COLLEGE PARK – When Grady Chaltain returned to the University of Maryland last month after a two-semester absence, he had to find an extremely clean place to live.

Most college apartments are notoriously filthy. But chemotherapy left Chaltain, who is recovering from a form of brain cancer, with an weakened immune system.

The 22-year-old New Hampshire native missed nearly a year of college after being diagnosed in 2011 with medulloblastoma, a disease which has 500 diagnoses a year in the United States, according to the MD Anderson Cancer Center.

“All I wanted to do all winter long was to be in class. I would have given anything to be in class,” said Chaltain. “Being in between hospitals and home became so boring.”

Chaltain’s life has been radically altered after his treatment for cancer. Since brain surgery, he has had to relearn basic motor skills like walking and talking.

When he returned to College Park, he moved into the new University View apartments. Other university housing options are very old, and might put Grady’s rebuilding immune system at risk because of potential mold or bacteria.

Chaltain moved back on April 20. But that same weekend, Chaltain hit a body temperature of 103 degrees and had to be hospitalized at Washington National Hospital for four days.

According to the American Cancer Society, medulloblastoma has a 60 percent five-year survival rate.

Chaltain has not let his fragile condition prevent him from his former college experience. Just two days after his return from the hospital, Chaltain had attended both his fraternity’s annual graduate dinner and outdoor philanthropy event.

“I can’t see him backing down from anything. He just takes everything head on and accepts the challenge. He has already talked to me about getting big in the gym,” said Evan Ritz, Chaltain’s former roommate.

Chaltain can’t move around as much as he would like and tires quickly, but he is quick to crack a joke about his condition.

At Carolina Kitchen, a restaurant where Chaltain formerly bartended, he laughed at a fraternity brother who wouldn’t finish his drink.

“Come on, finish the drink!,” Chaltain said as he finished his glass of whiskey. “I even had cancer.”

Chaltain is only allowed to drink in moderation because of his condition.

“He has this way of getting hit so hard, and coming out on top, and coming out as the strongest person”, said Liz Benz, Chaltain’s girlfriend.

Though the experience has been difficult, Chaltain said he was grateful for the unique outlook on life the disease has given him.

“Cancer has given me a wonderful perspective on life and I would never want to go through it again, but I am thankful I did because it’s going to keep me grounded,” he said.

Chevy Chase — Terrance Heath and Richard Imirowicz have so many anniversaries, they don’t know which to celebrate anymore.

There is the day they first met after Heath answered Imirowicz’s online personal ad. There’s the day they exchanged rings in Hawaii. Or the day in 2010 when they were legally married in Washington’s all Souls’ Church.

Since the two men first met in 2001, they have adopted two boys, now 4 and 9. Since then, public opinion in the United States has been shifting in favor of gay rights. On March 9, 2010, the first day same-sex couples were legally allowed to marry in Washington, their two sons carried the rings at the fathers’ wedding.

Currently, same-sex marriage is not recognized by the federal government, but six states and the District of Columbia do recognize same-sex marriage, and 10 states recognize civil unions or domestic partnership that grant nearly all of the state-recognized rights of marriage.

Maryland recognizes certain legal protections that apply to domestic partners. In March, Gov. Martin O’Malley signed the Civil Marriage Protection Act, which would legalize same-sex marriage in the state. The law will likely have to be approved in a statewide referendum in November.

President Barack Obama made a statement of support for gay marriage last week, which Heath and Imirowicz hope will increase the chances of the law being passed.

“I’ve always been adamant that gay and lesbian Americans should be treated fairly,” Obama said in an interview that aired last Thursday on ABC’s “Good Morning America.” The President’s statement is considered a victory by the gay rights community, and is in stark contrast with North Carolina’s passage last week of a constitutional amendment limiting marriage to a man and a woman.

By the numbers, the Imirowicz family doesn’t stand out in their Washington suburb of Chevy Chase. Both parents work while the kids are at school. Every night they have a family dinner. The children, Parker and Dylan, play sports and video games and fight with each other in the car. The boys don’t mind not having a mother. When Parker’s friend once told him “I have a dad and a mom,” Parker replied, “well, I have a dad and a papa.”

Heath is confident that the president’s statement will make a positive change in his family’s life and increase the chances of Maryland voters approving a referendum on same-sex marriage this fall.

“I applaud and welcome the president’s statement,” Heath said. “He placed himself on the right side of history and showed true leadership.”

