LEONARDTOWN, Md. – Shannon Georgevich, the Director of St. Mary’s County Marbles Club, decided to bring the game of marbles to St. Mary’s County this past year. The program is for children ages 7-14.
Georgevich, originally from Pittsburgh, PA, learned the game of marbles as a young child from one of the greats, Walt Lease. She competed for two years before winning the National Girls title in 1988, her third year playing in the tournament.
“The game of marbles has been special to me for most of my life, and I wanted to share that with our community,” Georgevich told The BayNet. “St. Mary’s County Recreation and Parks were wonderful in helping us get started with our program by providing us a facility and helping organize local participation.”
On May 27, 2023, the first-ever St. Mary’s County Marble Tournament was held in Leonardtown. The two winners of the tournament were Boys Champion Matthew Stockwell, age 12, and Girls Champion Erin Johnson, age 11. These wins helped them move on to the 100th Annual National Marbles Tournament, held the week of June 19 through 22 in Wildwood, NJ.
Both champions performed well, especially for their first time in the tournament! Matthew Stockwell ranked 16th overall, and Erin Johnson ranked 22nd overall.
“I think the kids did great for their very first year attending the Nationals. It was a great experience for them both and the team; they are looking forward to practicing and improving their shooting skills for next year,” said Georgevich. “One disadvantage that our team had was we do not have a permanent marble ring in our area. We are working on funding to have one built in time for next marble season.”
Georgevich hopes and believes that the game of marbles will continue to grow in the Southern Maryland area.
“I think starting a program in our area is the first step to bringing back a game that has been played through the ages. I am hoping that interest will continue to grow as we introduce the game to our local community,” explained Georgevich.
Georgevich also gave a massive shout-out to the local businesses that helped sponsor this journey.
“I would like to give a special thanks to a few local businesses that were able to donate and help sponsor our local champions by attending the National Tournament. Sending a HUGE thank you to J&M Service Center, St Mary’s Fit Body Boot Camp, Brewsters Ice Cream, Mission BBQ and Cedar Point Federal Credit Union! We wouldn’t have been able to do this without you all!”
You can visit their Facebook page here if you want to follow and learn more about the St. Marys’ County Marbles Club.
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