Big Day of Sunshine State Games, presented by Amazon, Events in South Florida

Track and Field athletes, starting at four-years old through high school seniors, representing 25 clubs in Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach County arrived early Saturday morning at the Ansin Sports Complex in Miramar for the Sunshine State Games, presented by Amazon.

Sporting the bright team colors of the Miami Northwest Express, Hallandale Beach Thoroughbreds, Lauderhill Cheetahs, Miami Gardens PAL Elite, Fort Lauderdale Track Club and Twin Cities Track Club, to name a few, the athletes came to run, jump and throw heavy discs.

The morning started with the 3000-meter run, shifted to hurdles races and finally, the 100- and 200-meter dashes. On one end of the track, boys and girls approached the bar at the long jump. While on the other end, they sprinted down the runway to long jump into a pit of sand.

It’s all part of a youth initiative presented by the City of Miami Police Athletic League (PAL), directed by Officer Malcolm Moyse, to instill work ethic and discipline in South Florida’s youth.

While athletes took to the starting line for their 100 meter hurdles race, they were focused on the track and the sets of hurdles awaiting them. They stared intently down the runway leading up the white line as their measure to leap into the air. They quietly thought about the mechanics needed to make the longest discus throw possible.

“When you see them intense like that, it means they’re concentrating.,” Moyse said.

Events like this are a starting point for South Florida athletes. The Police Athletic League hosts two track and field meets a year, Moyse forsees the Sunshine State Games meet at the Ansin Sports Complex growing in the future.

Collegiate teams in Florida and nationwide, as well as NFL and other professional sports rosters, are full of South Florida athletes.

“This area is a number one spot for that,” Moyse said. “If you remember these names out here today, you’ll see them on college and pro sports rosters in the future.”

In the marquee race, the 100-meter dash, the top overall time was run by Bradley DiManche, of the Hollywood Track Club, crossing the finish line at 11.05. He topped Frezier Fresain, of the Miami Northwest Express, who ran a 11.23.

The biggest surprise of the day came in the Women’s 100-meter dash, as Skyler Franklin, a 15-year old, had the top time with a dash of 11.79. An unattached runner who attends Somerset Academy Central in Miramar, Franklin’s time bested the 17-18 year old division’s gold medalist, Carly Stermer, of the PAL of Hallandale Beach, who ran a 12.14.

On the other end of the age groups, Kyi Smith, of the Fort Lauderdale Track Club, won the 4 and Under Division with a 100-meter dash of 17.48. Savana Lowe, of the Miami Northwest Express, won the 4 and under Female Division with a time of 22.14.

The Track and Field events continue Sunday beginning at 9:00 a.m.

Saturday’s Figure Skating competition at Florida Panthers IceDen added choreography and a flair for the dramatic with Showcase Events, Couples Dance, Character Performance and Comedic Impressions Events.

In the Showcase events, a theatrical opportunity for skaters, performances were both solo and in pairs, using props and elaborate costumes. Athletes were vying for a chance to advance to the National Showcase, to be held at the AdventHealth Center, in Wesley Chapel, August 2-6.

Amelia Menendez-Horvath, of Champions Edge Skating Club in Wesley Chapel, skated a routine wearing a T-Rex costume. She bought the costume for a Halloween Party a few years ago and decided to give it a try in a skating routine.

“It was very hard skating in the costume,” she said. “I’ve been practicing every morning for a month for today. I didn’t fall and I had a few jumps in the routine.”

Other costumed skaters include Joshua Nunez, of the Space Coast IcePlex FSC, in an astronaut costume, skating to Elton John’s Rocket Man. A pair skaters took the ice in powder wigs, skating to “Rock Me Amadeus,” and a skater dressed as Wednesday Adams, skated to the Adams Family theme.

Haley McKee, of the Space Coast Iceplex FSC, had not skated in the Sunshine State Games for eight years. She performed a Showcase Choreographic Artistry routine, based on the Natalie Portman movie, Black Swan.

In the movie, the Black Swan signifies bad days, while the White Swan signifies good days.

“You have to have both,” McKee said. “My music, a song called, Perfection, had high points and low points. The lower music shows the White Swan as delicate and the high points shows the Black Swan as fierce.”

McKee, now 22, last skated in the Sunshine State Games when she was 14. During her time away from the Games, she has been busy with her education, starting college classes at 15 and received her bachelor’s degree from the University of North Florida, in 2020. She is finishing a Master’s Degree in Clinical Psychology, online from Pepperdine University this year and will seek a doctorate degree next.

“I’m looking at New York City,” she said.

She has been working on the routine for the last month in preparation for today’s event.

“I ran a 5K every day (3.1 miles) to train and skated two or three days a week for an hour,” McKee said.

The Betty Stark and Dorothy Dodson Awards were presented today to a Juvenile Girls and Intermediate Ladies skater for their performances.

Veronica Carhart, of the Florida Everblades FSC, earned the Betty Stark Award for having the highest score in the Juvenile Girls Free Skate. Nicole Skripnikov, also from the Florida Everblades FSC, was the Dorothy Dodson Award Winner for the most combined points in the Intermediate Ladies Free Skate and Short Program.

Figure Skating events begin on Sunday at 8:30 a.m. and conclude at 3:00 p.m. CLICK HERE for Results.

At the Village Park Athletic Complex, over 120 teams played on 16 fields at the Sunshine Summer Kickoff Lacrosse Tournament.

In the Boy’s High School A Division, the WLTW team, made up of players from Jupiter High School, is undefeated in three games of pool play. WLTW outscored its opponents 22-0 in the three wins and is one of three teams undefeated in the 12-team division. WLTW begins bracket play on Sunday.

The FLX Lacrosse team, South Florida’s longest-running travel Lacrosse team, in action since 2007, has a pair of undefeated teams heading into bracket play. The Boy’s High School B Division team is undefeated in three games and has outscored its opponents 29-5. The Boys U14 B Division team is 3-0, outscoring its opponents 31-3.

In the Girls High School A/B Division, three Florida Select teams have combined for a 9-0 record. The Florida Select 2025 and 2026 teams, along with the Navy team have posted three wins without a defeated.

Games begin at the Village Park Athletic Park at 8:00 a.m. and the final games of the weekend begin at 1:00 p.m. CLICK HERE for schedules and updated results.

The Sunshine State Games, presented by Amazon, are an annual presentation of the Florida Sports Foundation, the official sports promotion and development organization of the State of Florida. The Games are held in conjunction with local partners that include, Central Florida’s Polk County Sports Marketing, Clay County Tourism, the Gainesville Sports Commission and Visit Lauderdale. Now in its 43rd year, the Sunshine State Games are the longest continually-running State Games in the U.S.