PressBox recently chatted with Maryland Sports Commission executive director Terry Hasseltine about the Maryland 5 Star taking another step forward in 2024, the Maryland Cycling Classic preparing to return in 2025 following a year off and more.
PressBox: The Maryland 5 Star equestrian event took place at Fair Hill International in Cecil County in October. How did it develop in its fourth year?
Terry Hasseltine: We had fantastic event weather, which led to an uptick in attendance. We were up in the mid-[30,000s] in attendance, which shows that we’re growing year after year. The team with the Maryland 5 Star led by Jeff Newman and Marissa Melzer with the Sport & Entertainment Corporation, our nonprofit arm, did a tremendous job of listening to our competitors and listening to our fan base from the previous year. They made some really significant modifications to make it a lot easier to get around. We added some more fan-friendly and family-friendly components to the Kids Zone and the like. We just utilized the grounds better this year, which gave a lot better flow and a lot better experience for those who attended. We continue to look [to grow] that each and every year.
Remember, we’re only in our fourth year — only one of seven [5 Star competitions] in the world but only two in North America. All those other ones have had years and years of history to build their product. We’re catching up quickly because of the patience and the due diligence that we know have to go into making sure operationally we’re sound, making sure that we’re promoting it in the right way and making sure that we’re listening to our constituents who are coming and actually taking advantage of the event and then folks like MPT and others who come out and help us really amplify our message through the network and the like. It’s definitely an event that’s going in the right direction and an event I’m very, very proud to be a part of.
PB: The 2024 Maryland Cycling Classic was canceled. Is there any reason to think it won’t return in 2025?
TH: Right now, everything is full steam ahead [for] Sept. 6, 2025. There will be both men’s and women’s competitions in 2025. The Olympic schedule and obviously the collapse of the Key Bridge [impacting traffic] postponed us a year. We’re really excited about the future of the Maryland Cycling Classic. The team that we’ve assembled to help produce it and lead the charge is all intact. We have some great conversations going on with some of our key sponsors to make sure they’re all coming back after the year hiatus. We have it in our head and in our game plan [that] there’s going to be a very dynamic week of cycling activities in the greater Baltimore region in 2025.
PB: What went into the decision to add a women’s race?
TH: We take great pride in the sports that we represent under the Sport & Entertainment Corporation of Maryland that there are equitable platforms for both men and women to participate. … The Maryland Cycling Classic started with a men’s race always with the goal of adding a women’s race once the UCI calendar opened up to allow that to happen. Now this year in ’25 has allowed us to put it together. There’ll be a men’s race and a separate women’s race. They do not compete at the same time. We’ll run through the technical logistics of how the race day will function. Will the women go out at 10 and the men start a little bit later? They don’t compete on the same distances, so there’s a little different variation between the women’s route and the men’s route. We’re working with the UCI and USA Cycling right now about getting the best logistical game plan to make sure both of those races go off well and get the same type of support and coverage that one would expect in an event that we deliver.
PB: International soccer matches were held at M&T Bank Stadium, Northwest Stadium and Navy-Marine Corps Stadium this summer. How did those go?
TH: One of the unique challenges that we had I think in this past iteration of matches in the United States in general is the fact that [they came after the UEFA European Championship] and you had the Olympics, so there was a lot of athletes being pulled for national teams or if they’re tied to the Euro competition. We saw very enthusiastic crowds. We had great success [at M&T Bank Stadium and Northwest Stadium], and we had great energy in all three. Lesson learned that we need to create maybe a little bit of gap in years where the Euros and the Olympics are in the same season because of the amount of players that are being transferred back to national teams or back to their club teams in order to compete in those competitions. But overall, we had great success this summer hosting multiple soccer matches and we look forward to a very robust 2025 summer season with some more international soccer coming to Maryland.
PB: CFG Bank Arena hosted basketball games featuring Villanova and Virginia as well as Virginia Tech and Penn State as part of the Hall of Fame Series in November. Could the Hall of Fame Series return to Baltimore in the future?
TH: Working with the group at the Hall of Fame to bring that event to fruition this year was a great first step in what we hope will be a long-term partnership. We know they are coming back next year. Obviously, it’s too early to tell what teams will be playing next year, but we committed to two years to get our feet underneath us to figure out how the event would position itself in the market. We do see a preseason basketball event having a lot of potential here in the Baltimore market, but it’s also going to be determined as to what else is happening during that time of year. As you know, this venue is really conducive to great concerts and the like. You just don’t know what’s going to be moving around year to year, so the fact that we’re doing this in two- to three-year segments is a great way to start what we hope to be a long-term campaign with basketball happening in the late fall, early winter season here in Baltimore.
PB: The CIAA Men’s & Women’s Basketball Tournament will take place at CFG Bank Arena on Feb. 25-March 1. How can your group help make the tournament bigger and better in its fourth year in Baltimore?
TH: The host committee is doing their due diligence to ensure that the activities continue to grow and expand year over year, adding some new content. We have this event for several years, but we’re also making sure that we’re building wise and building smart because we know that in another year or so we’re going to have to show our overtures about extending this longer term. We’re making sure all the due diligence is being put in to make sure that the CIAA remains here for many years to come but also at the same time [making sure] that we continue to service the institutions and the presidents of the institutions that make up the CIAA. [We want to] make sure that we’re creating a product that the CIAA can be proud of but more importantly the city of Baltimore and the state of Maryland can proud of.
Photo Credit: Shannon Brinkman Photography
Issue 290: December 2024 / January 2025
Originally published Dec. 18, 2024