Pioneering sprirt

Howard County named Maryland's SI Sportstown

By Jody Woodman

Howard County, Md., didn't hire its first recreation supervisor until 1977. But, by building on the lessons it learned from departments in other cities, and by making pioneering decisions in recreational sports programming, Howard County made up for lost time. It is this progressive spirit that helped the city earn the title of Maryland's Sports Illustrated Sportstown.

“By creating the optimum environment for all residents to ‘Get Up, Get Out and Get Active,’ this community works tirelessly to create safe, affordable and enjoyable sport experiences for both youth and adults,” said the Sportstown judging panel in announcing Howard County's selection.

While it may have been a late bloomer, Howard County was among the first cities in the state to institute a volunteer coaches' training program, doing so in 1983. The practice continues to date, and Howard County uses the American Sports Education program to train its coaches, as well as many of the coaches at private organizations.

Recreation supervisor Al Harden, who was the department’s first employee 26 years ago, is proud of how the Howard County's programs have grown.

From four parks in 1977 to 233 different facilities and over 80 miles of nature trails and pathways, the department Harden commands now is vastly different than the one he started, but the commitment to quality programming remains constant.

“We don’t cut corners on officiating,” Harden said. “And whenever possible we try to downplay competition. … You try to set up the program so that it attracts the biggest majority of participants to the program.”

While attracting participants and volunteers alike is key to the program, Harden believes the success of the department’s work is measured by how many athletes are retained and how many are sent on to the competitive leagues that work in cooperation with Howard County.

“Really, there’s no need to compete,” Harden said. “Their customers are also our customers and our customers are their future customers.”