2022 Sunshine State Games Begins First of Six Weekends of Events with Three Sports

This weekend begins the first multiple sports weekend of Sunshine State Games, presented by Amazon, through the end of June.

Beginning Friday, Figure Skating will be held in Coral Springs, Lacrosse will be played in Wellington and Miramar’s Ansin Sports Complex will host a Track and Field Meet.

Over 1,200 individual athletes will combine to compete in Figure Skating and Track and Field and 122 Lacrosse teams will be in action.

For the first time since 2019, the Sunshine State Games Figure Skating Championships will have skaters on the ice at the Florida Panthers IceDen, in Coral Springs. The 406 registered skaters represents the most in the 34-year history of the event.

The first of 757 starts will hit the ice at 9:00 a.m. Friday and continues through 3:00 p.m. on Sunday. Skaters of all ages will spend a total of 28 hours doing spins, jumps and various other routines.

“We have a lot of skaters,” said Betty Stark, the Sunshine State Games Figure Skating Sport Director, from Coral Springs. “Since there hasn’t been a Sunshine State Games in three years, there’s a lot of new skaters and some who have been in the Games before.

The Sunshine State Games is partnering with the Miami Police Athletic League (PAL), to present the Atlantic Coast Club Championship, at the Ansin Sports Complex, in Miramar.

The event is expected to draw 800 athletes, from age 4 through seniors in High School. The majority of athletes are from Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach County, according the Malcolm Moyse, the City of Miami Police Department PAL Athletic Coordinator.

“This is our first event at the Ansin Sports Complex and we want to make a good impression at a world class facility,” Moyse said. “We usually have our meets at high schools and we want the athletes to go home and tell folks about this meet so more will come back next year.”

Moyse said the original anticipated participation level was higher, but a state middle school track and field championships has athletes traveling to that event.

Events begin at the Ansin Sports Complex on Friday evening at 6:00 p.m., Saturday morning at 8:00 a.m. and Sunday morning at 9:00 a.m.

Finally, the Sunshine Summer Kickoff Lacrosse Tournament will be played at the Village Park Athletics Complex, in Wellington. Among the 122 teams playing from the 8 and under division through high school divisions are 78 boys teams and 44 girls teams.

Games begin at 8:00 a.m. on Saturday and continue through Sunday afternoon.

Registration continues for over 20 sports in the 2022 Sunshine State Games, presented by Amazon. The 2022 calendar features 25 sports, with multi-sport Festivals held in four Florida communities and 22 facilities statewide hosting the events.

For competition and registration information, please visit www.sunshinestategames.com. Athletes can check the individual sports pages at the Sunshine State Games website, or find the “Register Now,” button on the top right corner of the page.

Info Athletes “Need To Know”
As the Games continue to draw near, weekly updates like this will be sent out to registered athletes and prospective athletes with updates, from the more than 20 sports. In the “need to know,” category for this week, please make note of the following….

Artistic Roller Skating Results are available
The 2022 Sunshine State Games Artistic Roller Skating Championships were held Sunday, May 8, with over 100 skaters at the Semoran Skateway in Casselberry. Results of the skaters representing 11 clubs from around the state, can be found at www.sunshinestategames.com/results

Water Polo Championships Adds Second Pool
The 2022 Sunshine State Games will be played at its usual spot at the Coral Springs Aquatic Center, June 24-26. With a usual participation rate of 50 or more teams, competing in age groups beginning at 10 and under and advancing through an Open Division for adults, two pools are needed. The Boca Raton High School Pool has been recently added.

Taekwondo offers Family Event
The Sunshine State Games Taekwondo Championships is offering a new event this year, a Family Open or Family World Class Poomsae event. The Open Division may have two to eight family members that combine color and black belt family members to present a color belt form of their choice.

Family trophies will be awarded for first through fourth place, along with individual medals. The event will be held on Saturday, June 18, so participants can compete in other events.

Artistic Swimming Deadline Approaching
The 2022 Sunshine State Games Artistic Swimming Championships already features more than 250 swimmers in competition at Gandy Pool, in Lakeland, June 3-5. For those not already registered, it’s time to take notice since the registration deadline is Monday, May 23.

49 Days in May and June Features Plenty of Sunshine State Games Events
Now in its 43rd year of providing amateur sports opportunities to Florida athletes of all ages, the Sunshine State Games has been used as a stepping-stone to national and international competitions by many Florida athletes.

For the 2022 Games, between May 20 and June 26, multi-sport festivals will be held in four Florida locations, Alachua, Broward, Clay and Polk counties. Alachua, Broward and Polk have long histories of hosting Sunshine State Games events, while Clay County is now in its second year of hosting events in Northeast Florida. The calendar below shows how the 49 days play out.

2022 Sunshine State Games, presented by Amazon, Calendar of Events
All Sports, Dates and Locations Subject to Change

May 20-22
34th Figure Skating Championships, Florida Panthers Ice Den, Coral Springs – 413 athletes registered
Sunshine State Games/Miami Police Athletic League (PAL) Track and Field Meet, Ansin Sports Complex, Miramar – Over 800 athletes expected to compete.

May 21-22
Sunshine State Games Lacrosse, Village Park Athletics Complex, Wellington – 122 teams registered

June 3-5, 2022
Artistic Swimming, Gandy Pool, Lakeland – Registration Deadline, May 23
Swimming, Dwight H. Hunter Northeast Pool, Gainesville – Registration Deadline, May 25

June 4-5, 2022
Bowling, Maple Lanes and Lucky’s Sports Bar, Clearwater – Registration Deadline, May 25

June 10-12, 2022
Disc Golf, Ronnie Van Zant Memorial Park, Green Cove Springs – Registration Deadline, June 8
Pickleball, Ronnie Van Zant Memorial Park, Green Cove Springs – Registration Deadline, May 28
Ultimate, Mixed Division, Plantation Sports Complex, Fleming Island – Registration Deadline, TBD

June 11, 2022
Baton Twirling, Orange Park High School, Orange Park, Registration Deadline, May 30

June 11- 12, 2022
Archery, Easton-Newberry Archery Center, Newberry and Gator Bowman Archery Range, Gainesville – Registration Deadline, June 6
Canoe Kayak, Marathon – June 11, Sprints – June 12, Middleburg Boat Ramp, Registration Deadline, May 30

June 17-19, 2022
Judo, AdventHealth Field House & Conference Center, Winter Haven – Registration Deadline, June 13
Taekwondo, AdventHealth Field House & Conference Center, Winter Haven – Fees vary by registration dates. Final Online Registration Deadline, June 13
Ultimate, Men’s Division, Plantation Sports Complex, Fleming Island– Registration Deadline, TBD

June 18, 2022
Golf, Cleveland Heights Golf Course, Lakeland – Registration Deadline, June 11

June 18-19, 2022
Table Tennis, Simpson Park Community Center, Lakeland – Registration Deadline, June 1
Fast-Pitch Softball, Greco Softball Complex and New Tampa Softball Complex, Tampa – Registration Deadline, June 8

June 24-26, 2022
Sunshine State Games Water Polo Championship, Coral Springs Aquatic Center – Registration Deadline TBD

June 25, 2022
Sunshine State Games Powerlifting, Lift District Fitness, Margate – Registration Deadline, June 11

June 25 & 26, 2022
Fencing, Legacy Park Multipurpose Center, Alachua, Registration Deadline, June 3