Sports

Got game? County offers many ways to play

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Sports participation is one of the easiest and most enjoyable ways to get to know the people of a community. In St. Mary's County it may be the best way because somehow, someway, it seems everybody is involved in the county sports panorama.

A fierce competitive spirit burns the softball fields of this county like a mid-August sun, and proven players are likely to see the most playing time. Joining an elite team is almost like entering a fraternity. It's not that hard to find a team to play for, though, because softball exists at every age and skill level.

But perhaps softball isn't for you. Perhaps your game is darts or sailing. You'll meet people from every walk of St. Mary's County life and even some out-of-towners. Believe it or not, a county dart tournament is a regional attraction.

Here's a list of St. Mary's sports with names and numbers of people to call.

Baseball

For men's baseball in the county, St. Mary's has one team in the Coors Charles-St. Mary's Baseball League — the St. Mary's Door. Games are played on Saturdays and Sundays through the summer, beginning in April. For more information on the team, call Steve DeBarr at 301-994-0662 or Drew Willard at 240-925-5859. For other league information, call league President Dave Cross at 301-888-1933 or visit www.chasmbaseball.com.

Bicycling

Patuxent Velo is a local bicycle racing club in Southern Maryland that provides a network for training, racing and related fun. It sponsors a Tuesday Nite Ride Series from the beginning of April through the end of October which is open to cyclists of all different ability levels. Club members also get together for informal rides throughout the week. For further information and to find out about all of Pax Velo's rides, visit www.paxvelo.com.

Bowling

St. Mary's County has one public bowling center and that one is busy. (There is also a bowling center on Patuxent River Naval Air Station for use by eligible personnel and dependents).

Esperanza Lanes, a 24-lane, child-friendly bowling center open to the public, is in the Esperanza Shopping Center on Route 235 across from San Souci Plaza and entertains league bowling during weekday mornings and nights. Open play is available every evening except Monday. Its summer leagues for men, women and mixed teams are now forming. Esperanza offers senior citizen discounts for bowlers 62 and older. Birthday party packages are available as well. Call 301-863-BOWL (2695) for more information.

Darts

Local darters compete in the Tri-County Dart Association, which offers league play and tournaments throughout the year. For more information, visit www.tricoda.leaguerepublic.com.

Fishing

From the run of the yellow perch in March through the ferocious summer feeding of the bluefish to the last nibbles in late fall, fishing is big-time fun in St. Mary's — for sport and for supper.

Public wharf space is available for fishing and crabbing at Bushwood Wharf, Chaptico Wharf, Piney Point Lighthouse Museum, Piney Point Recreation Area and Wicomico Shores. Freshwater enthusiasts should check out St. Mary's Lake off Camp Cosoma Road just south of Leonardtown. For specific licensing information and size limits on the denizens of our local waters, call the state's department of natural resources at 410-260-8100 or 1-877-620-8DNR (8367).

Golf

St. Mary's has a variety of golf courses.

Cedar Point Golf Course at the Patuxent River Naval Air Station is only available to persons affiliated with the naval base.

Cedar Point is a challenging 18-hole golf course considered one of the top 10 golf military golf courses in the world. Staffed by PGA professionals, Cedar Point offers a full season of tournament play as well as instruction for golfers of all skill levels. The course's new clubhouse is complete with a pro shop, locker rooms, apparel and gear retail sales and a complete bar and grill. Private and group lessons are available. Call 301-342-3597 for more information.

Breton Bay Golf and Country Club, near Leonardtown, and the Wicomico Shores Golf Course in Chaptico, both have course professionals and instructional programs.

Breton Bay is an 18-hole championship golf course, par 72 — white tees are 6,055 yards, blue tees — 6,597 yards. This course is semi-private. The public must call for tee times. Lessons are available through Garbrous Golf Academy. There is a pro shop, snack bar, dining facilities and driving range. The course is located left on Route 243 north of Leonardtown, 2 1/2 miles to Bull Road. Turn left and it's about two miles to the course on right. Call 301-475-2300.

