Heart of a Community

While it isn’t baseball season yet, a recent annual report coming out of Charles County yielded some remarkable news about Regency Stadium, built by the Stadium Authority in 2008 as the home of the Blue Crabs.

While the ball team was an immediate success , we didn’t realize just how much a part of the community the eyecatching, garnet-gabled facility has become.

Built as a partnership between the team’s owners, Charles County, and the State of Maryland, the stadium was designed to be versitile venue for year-round use.   Nonetheless, we were surprised when we saw just how successful Regency has become in its three years.

In 2008, the year it opened, it hosted fewer than 100 outside events.  By 2009, that number was up to 250.  And in 2010, more than 350 activities took place there.  We don’t know if that includes autocross rallies or marathon registrations (April 17, 2011,)  but the parking lots are an important feature of Regency.  They also provide staging for carpools and bus service for Washington on weekdays.

This June, Willie Nelson will be performing in Regency, bringing even more folks to Charles County.

Those of us in the sports facilities biz take heart whenever we hear about a project that so quickly becomes a part of the community fiber and quality of life. 

For those partners who stepped up to the plate to invest in Charles County, Regency Stadium was clearly a home run.

Autocross Appeal

It’s the Google effect — every time I learn something about one sport or facility here in Maryland, it leads to something I knew nothing about. Thus, my visit to Regency Stadium opened my eyes to yet another popular Maryland pastime.

This revelation came after I stopped in to see Phil Hutson, project manager at Regency, to tell him how impressed I was with the finished product. We chatted for a moment about the versatility of the stadium and the multitude of uses it provides the community.

“They race down there, too,” he mentioned casually.

With what, bumper boats? I revved up my favorite search engine for answers. That’s when I learned about the popularity of autocross in Maryland.

So what’s autocross? Simply stated (Wiki version,) it is a precision driving race against the clock. It tests the driver’s skill and reflexes as he/she maneuvers the vehicle on cone marked, asphalt slalom course.

Substitute pot holes, rail tracks, disoriented pedestrians and stalled vehicles, and autocross sounds a lot like my evening commute up Howard Street. There must be more to it. Turns out, there is.

Autocross meets, (sometimes called rallies) are organized by clubs. In Maryland, there are quite a few autocross clubs, and each has a home course. Regency is the tarmac of choice for the Autocrossers. However, it isn’t the only minor league stadium with a motor sports constituency. The Bowie Baysox share their asphalt with Capital Driving Club and for at least two seasons, Ripken did too. Even FedEx stadium hosts regional autocross meets.

Autocross meets don’t seem to be spectator oriented, although the competitors usually bring friends along to watch. It is an activity with a strong element of camaraderie bound with appreciation for driver skill and vehicle performance. Also a lot of socializing and general bonhomie.

One of the oldest auto clubs in the region is National Road Autosports. They sponsor an annual series of events at the Cumberland Airport. I planned a mountain journey for the Summer Sizzler next week when I made an embarrassing discovery.

It seems Cumberland Airport is actually in West Virginia. Oops. When the region broke from the Commonwealth of Virginia during the Civil War, Maryland could have annexed Mineral County in the confusion . Unfortunately, they didn’t, and the little bend in the river called Wiley Ford has both a nice airport and a West Virginia address. Fortunately, the club also has an August event on our side of the Potomac called the Polish Mountain Hill Climb. That rally takes place on a public road which SHA (bless them) closes for the race. It’s just outside of Flintstone, so maybe I can make a Rocky Gap weekend out of it. Stay tuned.

Two Crystal Palaces (and one stunning stadium) in Waldorf, July 13

I hadn’t been to Regency Furniture Stadium, home of the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs, since it was under construction two years ago. The match between Crystal Palace FC (England) and Crystal Palace Baltimore (their American affiliate) was an opportunity to experience a professional soccer match, and see how the stadium has meshed into the fiber of Southern Maryland since its completion.

We arrived at the stadium more than an hour before the match and were surprised at the number of cars already there, indicative of something I was to hear later from a County Commissioner. Not merely a ballfield, Regency Stadium is a community center, concert venue, and commuter hub. That night, a corporate client was having a regional meeting in one of the conference rooms. After only a year and a half of operation, Regency hosts several hundred events a year, some occurring simultaneously.

What I wanted to see most was the award-winning bumper boat pond, which flowed under the left field promenade like a moat. A young man in soccer attire asked quizzically what the strange looking pool was. Seems he was from England, on holiday in the former colonies while he followed his favorite team on their summer tour. (And I thought the Red Sox had groupies.) The water-squirting bumper boats, rock wall, and moon bounce, all part of our ballpark family fun, are a foreign concept in the real world of futbal. I suspect the country music blaring over the loudspeaker might be, too. Nonetheless, he was pleased to be in the rural setting and was surprised to learn it wasn’t part of Baltimore.

The opening was most impressive, with both national anthems. (Enjoyed a robust rendition of “God Save the Queen” with two embassy diplomats in the suite.) Once the match began, it took a while to catch on that the clock was counting up instead of down. Terry explained the logic, but I still don’t get it. It would be hopeless to describe the action on the field that night, except it was well received by the crowd. What I can describe is the absolute joy of the many youngsters in league soccer gear who frolicked on the field prior to the game and cheered with their families in the stands. Their energy was infectious. The regulars remarked on the transformation of a baseball diamond to a turf field sans pitcher’s mound. No lumps. Amazing.

We didn’t stay for the fireworks, but the evening provided enough color and excitement even without them. I’m reminded how long Charles County waited for their stadium – more than ten years – and how fraught with controversy it was while officials and citizens debated where it should go and who should pay for it.

Today, the Blue Crabs are a beloved , successful franchise. (You should see the kids fawning over Pinch the Crab. He works the crowd like Chuck E. Cheese.) The stadium will anchor a growth corridor where a new Southern Maryland College campus and high school athletic center will emerge in the next few years. Regency Furniture stadium, reminiscent of an old Charles County tobacco barn with its russet color and sloping roof, will make a comfortable transition from a rural setting to a vibrant suburb as it provides the citizens of Southern Maryland with a first rate multipurpose venue.