One of the highlights of the Sunshine State Games Figure Skating Championships is the awarding of the Dorothy Dodson and Betty Stark Excellence in Figure Skating Awards. The honors are named after two iconic judges who helped mold Figure Skating in the Sunshine State Games to one of the most popular events in the Games, dating back to 1980.
A sport in the Games for 38 years of 46 years of its existence, many athletes have advanced to national and international events. Andrew Torgeshev, of Coral Springs, got his start in the 2006 Sunshine State Games. In 2026, he skated in the Milan Olympic Games.
The awards are earned by the skaters who accumulate the most total points in the Short Program and Free Skate event. The Betty Stark Award is earned by the Juvenile skater with the top point total and the Dorothy Dodson Award is given to the most points in the Intermediate level.
On Saturday, the Short Program events were held at Advent Health Center Ice in Wesley Chapel and a pair of skaters on each level has emerged as a frontrunner for the 2026 Awards.
Of the Intermediate Women skating in the Short Program, Lilyan Krzysiak, from Parrish, led the way with a score of 33.75. Maylin Vesce, of Estero, is close behind earning a score of 33.23.
In the Juvenile Girls Short Program, Kensington Cox, of Naples, posted a score of 24.65 and
Amelia Troyer, from Alva, earned a score of 23.06.
The Juvenile Girls Free Skate is scheduled to start the day at 8:15 a.m. to determine the winner of the Betty Stark Award. However, only Kensington Cox is scheduled to skate in the Free Skate event.
The Intermediate Women’s Group is divided into two groups. Group A is schedule to start at 10:20 a.m. and Group B is the final event of the day with a scheduled start time of 12:15 p.m.
Mayline Vesce will skate in Group A and Lilyan Krzysiak is in Group B. The Dorothy Dodson Award, which dates back to 2009, will be determined in the final event of the 2026 Sunshine State Games Figure Skating Championships.
While Saturday’s Short Program consisted of skaters completing a series of seven required elements, Sunday’s Free Skate program allows more creativity but still requiring skaters to achieve some of the same jumps, turns and spins.
While the more experienced skaters will be on one rink Sunday, beginning skaters will compete in Snowplow Sam and Basic Skills events on the other.
Some of the most talented skaters of the Sunshine State Games will be skating alongside the youngest skaters of the Games to close out three days of competition in Wesley Chapel.
CLICK HERE for complete results of the 2026 Sunshine State Games Figure Skating Championships. This weekend’s event featured 336 skaters representing 28 skating clubs statewide.
CLICK HERE for information about upcoming Sunshine State Games events during the month of June.
The 38th Sunshine State Games Figure Skating Championships are a program of the Florida Sports Foundation, the official sports promotion and development organization of the State of Florida, presented in conjunction with Florida’s Sports Coast.