Wicomico Shores is an 18-hole championship course, par 72, 6,500 yards from white tees. Public, owned by St. Mary's County. Tee times are offered seven days a week, but call five days in advance. Carts available. There is a pro shop and snack bar. Memberships available. Driving range. Various tournaments throughout the year. It's 11 miles north of Leonardtown. Turn left at Aviation Yacht Club Road. Call 301-884-4601.

Chesapeake Hills Golf Club in Lusby, just a few miles across the Patuxent River, is a regulation 18-hole, par 72, 6,500-yard public golf course. Call 410-326-4653 for more information.

Gymnastics

The St. Mary's County Recreation and Parks Gymnastics Center in Lexington Park has competitive teams and recreational classes for ages 1 and older available throughout the year.

The center's competitive team program is comprised of pre-team through Level 9 including a Mason Dixon League team, which works out year round but competes from mid-November through mid-May.

Birthday parties are offered on weekends. For more information, contact Susan Lynch at the Gymnastics Center at 301-862-1462.

Hunting

Hunting is popular in St. Mary's County. Fortunately for all those who want to give it a shot, you don't even have to leave the county to find some great areas to hunt.

Point Lookout State Park has approximately 240 acres set aside for deer hunting as well as waterfowl. St. Clement's Island State Park has 60 acres for rabbit and waterfowl and Greenwell State Park has 187 acres available for hunting during established seasons. St. Mary's River State Park has 2,200 acres where one can hunt small game such as rabbit and squirrel, as well as deer.

For more information about the above sites, contact Point Lookout State Park at 301-872-5688.

Myrtle Grove Wildlife Management operates four sites in the area that provide a myriad of hunting opportunities. Elms Property provides 540 acres open for all game in all seasons except for waterfowl. Indian Bridge Road contains 850 acres for small game as well as deer. And two sites — St. Mary's Lake and Myrtle Point Park — allow hunting for waterfowl.

To find out more about those four sites, contact Myrtle Grove Wildlife Management at 301-743-5161.

There are also two sites available to military personnel, retired military, active civilian employees and their guests at Patuxent River Naval Air Station and Webster field. For more information on these sites, contact Jim Swift at 301-342-3670.

Remember that to hunt in St. Mary's County, you need the proper equipment and licenses. For more information on what you might need, head to the Department of Natural Resources Heritage Web site at www.dnr.state.md.us/wildlife.

Lacrosse

The St. Mary's Youth Lacrosse Club, affiliated with the St. Mary's County Department of Recreation and Parks, provides lacrosse instruction and games for boys 14 years old and younger. Weekday after school practices are conducted at Wildewood Field. Games are played on weekends. Lancaster Park on Willows Road in Lexington Park is the home field, with away games played in Calvert and Prince George's counties. The SMYLC is a member of the Southern Maryland Youth Lacrosse Association. Call Peter Nelson at 301-997-0214 for more information.

For Mechanicsville youth lacrosse, contact Kevin Hughes at 301-290-1127 or e-mail mechylc@aol.com.

Interested in getting your daughter involved in one of the fastest growing sports in Southern Maryland? The St. Mary's Girls' Lacrosse League is a non-profit organization dedicated to the emotional growth and athletic development of girls ages 4 through high school. The league offers opportunities at the instructional, recreational and competitive travel levels for girls to be involved in this awesome sport. For more information, visit www.smgll.org or www.jetslax.com. Questions can be e-mailed to smglaxl@yahoo.com.

Racing

St. Mary's County is the place to find racing of all sorts.

Potomac Speedway has stock car racing on weekends during the year, while Maryland International Raceway has championship racing from pro stock to harleys to big rig trucks. MIR also hosts the International Hot Rod Association President's Cup Nationals in mid-June.

Both racetracks are located on Route 234 in Budds Creek. For more information on Potomac Speedway, call 301-884-4200 or go to www.potomacspeedway.com. For more information on MIR, call the track's 24-hour race information hotline at 301-884-RACE (7223) or go to www.mirdrag.com.