If Maryland’s same-sex marriage laws do go into effect, the legality of same-sex adoption, which is currently largely ambiguous, will be solidified. In Maryland local courts and judges decide to accept or deny petitions to adopt. The same-sex marriage law will permit all such petitions. Among the reasons given to be opposed against LGBT adoption are that the child may be confused, teased, and ridiculed for having two parents of the same gender, but research has shown that children of same-sex couples show no differences in self-esteem, gender identity, or emotional problems from children growing up in heterosexual parent homes.

Only 40 years ago the biracial marriage of the president’s parents was illegal in many states.

“If one of my sons gets elected 40 years from now, the same could be said about them,” Heath said.

WASHINGTON – Sarah D. (whose family requested not to use their last name), 12, has a passion for life and people. She is curious and is not afraid to ask questions, even to strangers. She was also born with autism.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says about 1 in 88 children have been identified with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a delay of brain development. The severity of the disorder varies among individuals, ranging from mild to severe, and often manifests itself in unusual social interactions and repetitive behaviors.

While Sarah does not have trouble communicating her thoughts, she has difficulty with social cues, and often displays repetitive behaviors, such as asking questions. She is not afraid to go up to strangers and ask them many questions about different topics.

“How old are you? What age group are you, a young adult? Why do you say ‘cheese’ when someone takes a picture of you? Do you go to the dentist? Orthodontist? Optometrist? Is your dentist a boy or a girl? What color eyes does he have?” Once she has finished asking all the questions on her mind, she will repeat them all over again.

As Sarah grows older, her family worries that she will never be able to become completely independent. Her parents must teach and ingrain certain things into her memory. Sarah is difficult at times, but she is also the spark of life in her family that they could never live without.

BOWIE – Guests at Six Flags America taking a break from the roller coasters could get more than they bargained for at the park’s concession stands.

A Capital News Service analysis of Prince George’s County health inspection reports uncovered hundreds of health violations at Six Flags over the last 16 years.

Between 1996 and 2010, park food stands were cited 761 times for storing food on the floor, improper hand washing by employees, failing to deal with insect infestations and other violations that could help spread pathogens that cause food poisoning.

“We’re looking to protect the food,” said Susan Thweatt, chief of the Food Protection Program at the Prince George’s Health Department. “If we feel there may be a public health issue, that’s our bottom line.”

When cited for health violations, records show Six Flags America often responds within several days to fix the problems.

“Our safe food handling procedures meet and exceed industry standards, resulting in an excellent safety and inspection record,” said Linda Jensen, a Six Flags America spokesperson. “We do everything possible to provide a safe, enjoyable environment for our guests and team members.”

But Six Flags hasn’t always responded quickly to fix problems that could harm visitors, the CNS analysis found.

HAND WASHING
Health regulations require employees handling food to wash their hands and forearms with soap and warm water for 20 seconds.  They are supposed to dry off thoroughly with paper towels or an electric hand dryer.

But that doesn’t always happen, records show.  At Colonial Cupboard, inspectors have documented 11 hand-washing violations since 2000. Colonial Cupboard, along with several other food stands, often had empty soap dispensers and lacked paper towels, records show.

At Skull Island Food Court in 2010, employees had access to soap, water and paper towels.  Records showed they simply weren’t washing their hands.

A Skull Island inspection report for June 2010 reminded employees that, “All food handlers must utilize proper hand washing techniques.” But two days later, inspectors returned and found the same problem.

Improper hand washing was also observed at Backstage Cafe, including the failure to wash hands when switching to a new task.

FOOD STORAGE
Other food stands at Six Flags were repeatedly cited for improperly storing food in violation of county health standards.

At the park, Panda Express, Candy Creations, Confectionery and Liberty Bakery were marked off for storing food on the floor or on unapproved, hard-to-clean shelving units like milk crates.

State Department of Health and Mental Hygiene regulations require food be stored on “easily cleanable shelves at least six inches off the ground.”

Food stands at the park were cited 23 times for storing ice scoops improperly, so that the handles touched ice served to customers.  Some stands stored bottled drinks in ice served to customers, in violation of a state regulation requiring ice to be “handled, transported, and stored in a manner that precludes contamination.”

At several facilities, appliances were in poor condition in violation of county and state health codes.  At one Ben and Jerry’s ice cream stand, inspectors found packaging tape used to seal a grease-catching device.

Food venues in the state are required to store products in a cool, well-ventilated and well-lit area that is protected from the elements. Several facilities throughout the park were cited for burned out lights and missing ceiling tiles.

BUGS
Inspection records show that the largest recurring problem at the park over the last decade was flies.  The park has been cited 36 times since 2002 for failing to deal with the fly problem at dining facilities.

“That doesn’t surprise me,” said Lindsay Marcus, of New Jersey, who has visited the park.  “It’s just so hard keeping everything clean there with people coming in and out.”

