The Southern Maryland Eliminators are solely about 5 years outdated as a leisure subject hockey membership, they usually have, I believe, the best staff title in all of American subject hockey.
Final weekend, the Eliminators’ youth program was set for its opening weekend of video games at John G. Lancaster Park, an area tucked proper subsequent to Patuxent Naval Air Station.
However lower than 48 hours earlier than the opening hitback, phrase got here from the administration of the park that the video games have been being bumped due to a youth soccer recreation.
That is uncommon, given the truth that the Eliminators have held playdays whereas youth soccer video games have occurred at close by grounds. Too, there are 4 massive lined fields on the park.
The firestorm was instant, with response on social media and from the Eliminators’ administration.
“With solely 48 hours discover of the cancellation, having to reschedule 9 video games felt overwhelming. However essentially the most irritating half was disappointing almost 250 athletes and their households who have been excited to kick off the season,” the Eliminators’ board mentioned in a ready assertion printed by The Bay Internet. “We’re working with Recreation and Parks to make sure that this is not going to occur once more.”
This snub is oddly just like the state of affairs that led to one of many few tie video games in current NCAA historical past, when Temple and Maine have been pressured to cease their recreation 4 years in the past this week as a result of Kent State College, the sport’s host, was dead-set on capturing off a fireworks show — in the course of the daytime, no much less — as a part of the soccer staff’s pregame pageantry.
Now, there may be one other dimension to the story: in a pre-game scrimmage three weekends in the past held at Lancaster Park, supporters of the opposing groups, the Pax River Raiders and the Peppermill Pirates, obtained right into a mass brawl together with gamers, coaches, and bystanders. Police from the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Workplace and Maryland State Police responded and used pepper spray for crowd management, police mentioned.
Which makes it fascinating that the game of soccer was given unique precedence at Lancaster Park that day.
Makes you marvel if the unsuitable sport obtained cancelled.