Budds Creek Motocross Park hosts the AMA Pro National Championship on July 13, part of the AMA Toyota Motocross Championship tour, as well as other events. For more information, call the park's race hotline at 301-475-2000 or visit www.buddscreek.com.

Chaptico Park, located on Route 234 in Mechanicsville, holds Southern Maryland BMX events throughout the year.

This exciting sport of bicycle racing offers individuals the opportunity to compete based on age and class starting from 4 years old to 60 plus.

Riders are required to have a 20-inch bike for open class or a 24-inch bike for cruiser class. They also should have a full-face helmet, long pants and long sleeve shirt in order to race. Mountain bikes welcome. Items will be available at the track for riders, so there is no need to make a special trip.

Birthday party packages are also available. Call 301-672-1623, 240-299-6400 or visit www.somdbmx.com for more information.

Rugby

For Patuxent River Rugby, call 1-877-806-7775 or visit their Web site at www.paxrugby.com.

Running

Annual running events in St. Mary's County include the Chaptico Classic 10K near the end of August and the Hospice 5K in the spring. There is also a running club in the area.

The Chesapeake Bay Running Club offers group runs for athletes of all ages and abilities and meets for weekly runs in different areas around St. Mary's and Calvert counties.

Visit www.cbrcmd.org for more information.

Sailing

The Southern Maryland Sailing Association is looking for people who sail, or who want to sail, to join our activities.

SMSA sponsors an active cruising program and is always encouraging interested sailors to get out on the water. Big boat racing happens on Wednesday nights and on many weekends, and there are dinghy races every Thursday night. There's also a junior racing program for high school kids and a summer sailing camp for kids of all ages.

Boat ownership is not required for membership, but you do need to have a keen interest in sailing and in having fun. Check out SMSA's Web site, listed below, or stop by their clubhouse opposite the boardwalk gazebo on Solomons Island. Happy Hour there is every Friday from 5 to 8 p.m.

Even if you do not become an SMSA member, opportunities exist to crew on race boats, both big and small, throughout the warm-weather season. Contact race@smsa.com or junior@smsa.com.

The SMSA has promoted sailing and sponsored sailing activities in the area since 1972. Visit www.smsa.com for more information.

Soccer

The St. Mary's Coed Soccer League consists of all adults of all skill levels.

Games are on Sundays at Chancellor's Run Regional Park in Great Mills from 1 to 5:30 p.m. on Fields 1 and 3. No experience is necessary. Everyone from beginners to advanced players is welcome and encouraged to participate. For additional information, visit www.smcoedsoccer.com or e-mail smcoedsoccer@smcoedsoccer.com.

Softball

They trade in snow boots for softball cleats in March and don't quit until the October cold makes a hit sting their hands.

This is the sport of St. Mary's County. And if you're a good player, everybody knows who you are (same holds true if you're a bad umpire.). One of the simplest ways to join a softball team is to ask your favorite bartender. Most of the bars around the county sponsor teams.

If you miss the first part of the action, there is an opportunity to join at the season's halfway mark in early July.

Here's a list of the county's biggest leagues and their presidents:

- Bernie Goad of the Men's Slowpitch League (Tuesdays and Thursdays), 240-538-5437

- Jack Williams of the Young Men's League (weekends), 301-475-3689

- Karen MacRae of the Women's League (Mondays and Wednesdays), 301-904-4251 or visit www.eteamz.active.com/smcwsl/

- Haskell Campbell of the Premier League (Sundays at Knight Life Field), 301-536-2415

If these four leagues don't interest you, St. Mary's County Department of Recreation and Parks sponsors a church softball league. Call Tyrone Harris at 301-737-5680 for more information.

Special Olympics

Special Olympics St. Mary's County is a year-round comprehensive sports program of training and competition designed to provide fun and benefit to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Training is held at the local level year-round. Competitions are held at the local, district, state, national and international levels.

Special Olympics encourages athletes, volunteers and partners to participate in any of its 14 training programs including basketball, skiing, bowling, golf, kayaking, sailing, soccer, softball, bocce, equestrian, cycling, swimming, track and field and tennis.