The health department requires food service facilities take steps to reduce the number of flies, because the insects help spread foodborne pathogens.

These steps include keeping building doors closed, using air curtains designed to blow flies away from entrances and keeping trash cans and dumpsters closed.

Jensen said the park hires extra staff to deal with the fly problem.  They use mobile washing stations, sanitize the facilities at night to keep pests from staying in certain areas and use “fly lights” at every facility.

“At Six Flags America, we employ aggressive clean-up measures,” Jensen said. “Venues that entertain thousands of guests on a daily basis must continually monitor and clean throughout the day as sugary, sticky food and drink spills are inevitable.”

Records show that at least two food stands have had a hard time getting rid of a fly infestation over the last decade.

In August 2006, inspectors visited the Creamery (now called Coldstone) and found a fly infestation had not been dealt with despite prior orders by the health department to fix the problem.

Inspectors ordered staff to keep the door closed when not in use and to provide proper fly control devices inside the facility.

When inspectors returned a week later, they flies remained and inspectors found that the staff had not installed any fly control devices.

At Johnny Rockets in June 2010, inspectors ordered a professional extermination of the facility after they noticed a fly problem during two routine inspections.

“A significant number of flies were detected in the dining section of the facility,” an inspector wrote, adding that air curtains used at entry doors did not, “appear to be adequate if doors are propped open.”  The restaurant has been issued seven fly violations since 2002.

“When there is a complaint or enough [flies] for there to be a nuisance, we’ll order a professional service,” Thweatt said.

Mike Raupp, a professor of entomology at University of Maryland, said a few flies landing on food in dumpsters, kitchen prep areas and on customers’ meals can lead to a severe health problems.

“These other food sources are places where bacteria breed, like salmonella and the one that causes dysentery,” Raupp said.  “It becomes a numbers game.  The greater number of flies that visit your dinner plate, the greater the probability that you could pick up a nasty disease.”

Despite all of the infractions, park guests like Pamela Winter said they were undeterred by the findings.

“It’s just inevitable and you’ll just have to accept that it’s going to be pretty unsanitary or not when you buy food,” said Winter, of Columbia. “When you’re in an outdoor place, that’s just what’s going to happen.”

Then you see the silver Litespeed brand bicycle of the 58-year-old customer in front of you.

Whether they bike more, buy a more fuel efficient vehicle, convert their gas engine to electric, or simply ride more public transit, Marylanders are looking for ways to cope with pump prices.

Since 2008, according to the Maryland Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Council, Marylanders have hit the roads with 52,000 more hybrid cars. They’ve also added 289 electric vehicles since 2010, and at least one more bicycle.

And Metrorail ridership is up four percentage points through the first quarter of the year, according to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.

“Gas is nuts,” said Georgia Glashauser, president of the Baltimore Bicycling Club, and a frequent cyclist at the M&T Bank drive-thru eight miles from her Westminster house. “I’m surprised we don’t have a revolt,” she said with a laugh.

Even though AAA reported prices are 13 cents lower than a month ago, they are still within 31 cents of the all-time high of $4.11 per gallon set in July 2008.

Glashauser commuted an hour or more to her engineering job until five years ago, when she found a Westminster job that paid less but was just an eight-mile bike ride from home.

Her commute could still take an hour, but it wouldn’t be because of traffic, distance or stopping for gas.

“It depends,” Glashauser said, “on how much energy I have that morning.”

Even some businesses are rethinking the energy they put into their cars.

Advanced Technology & Research Corporation is an engineering firm involved in, among other things, solar energy.

The corporation’s vice president of automation systems, Rob Lundahl, said his company purchased an electric Chevy Volt as a corporate car.

“We do sales calls in it and run around. We’ve had it a little less than a month. We’ve got about 750 miles on it and have used less than six gallons of gas,” Lundahl said, standing just outside Win Kelly Chevrolet in Clarksville.

The president of the dealership, Kevin Bell, said the advantage of the Volt is that it has an EPA estimated range of 35 miles on electricity alone. After that, the gas engine kicks in and increases the range an additional 300 miles.

According to data from the 2010 census, about 73 percent of Marylanders commute alone to work, and that commute takes an estimated 31 minutes, likely within a Volt’s 35-mile range.

At Bell’s dealership, Lundahl’s corporation installed a solar car charger with sun tracking technology. Lundahl was there charging up.

The solar charger, which is styled like a light pole, has panels that track the sun using GPS technology, allowing for more efficient absorption.

“Electric cars are happening,” Bell said. “The interest is growing week to week and I think you’re going to see a very significant piece of the market over the next five years go electric.”

Bell said a spike in gas prices and an increase in awareness helped sales that were sluggish early.

