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.

Lights, Camera, Action Sports! Dew Tour Takes Center Stage in Ocean City

After months of anticipation, the Dew Tour finally pulled into Ocean City for it’s first stop of the season. Thousands of people flocked to the town’s historic boardwalk for the four-day event. Things got underway with qualifying rounds on Thursday and continued through late Sunday night.

The weather played a huge factor into the event. The weekend started with extreme heat and ended with severe weather. Thursday and Friday saw some of the hottest temperatures that the state had ever seen. Despite the sweltering heat, crowds filled the stands to catch a glimpse of their favorite action stars.

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.

Ocean City Preps for Dew Tour

While on my weekend jaunt to the beach (or “down the ocean, hon”), I couldn’t help but notice the presence of the Dew Tour in Ocean City with the event being over a month away.  Every other commercial on my radio was for the Dew Tour Pantech Open.  Buses driving up and down Coastal Highway had advertisements for the Tour on them, and the whole city was abuzz with the big event that was about to grace their shores.

I decided to go check out the Ocean Bowl Skate Park and see how the preparations were coming along for the upcoming Dew Tour stop in Ocean City.  I had just read that a new contractor had been hired to finish up the renovation of the bowl, so I wanted to take a look at what had been done so far.

The Working Horses of Maryland

Yes, the Preakness is a mere two days hence, so most of the horse chatter in Maryland focuses on thoroughbreds and the excitement and energy they bring to our state every spring. Yet, Maryland is horse-centric 365 days a year in an industry pyramid which supports agri-businesses, recreational activities and major events.  But even this doesn’t address an important segment of the vibrant Maryland equine universe.

There are still horses who work for a living, as valuable partners in law enforcement, transportation, and physical therapy.  And they labor quietly, with little fanfare for their contributions.

Guests Bearing Gifts

In selling the benefits of tournaments and other outside events to county and municipal recreation officials, Terry reminds them that making community-based facilities available to outside entities frequently pays handsome dividends.  From rental fees to facility upgrades, hosting activities and events is a smart way to stretch the limited resources local governments and clubs need to maintain their quality of life amenities.

We offer a very good example which presented itself just this week.

The Town of Ocean City was elated to be selected the premier event site for the 2011 Dew Action Sports Tour this July.  The resort community, which lives to welcome visitors and promote its many attractions, saw this opportunity for just what it is — a nationally broadcast infomercial showcasing the appeal of Ocean City around the dynamics of action sports.

There is also a great deal of direct hotel and admission tax revenue by fans who will flock to see the competition live and spend the weekend.  One thing we learned when Dew was last in Maryland — there are a lot of skateboarders in the Mid-Atlantic region.

Ocean City itself has a vibrant action sports scene.  In fact, the municipal skate park, known as the Ocean Bowl, is the oldest community-owned skate park in the country.

Like many municipally owned recreational facilities, maintenance was deferred for more pressing needs –until they learned company was coming.  Having millions of skateboarding fans focused on their city (particularly when the bowl may be used for the festival activities) suddenly pushed needed repairs to the top of the “to do” list.  Now, a long-delayed addition to the park is considered a priority too.

In other words — instead of being an outlay or expenditure, work on the Ocean Bowl is now an investment for hosting future events that bring more blessings to the resort town of Ocean City.

And who benefits most?  Those residents who enjoy the park the rest of the year.  In essence, improvements to a top flight community asset are being bankrolled by the proceeds a major sports event.  One that focuses on that facility and will bring even more visitors and $$$$ to town.

We were delighted to see Ocean City council voted yesterday to fund the park improvements.  Work could start as early as today.  By Memorial Day, Rodney could be doing doing half pipes with his life preserver.

This is a lesson we hope many other county and municipal recreation officials will heed.  There’s a lot of opportunity in hosting events and tournaments.  Talk to Terry about taking advantage of them.