OTL: Ravens Put on a Great Event at Training Camp

Like many of you, I was boxed out of grabbing parking passes for Ravens training camp back when they opened up for reservation on July 11. Fortunately, thanks to the kindness of a stranger on Twitter/X, who was giving away some of the passes he was able to secure, I ended up being able to attend on Saturday, August 3.

The gentlemen who provided my parking pass was specific that he wanted to give it to someone who would be taking a child. That worked out, as my seven-year old son, Brooks, was very excited when I told him we’d be going to watch the Ravens practice (despite the fact that his mind is very one-track toward baseball at the moment!)

While I made it out to Westminster a couple times back in the day, I had never been to The Castle in Owings Mills, for training camp or anything else. Yup, I’ve worked at RSR since 2012, and I’ve never been to The Castle. Go figure.

My first impression when we turned onto 1 Winning Drive was that this place was as advertised. Gorgeous, well-maintained, and with a nickname that perfectly described it. The check-in process was seamless – you drive up, three cars at a time, to a line of Ravens employees who scan your QR code and put a green pass on your windshield. They then direct you through the gates, where more helpful red shirts guide you to your parking spot. There’s a gorgeous painting of the Ravens logo up on the hill, impossible to miss.

After parking, you proceed down the sidewalk toward the metal detectors. That area is just like entering any ballpark or stadium these days – just with MUCH shorter lines. The entire process from getting out of our truck to entering the gates of the facility took about five minutes. And at least two of those minutes were spent getting pictures with Poe and some Ravens cheerleaders who were stationed along said sidewalk.

Entering, we were given giveaway items including a Ravens training camp water bottle and a cardboard roster that conveniently folds up into a fan – a necessity on these humid Maryland summer afternoons.

Fans then proceed down the walk into an area where a Jimmy’s Famous Seafood food truck was stationed, along with a huge trailer selling Ravens merchandise, and another set up with taps dispensing cold water for those bottles you were just handed.

Walking further around the field (again with the help of plenty of Ravens employees), you then enter the fun zone. This is a huge grassy area with many more food trucks, plus giant Jenga, an inflatable obstacle course, tents covering picnic tables with things to color for the kids, a spot to throw footballs through hanging tires, and more.

As I said, I was with my seven-year-old, so this was the main attraction. We got there right as the gates opened, about an hour before practice started, and there were no lines for the activities. He was in heaven, and did the obstacle course probably a dozen times. Sweaty and spent, he then spent some time coloring under the picnic tables.

Knowing that kids usually set up along the gates as the players exit the building onto the field to practice, I got him to leave the “fun stuff” and head over that way.

What I didn’t know, unfortunately, was that only a select group of kids each day were lucky enough to get to go up to the gates. So if you see those pics of kids slapping fives with the players, just know that it isn’t first come-first serve to do that.

So that was basically the only bummer of the day. We were still pretty near the guys as they came out though, and he got his first up-close look at how huge the football players on TV are.

Once the players were out on the field, we walked back over to the stands (which are under cover, thankfully. There are also free sunscreen stations over by those first water taps I mentioned). On the way, Justin Tucker had to pause to let us pass, as he was kicking at the goalposts we had to walk behind. He waved and said hi to everyone, of course.

As practice begins, fans take their seats on the covered metal bleachers (no assigned seating). Alternatively, fans are welcome to get closer by sitting on the grass between the bleachers and the roped-off area of the field.

The team proceeds through their position-group drills, 1-vs-1s, situational practices, and more prior to full-squad 11-on-11s. You can, of course, read recaps of all that kind of action in our Camp Notes.

As practice goes on, everything behind the bleachers in the fun zone stays open. With everyone there now though, some of the lines – especially for the food trucks – get a bit long. Junior had to wait a bit to do the obstacle course each time as well. So just keep this in mind if you’re there with the kiddos – get the food while there’s no lines to avoid the whining later!

As practice drew to a close, the Ravens announced that kids under 13 could start lining up for autographs. The line starts right behind the bleachers. It’s a bit chaotic, and if you’ve never done it before (as we hadn’t), it’s tough to tell what to expect. I wasn’t sure if the entire group would be led off to a separate area, so I gave Brooks his marching orders to listen to the people in the red shirts, and to not let the bigger kids elbow him out.

However, the procedure is just that the entire group lines up in that area that had previously been for grass seating to watch practice. Then the players spread out along that line at their own discretion.

You can imagine my excitement when the first guy to walk over to where we were standing was none other than Roquan Smith himself.

The Ravens employees do a good job of trying to keep things orderly during the autograph sessions. However, things still get a bit chaotic, especially once the players like Mark Andrews, Zay Flowers, Justin Tucker, and Lamar Jackson walk over to the ropes. The bigger kids can get quite rowdy, so just keep this in mind if you have a younger one trying to get something signed up there.

It can also pay to hang back a bit as the bigger-name players draw crowds. We were able to get Patrick Mekari and Jordan Stout to sign without any trouble at all, as they were practically standing by themselves.

The signing session went on longer than I’d expected – at least 30 minutes, but probably more. I was pleasantly surprised at how smooth the entire operation went.

Overall, the Ravens put on a great program up at 1 Winning Drive for training camp, especially for kids. While we can remain wistful about the McDaniel College days, on balance, this is a better experience.

Of course, that is, if you can get a parking pass.

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