“You had your early adopters,” Bell said. “But the mainstream wasn’t quite there and as gas prices have risen all of a sudden the mainstream shopper that’s coming in looking for a Malibu is looking at the Volt also.”

Bell said his dealership has had the Volt for about nine months and early on only sold about one per month. However, because gas peaked, Bell said March and April’s combined sales totaled five.

According to 2011 data from the Maryland Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Council, 177 electric vehicles qualified for the excise tax credit for plug-in vehicles. In the first three months of 2012 that number is already 111.

The credit is a maximum of $2,000 and was implemented to stimulate purchasing, which in turn would show automakers demand worthy of increased technological investment.

“Innovation in technology will drive down costs,” said Chris Rice of the Maryland Energy Administration. “That’s what this program is all about.”

Some aren’t waiting for prices to dip and instead are driving their own innovations on the road.

Last year, Bruce Lawson got tired of exorbitant gas prices and said to his wife, “I want to get an electric car.”

He settled on a grayish-blue 1997 BMW Z3 convertible with 144,000 miles logged on its gas engine. He would later convert it to electric.

Last week, Lawson, a 50-year-old Virginia resident, was at the Silver Spring public library for a meeting of the Electronic Vehicle Association of Greater Washington, D.C., a non-profit group devoted to electronic vehicle promotion.

Also in attendance was the man who made the conversion, Steve Clunn of Greenshed Conversions in Florida.

“It was a pretty nice car to do,” Clunn said. He was in town to deliver a part for Lawson’s Z3.

Lawson develops iPhone and iPad software for MicroStrategy, a business intelligence software company in Tysons Corner.

Because the new electric engine needed to be powered by about 80 lithium batteries, Lawson had to sacrifice a spare tire for battery storage. But he’s not worried about being stranded.

“If I had a flat tire I’d just call on my phone for help,” Lawson said. He owns an iPhone and is actually working on an application that would interface with the car’s engine, enhancing the user experience.

Lawson said his full-charge range is about 100 miles, and the total cost of making the conversion, including buying the Z3, was about $33,000.

For comparison, Chevy dealer Kevin Bell said the Volt, which has an electric range of 35 miles, retails between $39,000 and $43,000, but also earns the buyer a $7,500 federal tax credit.

Clunn has been converting cars for 20 years and said the benefits are more than just less pain at the pump.

“You don’t have all the heat and exhaust gases that you have in a normal gas car,” Clunn said.

His major concern is environmental, a sentiment shared by Lawson.

Affixed to Lawson’s home are solar panels whose energy can be used to charge his car.

“It’s so much of a thrill to drive every day and not be beholden to oil companies,” Lawson said. “It’s neat to drive past a (gas station) and see people grumbling.”

His license plate cover reads, “Driving on sunshine.”

“It’s kind of true,” Lawson said.

Incumbent Republican Rep. Roscoe Bartlett holds more than a dozen properties, most in Maryland, while his rival, Democrat John Delaney, made his millions as owner of an investment banking company and holds his assets in an extensive stock and bond portfolio, according to their financial disclosure statements.

Under the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act of 2012, Delaney, should he win the election, would be required to disclose any investment transactions within 45 days, with all information put into a searchable online database. Bartlett would be required to list the holder of any mortgages on his properties and any sales or purchases within 45 days.

The STOCK Act, signed into law by President Barack Obama April 4, was designed to stop insider trading by members of Congress and their staff who have access to non-public information they could use to trade stock or buy property for their personal financial benefit.

“We trust them to act as public servants, and if they turn around and use that for their personal benefit — where’s the public benefit?” said Sarah Dufendach, vice president for legislative affairs at Common Cause.

Before the STOCK Act, members of Congress had to file an annual financial disclosure form reporting what stock, funds or property they or their immediate family owned.

“The other rules were vague,” said Dufendach, “and when things are broad it’s easier to scoot out from underneath them.”

The new rules would allow constituents, for example, to determine if a member voting on a location for a military base or a shopping center has benefited from buying or selling property to benefit them financially, Dufendach said.

Bartlett said in a statement, “the STOCK Act will have very little effect upon me.”

The 10-term congressman disclosed seven new properties purchased in 2010 for a total of 14 properties owned by himself or his immediate family, according to his 2010 financial disclosure forms. When Bartlett files his 2011 disclosure forms, he will have to include the terms of any mortgages he might have.

While the 85-year-old Bartlett invests his money in property and precious metals, his challenger has built a large portfolio in stocks and bonds.

Delaney made his money as founder and chairman of CapitalSource, an investment company that also operates banks in California. He is also on the board of directors of Congressional Bank and founded other investment companies in Maryland, including Alliance Partners.

