SoccerPlex in Boyds was host to many events this past weekend: DC United Women, MLS Futbolito and the National Lacrosse Classic.  We already recapped the soccer events that took place, so now we bring you the lacrosse.

The National Lacrosse Classic took place from July 1 to July 8.  This tournament featured boys and girls teams from across the country competing at different age levels for the title of national champion. Teams and players traveled from all regions of the country, including the West Coast and Northwest.

This year the Classic expanded by adding middle school boys and girls divisions, as well as a high school girls division.  Officially the fourth year for the tournament, the national title winners go on to play against Canada in the Brogden Cup.