Feasting on the Competition over the Thanksgiving Holiday

While many of us were spending time gobbling up Thanksgiving leftovers or camping out for Black Friday deals this past weekend, others were busy competing in some big time tournaments around Maryland.  We talked about the NATT Teams Championship in Baltimore last week, but there were plenty of other events going on in Maryland. These athletes were busy devouring their competition instead of turkey.

The Crusade to Cal-ville

Today is the opening of the 10th Annual Cal Ripken World Series in Aberdeen. The international tournament is the culmination of the Babe Ruth League’s 12u Cal Ripken division. More than 200 players from around the world will compete. The tournament includes ten teams from regions across the United States and six from around the world. This year, the US and international championship games, along with the World Series final, will air on the MLB Network.

While this may be the marquee event of the summer, it is far from the only youth-oriented baseball activity at the world renown Ripken Baseball facility. Camps and tournaments bring youngsters of all skill levels from all over the country to learn “The Ripken Way” from Cal and his brother Bill all season long. In 2008, this baseball village welcomed players and families from 45 states with more than 10,000 participants and over 40,000 visitors.

While the program’s emphasis on fundamentals and hard work are responsible for its professional reputation, the facility enjoys legendary status among the bubblegum set. Ripken Baseball, with its scale model stadiums modeled after Wrigley Field, Fenway Park, Memorial Stadium and Camden Yards, is awe-inspiring to the young athletes who play there. Those factors (not to mention its illustrious name) have given Aberdeen its own base on the “Field of Dreams” of aspiring players everywhere.

I was Googling for something from a local paper about the opening of CRWS. What I found was even more enlightening, because it puts this event and the Ripken facility in a context we should all appreciate.

There were stories from hometown newspapers (and even television stations) around the country about their all-star teams on their way to Aberdeen. Reading about the excitement and local pride felt in these towns is to understand how much youth baseball is a part of the community fiber, and what a really big deal the Ripken World Series is.

Some of the kids sounded like they were on a pilgrimage to a holy shrine when asked how they felt about their journey to Ripken.

My favorite was a kid in Missouri. He told a reporter about the bathrooms in the dugout at the Ripken complex. That seemed to impress his teammates even more than the grass infields.

In Danbury, the team got a call from Governor Jodi Rell as they boarded the bus, telling them how proud Connecticut was of them. Governor Rell thoughtfully sent a package of snacks for the bus trip to Maryland. (Once a sports mom . . . )

The stories went on and on. Another bus sendoff in Brick, New Jersey, community contributions to help pay expenses for the delegation from Bakersfield, California. Predictions of victory from Lexington, Kentucky.

They relate the universal appeal of youth sports as a family activity. Even when the economy struggles, parents do what it takes to keep kids active and engaged in their sports dreams. If that sport happens to be baseball, you know where Aberdeen, Maryland, is. It’s an experience you’d love to share that with your child.

While Ripken Baseball may be the best known of the youth sports facilities and programs in our state, it is certainly not alone. Aloha Lacrosse and Elite Soccer draw youngsters from throughout the region for their tournaments. Meadowbrook Aquatic Center, the home training facility of Michael Phelps, is recognized for its program for top swimming prospects under the direction of Bob Bowman.

Maryland has the opportunity to take a bigger slice of the youth sports competition market because of the home grown talent and wide range of facilities we have here. Terry’s focusing on that very subject in a discussion with recreation and parks officials today in Ocean City. As he does, there’s no better case in point than the action now underway in Aberdeen (where they have bathrooms in the dugout.)

Gearing up your Game

The end of the school year reminds me of summers long ago when I carted my boys to sports camps at the Naval Academy. Kids from throughout the region stayed in Bancroft Hall while they honed their skills sailing, rowing, water polo and just about every sport you can imagine. I still remember how awestruck a lot of them were by the facilities, staying in such a historic place, and learning from Division I coaches. You can learn more about the sports camps here: www.navysports.com/camps/navy-camps.html

Maryland has some nationally recognized clubs, programs and sports facilities for aspiring athletes of all ages. A few have been in the news lately, so it’s a good time to mention them.