His 22-page 2011 financial disclosure form also highlights his understanding of investments.

He has several trusts with money invested in companies like Bank of America and Microsoft as well as somewhere between $1 million and $5 million, according to the ranges listed on disclosure forms, in Wells Fargo.

Delaney’s companies, CapitalSource and Alliance Partners LLC, are a large part of his portfolio as well as his stock and limited partnership in investment firm J.C. Flowers & Co.

He has said he is campaigning as a businessman, not a politician, and cites his knowledge and experience in the banking industry as one of his largest qualifications for Congress.

But his experience may be a Catch-22 should he be elected. While his knowledge of investments has made him a multimillionaire, it could become a liability once he votes on legislation that could affect those assets.

“I don’t think just having a lot of stock necessarily means they’re going to be more vulnerable to breaking the law,” said Dufendach. “If there’s a huge amount of stock in one company or industry, he better be very careful that he does or doesn’t vote in such a way that it benefits that industry.”

But Delaney has said the investment industry is precisely what he wants to influence through Congress to create jobs. So what can Delaney do to prevent a conflict of interest?

Dufendach said some members of Congress put their money into a blind trust where they are not directly involved in handling their investments. Even so, she said, it is unlikely that Delaney will simply forget he has an interest in CapitalSource and his other companies.

“He’s going to sit down with the experts who do this for a living and he’s going to do what needs to be done,” said Delaney’s campaign manger Justin Schall. “He takes this reform stuff very seriously.”

Delaney, who uses his support of the STOCK Act in his campaign, officially resigned from his position at CapitalSource after he won the Democratic primary in April.

Fortunately for Delaney, the STOCK Act isn’t so broad that if he voted for legislation that helped the entire banking industry he would be criticized for insider trading.

“It has to be more specific,” Dufendach said. It would have to be a trade or specific legislation that creates the appearance that it benefited them directly, not just anyone who owns the same stock.

“When in doubt, (Delaney) will err on the side of full open disclosure,” Schall said. “It’s not about following the letter of the law, it’s about following the spirit of the law and doing what’s right for your constituents and the public.”

“It’s all subject to the smell test,” Dufendach said. “In the end they have to convince their constituents that they acted in a way that” benefited the public.

In 2003, Sephora, a major beauty chain, picked up the salve for sale in its stores across Europe and the states.

“Of course it has amped up production considerably,” said Linda Pruitt-Michielli, the Rosebud Perfume Company’s vice president. “Because of the influence of those major companies carrying our brand, we are also requested by many other stores across the country and the world, and it has increased our brand recognition.”

Urban Outfitters and its higher-end clothing boutique, Anthropologie, also carry the rose-scented balm typically used for dry lips, cuticles and skin, as do many mom-and-pop shops that carried the product before it took off on an international scale. Today, independent shops make up a very small percent of the company’s sales.

“I use it on my lips,” said Hannah Gately, 24, while shopping at Sephora in Westfield Montgomery Mall. “And I have multiples. One for every purse.”

The family run company ships to stores and apothecaries as far away as Australia from its office on Main Street in Woodsboro, a town of 922 people. The office has been housed in the Rosebud Building, a former hotel, for more than 100 years.

“(Woodsboro) is where my great-grandfather started the company (in 1895), and this is like our family home,” said Pruitt- Michielli.

Since being picked up by Sephora, the company has formulated new Minted Rose and Brambleberry Rose balms. It has also started packaging its salves in lip balm tubes, as well as in their signature round tins.

The next product to be released will be the Minted Rose in a tube.

“It’s the company’s third best seller,” said Pruitt Michielli. “I think it’s going to be really popular.”

The rosebud salve has been mentioned in beauty magazines and touted as a “favorite” product amongst celebrities and makeup artists, such as Lindsay Lohan and Bobbi Brown. It has appeared in gift bags for red carpet events and was most recently featured as a giveaway on Anderson Cooper’s new syndicated daytime talk show with Kristen Johnston.

“Rosebud Salve is (Johnston’s) favorite thing,” Pruitt-Michielli said. “She uses it under her eyes and on her cuticles and anywhere she has dry skin.”

The salve is manufactured and filled at Case Mason in Joppa, and the tins are made in Baltimore. The original Rosebud Salve comes in a red white and blue tin that is easily recognized by followers of the brand.

While the company is enjoying great success now, it hasn’t always been as lucrative.

“Back in the 1920s, my grandfather amassed a fortune with the Rosebud Salve,” said Pruitt-Michielli.
“When the depression hit, we didn’t really know if it would ever take off again.”

