Maryland: Home of Jousting and Michael Phelps
A Medieval State Sport
Jousting is the official state sport for Maryland, making this state unique for sports in America.
Jousting has enjoyed a following since before the state was one of the Original 13 Colonies. Jousting was enjoyed in the Province of Maryland, the English designation of the land before 1776.
Training for jousting served the colonists well when England declared war on the Susquehannock Nation, also able horsemen. This war ended in two years, 1642 - 1644, with Maryland soundly defeated. Swedish colonists just north of the English province had helped the indigenous people win.
Ring Jousting
Maryland is known for the Preakness, one of the three thoroughbred races making up the Triple Crown series with the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont Stakes. In addition, the state loves horses by making jousting its official state sport since 1962.
Many sports are performed in Maryland, including training for the Olympic swimming events. The athlete with the most Olympic gold medals of all time as of 2016 is a hometown boy from Baltimore: Michael Phelps.
Phelps of Baltimore
Phelps of Baltimore became the first Olympic swimmer of any gender to win any event for the fourth consecutive time (in four Olympics in four different cities). He also broke the record for number of titles held by a long ago Olympian, Lionides of Rhodes.
Map of Baltimore MD, Hometown of Michael Phelps
Ravens are Fans of Phelps
During practice, the Baltimore Ravens cheered on their hometown hero, Michael Phelps durian his amazing gold medal victories in the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics.
State Sport: Jousting
- Maryland Jousting Tournament Association -- Look for the schedule and attend a match. This state sport goes beyond the exhibitions you might see at your local Renn Fest. It is an actual sport here and much respected by the crowds in attendance.
State Team Sport: Lacrosse
- Baltimore Bayhawks
- Lacrosse Museum and National Hall of Fame: This unusual sport invented by Native Americans is celebrated at 2 Loveton Circle, Sparks Glencoe, Maryland 21152.
Horse Racing
- Pimlico Racetrack: Famous racetrack known around America, home of the Preakness race. Located at 5201 Park Heights Ave., Baltimore MD 21215
- Maryland Jockey Club
Motor Sports
- 75-80 Dragway - Monrovia MD
- Budds Creek Motocross Park
- Capitol Raceway: This track has been refurbished and is the home of a number of events like import car racing, "big trucks", dragsters, grudge matches and more. It is located at 1451 Capitol Raceway Road, Crofton MD 21114.
- Cecil County Dragway
- Maryland International Raceway
- Mason-Dixon Dragway
- Monrovia Raceway
- Potomac Speedway
College and High School Sports
- Goucher Gophers - Baltimore
- Maryland Terrapins - Baltimore
- Mount St Mary's Mountaineers - Emmitsburg
- Naval Academy Midshipmen - Annapolis
- Towson Tigers - Towson
League Teams
- Baltimore Blast (NPSL) - Baltimore
- Bowie Bay Sox (AA) - Bowie
- Delmarva Shorebirds(A) - Salisbury
- Hagerstown Suns(A)
- Washington Spirit - Women's Soccer
Professional Sports
- Arbutus Big Red Football (Mason-Dixon Football League).
- Baltimore Orioles (MLB)
- Baltimore Ravens (NFL)
- Bowie Baysox
- Delmarva Shorebirds
- Frederick Keys
- Hagerstown Suns
- Washington Redskins (NFL) play at FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland.
- Women's Professional Football: The Baltimore Burn (WPFA) was founded in 2001. The team plays at Patterson Park, indicated in the map below.
Baltimore Burn
Historic Maryland
Hundreds of historic sites fill this region of America.
George Washington's Last Stand in Annapolis, Maryland
Native Americans in Maryland
Major Native North American Businesses
- Baltimore American Indian Center of Maryland
- Center for American Indian Health, The Johns Hopkins School of Public Health
- Native American Indian Resource Information for Maryland
Maryland's Native Americans
- Accohannock Tribe (Maryland)
- Assateague Peoples
- Lenape Nation
- Nanticoke Tribe
- Ohio Valley Tribes, including the Shawnee and some of the Iroquois Confederation, until US Indian Removals drove them westward under President Andrew Jackson.
- Cedarville Band of Piscataway Indians; 16816 Country Lane; Waldorf, Maryland 20601
- Piscataway Conoy Confederacy and Subtribes; La Plata, Maryland 20646
- Pocomoke Indian Nation
- Powhatan Tribe
- Shawnee Indians - Also resident historically in Ohio.
- Susquehannock Nation and History (Maryland, Delaware, and Virginia)
- Tutelo and Saponi groups
Lands of the Susquehannocks
Historic Waterways
Fort McHenry in Baltimore is birthplace of the US national anthem, written during the War of 1812. The city sits at the mouth of the Inner Harbor.
Higher Education System
Higher Education Facilities in Maryland
- Allegheny College of Maryland: Cumberland, also Somerset, Everett PA
- Anne Arundel Community College: Arnold
- Baltimore City Community College
- Baltimore Hebrew University
- Baltimore International College
- Bowie State University: Bowie, Maryland (a USM Institution)
- Capitol College: Laurel
- Carroll Community College: Westminster
- Cecil Community College: North East
- Chesapeake College: Wye Mills
- College of Notre Dame of Maryland: Baltimore
- Columbia Union College: Takoma Park, Maryland
- Community College of Baltimore County: Catonsville, Dundalk, Essex, Hunt Valley, Owings Mills, White Marsh
- Coppin State College: Baltimore, Maryland (a USM Institution)
- Frederick Community College: Frederick
- Frostburg State University: Frostburg, Maryland (a USM Institution)
- Garrett Community College: McHenry
- Goucher College: Baltimore
- Hagerstown Community College: Hagerstown
- Harford Community College: Bel Air
- Hood College: Frederick
- Howard Community College: Columbia, Maryland
- Johns Hopkins University: Baltimore, Maryland.
- Loyola College in Maryland: Baltimore
- Maryland Institute College of Art: Baltimore
- McDaniel College: Westminster, Maryland
- Montgomery College: Takoma Park, Rockville, Germantown
- Morgan State University: Baltimore
- Mount Saint Mary's College and Seminary: Emmitsburg
- Prince George's Community College: Largo
- Salisbury University: Salisbury, Maryland (a USM Institution)
- Sojourner-Douglass College: Baltimore, Annapolis, Hurlock, Lanham, Salisbury, also located in Nassau, Bahamas
- St. John's College: Annapolis, also Santa Fe, NM
- St. Mary's College of Maryland: St. Mary's City
- The Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences: Bethesda, Maryland. Access http://www.usuhs.mil/ Education and degrees in Medicine, Dentistry, and Nursing with free tuition, stipends, and more with a 7-year commitment to the armed services after graduation. Some programs begin the commitment during study, with a commissioned officer status awarded.
- Towson University: Towson, Maryland (a USM Institution)
- United States Naval Academy: Annapolis
- University of Baltimore: Baltimore, Maryland (a USM Institution)
- University of Maryland, Baltimore
- Villa Julie College: Stevenson
- Washington Bible College / Capital Bible Seminary: Lanham
- Washington College: Chestertown
- Wor-Wic Community College: Salisbury
© 2007 Patty Inglish MS