Annapolis Cup Croquet Match
I'm ashamed to admit, but up until this month, I have never been to the Annapolis Cup Croquet Match. And to be honest, by the time I remember it's coming up, the tickets have sold out and I'm out of luck. But this year, I was ready! I was on the site when tickets first went on sale and I bought a few. I was determined to go!
I also know nothing about croquet. Apparently in 1984 the Johnnies (as the St John's College team is called) invited the Naval Academy Mid's to a friendly match. The story goes the community came out in force with their picnic setups to watch the matches and soon in true Annapolis style, the picnics were over the top! The event has become an Annapolis staple every year since. The Johnnies have won all but 5 years, this year being no exception.
The day before the match, we had a horrible storm come through. The forecast called for 20-30 mph winds, with gusts up to 40, and a high of 65 degrees. I went back and forth with what I should wear! My assistant brought along her rain boots thinking it would be muddy (it wasn't). Once we got there, we realized how sheltered the campus is. Where there was a cross street the wind would come through. The area of play was fine because there was buildings blocking the wind!
As with anything Annapolis, parking is an issue. If you have access to the Naval Academy, parking on the yard is your best bet because you can park close to the chapel and walk through the pedestrian gate. You can park at any of the parking garages and walk over, or you can park at the Navy Football Stadium and take the bus over.
Once you're there, and enter the campus lawn area. We got there right for 11, and the setup had 3 playing fields. They had 2 food trucks (a pulled pork pit beef place and a gyro place) but in Annapolis tradition, many people brought in coolers of food and beverages to have their picnics. On the other side of the area, they had tents set up that apparently you could reserve. They were a walk from the croquet area, but if your goal was to have a nice reserved area for your picnic, that would definitely be it. There were various beer and wine sellers around the perimeter of the area. Drinks could be purchased by buying a ticket at the Drink Ticket tents (there were quite a few around) and were cash only.
We unfortunately didn't prepare as well as others. We brought chairs, but didn't bring picnic supplies. We bought lunch at the gyro truck and it was really very good.
Once announcements started to declare the start of the event, they did sing the National Anthem. I thought it was such a great piece of history when the announcer said "Please place your hands over your hearts for the National Anthem, composed by Francis Scott Key, class of 1796". Note to self - what other distinguished grads have come through St John's? If you would like to share your knowledge, please comment below! :-)
I'm not going to lie, it took me a little bit to understand the game. We did find a publication from St John's that explained how the game worked. They did sell t-shirts with the diagram of how the game is played, and those sales benefitted the students. There was a lack of anything else really to buy.
This was a great event to people watch. There were quite a few attendees who dressed in their finest 1920's outfits, which it was surprising to us this match started in 1986! Most attendees dressed up, but casual also worked.
The Mid's came out dressed in their mess dress uniforms or whites with white letterman sweaters (their year at the Academy dictated on their dress). The Johnnie's came out in white work coveralls that they customized (most made them into shorts) with a bright striped blazer (see the picture below).
We had a great time being in Annapolis! Next year make sure to get your tickets for the Annapolis Cup Croquet Match. The school does have a great website with some great information and history.
I also know nothing about croquet. Apparently in 1984 the Johnnies (as the St John's College team is called) invited the Naval Academy Mid's to a friendly match. The story goes the community came out in force with their picnic setups to watch the matches and soon in true Annapolis style, the picnics were over the top! The event has become an Annapolis staple every year since. The Johnnies have won all but 5 years, this year being no exception.
The day before the match, we had a horrible storm come through. The forecast called for 20-30 mph winds, with gusts up to 40, and a high of 65 degrees. I went back and forth with what I should wear! My assistant brought along her rain boots thinking it would be muddy (it wasn't). Once we got there, we realized how sheltered the campus is. Where there was a cross street the wind would come through. The area of play was fine because there was buildings blocking the wind!
As with anything Annapolis, parking is an issue. If you have access to the Naval Academy, parking on the yard is your best bet because you can park close to the chapel and walk through the pedestrian gate. You can park at any of the parking garages and walk over, or you can park at the Navy Football Stadium and take the bus over.
Once you're there, and enter the campus lawn area. We got there right for 11, and the setup had 3 playing fields. They had 2 food trucks (a pulled pork pit beef place and a gyro place) but in Annapolis tradition, many people brought in coolers of food and beverages to have their picnics. On the other side of the area, they had tents set up that apparently you could reserve. They were a walk from the croquet area, but if your goal was to have a nice reserved area for your picnic, that would definitely be it. There were various beer and wine sellers around the perimeter of the area. Drinks could be purchased by buying a ticket at the Drink Ticket tents (there were quite a few around) and were cash only.
We unfortunately didn't prepare as well as others. We brought chairs, but didn't bring picnic supplies. We bought lunch at the gyro truck and it was really very good.
Once announcements started to declare the start of the event, they did sing the National Anthem. I thought it was such a great piece of history when the announcer said "Please place your hands over your hearts for the National Anthem, composed by Francis Scott Key, class of 1796". Note to self - what other distinguished grads have come through St John's? If you would like to share your knowledge, please comment below! :-)
I'm not going to lie, it took me a little bit to understand the game. We did find a publication from St John's that explained how the game worked. They did sell t-shirts with the diagram of how the game is played, and those sales benefitted the students. There was a lack of anything else really to buy.
This was a great event to people watch. There were quite a few attendees who dressed in their finest 1920's outfits, which it was surprising to us this match started in 1986! Most attendees dressed up, but casual also worked.
The Mid's came out dressed in their mess dress uniforms or whites with white letterman sweaters (their year at the Academy dictated on their dress). The Johnnie's came out in white work coveralls that they customized (most made them into shorts) with a bright striped blazer (see the picture below).
We had a great time being in Annapolis! Next year make sure to get your tickets for the Annapolis Cup Croquet Match. The school does have a great website with some great information and history.