After the depression, the company switched from door-to-door sales and sending the product out on trust, to being paid up-front, and the family-owned company carried on selling to its regular clients.

Pruitt-Michielli credits two high-end beauty chains in Manhattan, C.O. Bigelow Apothecaries and Ricky’s, for renewing the company’s brand recognition in the late 90s when they started to stock Rosebud Salve.

“They had a lot of high-end customers and celebrities through their stores,” she said.

Today, any beauty buff can get their hands on a tin or tube for $6 at Sephora.

Not football or basketball, but beer pong.

What started as a simple drinking game requiring players to throw ping pong balls into cups of beer has become increasingly professionalized over the last decade, with international player rankings and a World Series in Las Vegas.

Lanham is one of Maryland’s best beer pong professionals, ranked second in the state by The National Beer Pong League.

“Beer pong was the only thing I could do for a year,” said Lanham, of Baltimore. “The game that I started playing in college — that’s all I had for a year.”

Beer pong is a simple game, a critical feature since players often participate while drunk.  Opposing teams of two line up across a long table, with cups of beer arranged in a pyramid pattern on the table.

The teams take alternating turns, attempting to land a ball in an opponent’s cup.  If they sink one, their opponents must drink the contents of the cup.  If a team loses all six cups, they lose the match and must drink the contents of their opponents’ remaining cups.

Like many professional beer pongers, Lanham now plays with water instead of beer to keep sharp during matches.  Drinking alcohol during professional matches is allowed, but not required.

Lanham didn’t start out playing with water.  He honed his game as an undergrad at Bucknell University, where his fraternity played a lot of beer pong.

“Beer pong was my social outlet,” Lanham said. “I lived and died with beer in my cups.”

He devoted a lot of time to the game and, when he turned 21, he started playing in tournaments at bars.

“I just found that I was never really losing,” he said. “I was beating everyone I’d play.”

After coming to the University of Maryland to obtain a graduate degree, he tore his ACL playing rugby.

With rugby out of the picture, he devoted his time to improving his beer pong skills.  After graduation, he got more serious, setting up the Maryland Beer Pong league with a former roommate in 2005.

“We started Maryland Beer Pong because we wanted to compete, and there wasn’t any real way of competing with people at a high level,” Lanham said. “Once we started [Maryland] Beer Pong, and at the state level I was beating everyone — that’s when I got the idea that I was pretty good.”

The league thrived because it welcomed everybody, with little athletic skill required.

“There’s nothing that separates a great player from a mediocre player from a physical standpoint. It’s something everyone can do,” Lanham said.

More than 2,900 beer pong teams have played in the league since it formed in 2005.

Maryland Beer Pong has year-round leagues. Each league lasts six to 10 weeks and culminates with tournaments, including a statewide one.

The league competition has helped put seven Maryland players in the top 51 of the international beer pong rankings.

“Getting that confidence that you can succeed at a high level, getting that experience, knowing how to play in a tournament, knowing how to carry yourself, having the support of other great players from your area — that’s why Maryland keeps doing well on the national stage,” he said.

Jordan McAllister, fourth in the country in the National Beer Pong rankings, is the highest-rated player from Maryland. Right behind him at fifth is Lanham, followed by Sean Foster (8), Deryck Weaver (27), Bunky Weichert (32), Ryan McAllister (41) and Adam Darvick (51).

In the early days of Maryland Beer Pong, players said it offered a nice balance of competition and fun.  That changed with the creation of the World Series of Beer Pong in 2006.  The shot at winning an international competition — which now has a first prize of $50,000 — convinced players to take the game more seriously.

For the competitors, Maryland Beer Pong keeps the players sharp; but the World Series of Beer Pong is the sport’s ultimate stage.

The first World Series took place in January 2006, when 80 teams from the United States and Canada competed for a $10,000 prize. During the 2010 tournament, more than 500 teams, including players from 46 different states and nine countries, battled for the crown and a $50,000 prize.

The competition is intense.  The best player in a group of friends is likely to be an average player at best at the World Series, Lanham said.

“Everybody think they’re amazing at beer pong. It’s not until [they] play against players that are actually good that they realize that may not be the case,” Lanham said.

It takes years of experience and serious competition to compete on a national or international stage. There’s an official table and official rules.

Lanham finished fifth during his first World Series in 2006.

“It’s not like other sports like football or wrestling where you get in the moment, you get your adrenaline going. Beer pong is a lot different than that. There’s a very fine line between missing a shot and hitting it. Close doesn’t count. You can get rattled, and you can get in your own head,” he said.

Also unlike other sports, there’s no decline in performance as you get older. He boasts a 121-45 record, winning more than 72 percent of the time.