For more information, contact county director Mary Lu Bucci at 301-373-3469, e-mail somdsmc@md.metrocast.net or visit www.somdsmc.org.

Swimming

The Great Mills Swimming Pool provides opportunities for recreational, therapeutic, instructional and competitive swimming for all ages. The 25 yard by 25 meter pool includes six lanes and has a "zero depth" entry for maximum accessibility. The pool is covered with an air-inflated "bubble" from September through May to allow year-round usage. The facility's bathhouse includes showers, lockers, rest rooms and a lifeguard room. A toddler pool is also part of the aquatic facility and will be open during the summer months. If you are interested in instructing classes or in a lifeguard position or would like more information about the pool, call 301-866-6560.

The Chesapeake Bay Aquatic Club of Southern Maryland is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing young people from our community, ages 5 and older, year-round swimming instruction and training in the art of competitive swimming. The coaching staff focuses on the swimmer regardless of their skill level, promoting self-reliance, increased self-esteem and state-of-the-art swimming techniques while developing successful people as well as successful swimmers. CBAC is a registered member of United States Swimming, Inc. Call Coach Chuck Jacobs at 240-925-4233 or e-mail at swimcoachcbac@aol.com for more information or visit www.cbacswimming.org.

The Southern Maryland Swim League has six teams — Breton Bay, Wildewood, Elks, Town Creek, Tritons and Swan Point. It's a competitive fun summer league that's been in existence since 1970. Call Alan Hewitt at 240-925-4528 for more information.

The Great Mills pool is also home to Adaptive Aquatics, a program designed specifically with the disabled and elderly in mind. For more information, contact Rocco Aiello at 301-866-6560 or raaiello@smcps.org.

Tennis

There are courts all over the county and it's not usually difficult to find an open one near one of the four high schools. There are also courts available at Breton Bay Golf and Country Club. Both places have youth and adult instructional programs. Women's fall and spring leagues also provide competition for players of all levels. The St. Mary's County Department of Recreation and Parks also has instructional programs. Call Kenny Sothoron at 301-475-4200, ext. 1830, for more information.

The St. Mary's County Tennis Association is a chartered association of the United States Tennis Association in St. Mary's County.

As a nonprofit tennis group, SMCTA promotes increased participation in tennis as a means of healthful recreation and physical fitness, encourages and assists individuals and organizations offering local tennis programs, operates tennis programs directly when beneficial to the community and coordinates the development of USTA programs in St. Mary's County and assist and coordinate SMCTA events, ladders and informal tennis networks, tournaments, professional instruction, junior tennis, adult and senior leagues and tennis for the disabled.

Visit www.stmarystennis.com for more information.

Volleyball

The St. Mary's County Department of Recreation and Parks offers a drop-in volleyball program for those 18 and older, as well as a girls' summer volleyball camp. Visit www.co.saint-marys.md.us/recreate.

For girls from fifth through 12th grades, there is the St. Mary's Junior Girls Volleyball Club. This club is highly recommended for girls who may want to play volleyball in high school. Contact club director Drew Weaver at St. Mary's College of Maryland.

Windsurfing

The Southern Maryland Windsurfing Association is dedicated to promoting the sport of windsurfing at all levels through hosting learn to windsurf activities and local regattas. SMWA is always looking for people who have an interest in windsurfing and in racing from beginning to advanced levels.

They are also looking for volunteers to help with its activities.

Visit www.somdwindsurf.com for more information.

Youth sports

The county sponsors programs in tennis, indoor/outdoor soccer, indoor lacrosse, indoor field hockey, roller hockey, basketball, adult kickball and adult volleyball. Call Kenny Sothoron at 301-475-4200, ext. 1830, for more information.

Below is a list of leagues and contact persons:

- American Legion Baseball

Don DeGraves

301-994-0534

- St. Mary's American Little League

Donna Bowles

301-373-3250

E-mail: Dbowles12345@aol.com

Web site: www.eteamz.active.com/small

- St. Mary's National Little League

Chris Maher

301-481-1980