With the Chelsea-Milan match looming, no one could be more excited than the BAYS, the Baltimore Area Youth Soccer named the No. 1 youth club team in the country by Soccer America. The BAYS have a professional relationship with Chelsea FC, and this week (June 22-26) coaches from Chelsea are working with BAYS coaches on player development. The BAYS owe much of their success to the passion of Kevin Healey, general manager of the Baltimore Blast, who is president of the BAYS club team.

Maryland is also the aquacenter of competitive swimming, with Olympians Michael Phelps and Katie Hoff training at the Meadowbrook Aquatic Center with the NBAC team. Keith Mills has a great story in this month’s Press Box about the next generation of Olympian aspirants who have come from distance and diverse backgrounds to train. You can read it here: www.pressboxonline.com/story.cfm?id=5008

It seems aspiring baseball players the world over know Ripken Academy in Aberdeen. Not only are there camps for youngsters to learn “The Ripken Way” with Cal and his brother Billy, but the complex also hosts team tournaments, and the Cal Ripken World Series in August. The Ripken program has been successful in many ways, including the media coverage it gives Maryland and the number of visitors it draws to Aberdeen.

The complex, with its retro ballfields reminiscent of classic MLB stadiums, is truly magical. You can see what Ripken Baseball brings to Maryland here: www.ripkenbaseball.com

Programs and facilities are not just for youngsters. Adventure Sports Center International, in Garrett County, situated on a mountaintop, offers training for the most skilled whitewater rafters and kayakers on their specially designed, adjustable course. The 2008 US National Whitewater Slalom Championships were held there, and in August, we’ll be going up for the US Rafting Nationals.

Of course, you don’t have to be a top competitor to enjoy the facilities. Even tenderfoots can shoot the course rapids or take a tour on a nearby river while experiencing the beauty of Western Maryland. See what they have to offer here: www.adventuresportscenter.com

There are many, many more top programs in Maryland. Look forward to sharing more about them.

Tankagas State — where the action is

There’s another reason – a very big one – why Maryland rules for hosting youth or college tournaments.

While an international airport and Amtrak’s Northeast corridor make Maryland venues easily accessible for major events, it is the interstate highway system and central location in the Mid-Atlantic population center that drive (literally) the friends and family network who comprise the fan base for youth and collegiate sports.

Call us Tankagas State. Not a campus, but a geographic reality — with Maryland as the epicenter.

NCAA Lacrosse provides an excellent example. Baltimore, where both the men’s and women’s championship tournaments will be held next year, is only a tank of gas away from colleges in Long Island to Tobacco Road. Half the schools in the men’s Division I level are located within that radius, as are the families of many athletes. For a weekend event, Maryland is a rollicking road trip for a car and a cooler.

In the case of lacrosse, it goes beyond convenience for those involved in the tournament. Maryland also furnishes the talent for many of the teams, and other homegrown fans involved in many of the rec lacrosse programs, camps, tournaments and media outlets that comprise the outreach network. From a marketing standpoint, Maryland is lacrosse nirvana. The sport is nurtured here, and the locals will come regardless of who is in the tournament.

For tankagas road warriors, Maryland is a destination of choice for other reasons. Lots of lacrosse-centric activities and attractions are here. Ditto accommodations downtown or on light rail/water taxi lines.

We’re counting down to NCAA Men’s and Women’s Lacrosse Championships, to be held in Baltimore Memorial Day Weekend, 2010. But until then, let’s look at some of the other lacrosse tournaments that bring youngsters from all over the East Coast to Tankagas State.

Lax Splash, Timonium, June 6-7

Part of the Aloha tournament network, the Lax Splash tourney celebrates its 10th year in 2009. 160 teams participated in 1999. Since then, the tournament has grown steadily, now hosting more than 7,000 participants watched by nearly 20,000 attendees. The event, now considered the largest youth lacrosse tournament in the nation, is divided across 47 fields in 13 different locations, with the major hub of activity at the Timonium Fairgrounds.

Beach Lax Festival, Ocean City, June 6-7, 13-14

More than 200 lacrosse teams participated in the annual Beach Lax Festival over two weekends in and around Ocean City. 2009 is the 11th year for the girls (98 teams, June 6-7) tournament and fourth year for the boys (122 teams, June 13-14)

The purpose of the tournaments recognizes the end of the rec league season, the end of the school year, and the beginning of summer. But ultimately they celebrate family commitment to youth sports and Maryland’s love affair with lacrosse.