At age 32, and married, Lanham remains at the top of his game.

He’s replaced the beer in his cups with water. And sometimes his wife subs in as his partner.

But for the most part, it’s still the same game he used to play on nine-foot tables at a Bucknell frat house.

“When I was young and I didn’t have all of those responsibilities, it was a lot easier … Everyone needs their hobbies, and I look at beer pong as a hobby that pays for itself,” he said.

As the unseeded Terps (9-5) prepare for their first round match up with the #7 seed Lehigh Mountain Hawks (14-2, Patriot League) on Sunday in Bethlehem, Pa., they know they can learn from last year’s NCAA Tournament run.

The Terps had to go on the road to Chapel Hill, N.C., to face the #8 seed Tar Heels in 2011’s opening round.  The team eventually reached the championship game before falling to Virginia.

“Who doesn’t want a home game in the first round of the playoffs?” long-stick midfielder Jesse Bernhardt asked. “Either way, we’re in the tournament.”

Senior attack Joe Cummings, the Terps’ leading scorer (27 goals, 14 assists) said Maryland will advance if they can play, “Maryland Lacrosse.”

“That’s playing focused, playing tough, playing selfless, playing with passion, and just playing as a family. If we can do that I think we’re one of the best teams in the country,” he said.

Although the team is younger than last year, players gained valuable experience on their run to the NCAA final last year.

Reminiscent of last year, a loss to Colgate on Saturday likely cost the Terps a first-round home game.

Maryland couldn’t hold onto a 9-7 lead late in the third quarter as Colgate rallied to beat Maryland 13-11 in the regular season finale.

“That was, I think, one of the worst games we’ve played…It brings us down to earth a little bit going into the tournament. It’s one and done now,” Bernhardt said.

There were some bright spots, though, with some Terrapins putting in strong individual performances against the Raiders.

Junior midfielder John Haus scored two goals and dished out four assists for a career high six points.

Haus was proud of how he played, though he said he could have played better.

“In the end it doesn’t really matter how many points I put up. You ask anybody on this team, they don’t care how many goals they score, how many assists [they get], how many groundballs [they pick up], how many saves they have,” Haus said. “We just want to win and continue to win and keep playing for a couple more weeks. That’s the goal for everybody.”

To do that Maryland has to play a full game, something the team is still struggling to do. The team has been outscored 39-30 in the fourth quarter this season.

Since 1991, only the 2001 Princeton team won the NCAA Championship after being outscored in the final 15 minutes throughout the season.

“I think that’s an irrelevant statistic,” Cummings said. “It is a call to us to finish better…but that’s been a focus all year.”

Maryland head coach John Tillman said it will be hard to score against the Mountain Hawks. Lehigh has allowed just 6.62 goals a game, second best in Division I lacrosse.

“They’re really stingy defensively…They make you earn your good shots and they make you earn your goals. We’re going to have our work cut out for us to try to get to double digits,” Tillman said.

Maryland is 90-9 since 2002 when scoring at least 10 goals.

Lehigh won a program record 14 games this year, as many games as Maryland played all season.

Being the underdog won’t phase Maryland, Tillman said, because the team has thrived in those situations.

“We’ve been a little bit more focused, we’ve had a little bigger chip on our shoulder…Sometimes handling adversity is a little bit easier than handling success,” Tillman said.

Tillman said the team needs to wipe the slate clean going into the tournament. Any of the 16 remaining teams have a shot to win it.

There are no clear favorites entering the tournament. The University of Massachusetts is the only undefeated team thanks to a schedule that did not feature a single opponent that made the NCAA tournament.

Cummings said he thinks Maryland has a shot to win the championship.

He added: “I don’t think anyone’s seen the best of Maryland lacrosse.”

Most know the legacy of popular Maryland landmarks from the War of 1812, as the state hosted the “Chesapeake Campaign” in 1813 and 1814, one of the most important fronts of the war.

But, aside from giving us our national anthem and the iconic Fort McHenry flag, the War of 1812 often falls into obscurity, called “The Forgotten War” by historians.

Set to kick off a three-year celebration of the 200th anniversary of the war, Marylanders are commemorating the country’s second conflict with the British and the state’s key role in the war by celebrating the big and small aspects of the War of 1812.

“It’s not hard to make the argument that this was Maryland’s most important national heritage story,” said Bill Pencek, executive director of the Maryland War of 1812 Bicentennial Commission.

In honor of the War of 1812 Bicentennial, the commission is hosting “Star-Spangled Sailabration” June 14-17, as well as debuting the Star-Spangled Banner National Historical Trail, a new documentary, and a book.

Here are five Maryland people and places from the War of 1812 you may not have heard a lot about.

Dr. William Beanes

Francis Scott Key, the author of our national anthem, would not have been at Fort McHenry to witness the rockets’ red glare had it not been for another Maryland resident, Dr. William Beanes.

A wealthy doctor living in Upper Marlboro, Beanes detained straggling British soldiers accused of looting local farms after troops passed through town following the burning of Washington.

Days before, Beanes, who was against the war, had welcomed the troops. An angered British General Ross returned to collect the detained soldiers, taking Beanes with him.

Family and townspeople called upon Key to help free the elderly doctor, and the prominent Georgetown lawyer boarded a British vessel on September 13, 1814, to negotiate the release.

The captors agreed to free Beanes, but held the men on a truce boat for a night during the attack on Fort McHenry. Key was inspired to write a poem after noting the fort’s flag still flying the morning after the bombardment.

Safely returned to Upper Marlboro, Beanes died in 1828. He is buried in a nondescript grave on a hill on the corner of Elm Street and Governor Oden Bowie Drive in Upper Marlboro.

St. Michaels

As the British were sailing up the Chesapeake in August of 1813, residents of St. Michaels were forewarned of an attack after a recent battle at Craney Island.

Brig. Gen. Perry Benson, commanding officer of the Talbot County militia, ordered the townspeople to dim their lights, and lanterns were placed in the trees north of town.

The British shot their cannons toward the lights, missing the town almost completely, except for one house. Now known as the “Cannonball House,” the shot left a cannonball embedded in the residence.

The “town that fooled the British,” St. Michaels is proud of its little skirmish, a skirmish that included no American loss and little damage, especially to the town’s shipyard. By a successful blackout, the small town was the site of an ingenious tale in the country’s fight to retain its independence.

View Maryland People and Places in the War of 1812 You May Not Have Known in a larger map

The Battle of Bladensburg

In one of the most significant battles of the war and, arguably, one of the most embarrassing defeats in American history, the Battle of Bladensburg serves as a sore on the War of 1812′s military record.

In August 1814, British troops ventured up the Anacostia River and clashed with Americans at Bladensburg. Despite outnumbering the enemy, the Americans suffered a devastating loss and British troops proceeded to capture Washington that same night, burning most of it to the ground.

The battle was dubbed the “Bladensburg Races,” as the retreat by American forces was more like a race, with even President James Madison fleeing to Virginia.

Though Bladensburg was such a devastating loss, Marylanders defended the capital heroically. The Bladensburg Waterfront Park is now on the site of the battle, showing the bend of the Anacostia, which left the door wide open for capture of the capital.

Kitty Knight

In 1813, British forces sailed up the Sassafras River between Cecil and Kent County. Burning the towns of Fredericktown and Georgetown in their path, the troops were surprised to face resistance not from a militia, but from a high-society woman and, legends tell, her broom.

Catherine “Kitty” Knight, a wealthy woman living in Georgetown, pleaded with British Adm. George Cockburn to spare two houses from being burned. An elderly woman, too sick to move, was inside one house, she said, and burning it down would take her with it.

Turning instead to the neighboring house, Knight again asked the admiral to stop the fire, as the flames could leap over to the ill woman’s house.

In an act of bravery and spunk, Knight saved both houses and a church from burning, a small yet touching story of heroism by a strong Maryland woman.

The Kitty Knight House, now an inn and restaurant overlooking the Sassafras River, stands as a modern-day testament to Knight’s heroism. Knight died in 1855 and is buried at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Warwick.

Dueling Grounds

In the early 1800s, disagreements between the gentlemen of Washington weren’t restricted to heated debates in the halls of the Capitol.

Arguments were settled in a more permanent way, as politicians, military officers and neighbors came to the Bladensburg Dueling Grounds, in present-day Colmar Manor, in a test of honor and speed.

The land was the place of death of Gen. Armistead Thomson Mason of the War of 1812′s Virginia Militia, by the bullet of Colonel John Mason McCarthy in 1819. Daniel Key, the son of Francis Scott Key, also died there.

The most famous duel held at the grounds was between War of 1812 naval hero Commodore Stephen Decatur and Commodore James Barron in 1820, leaving the former to die from his injuries.

Decatur, born in modern-day Worcester County, commanded fleets of ships essential to the war. His former superior and commander of the USS Chesapeake, Barron, was court-martialed for his surrender of the ship, with Decatur a member of the implicating board.

The two feuded for years and finally settled their arguments, in the most gentlemanly way possible, at the Bladensburg Dueling Grounds.

Now that dueling is out of fashion, the grounds stand quiet, and the place formerly known as “Blood Run” is just a strip of land surrounded by businesses and homes.