TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The 2019 Sunshine State Games calendar continued last week as it featured a weekend trifecta of action on May 17-19 that included the Figure Skating, Taekwondo, and Spring Lacrosse championships.
Lacrosse kicked off the weekend’s competition in South Florida where 139 teams from throughout the Sunshine State toed the fields of Plantation Central Park and Pine Island Park in 10v10 and 7v7 formatted competitions. In total, 14 division state champions were crowned over the three-day competition in Plantation. The event, which is sponsored by the Orange Bowl, saw its first champion crowned in the High School AA division where the Wahoos White upended the Xtreme 10-5 in the championships match.
On the West Coast of the state in Pasco County, Taekwondo and Figure Skating took center stage at Bishop McLaughlin Catholic High School and the AdventHealth Center Ice, respectively.
The two-day Taekwondo Championships featured six rings of forms, board breaking, and sparring with 161 athletes in competition. Poomsae forms and feats of strength, agility, and skill in board breaking were demonstrated on Saturday while the sparring competitions were contested on Sunday, May 19. Complete championship results from Taekwondo can be accessed by clicking here.
293 figure skaters took to the friction-less surface at the AdventHealth Center Ice in Wesley Chapel as the Sunshine State Games partnered with Florida’s Sports Coast to host Olympic Day on May 17. As part of the annual Olympic Day event, former Olympians John Zimmerman and Lyndon Johnston stopped by the competition and met with skaters, coaches, and parents alike. To kick off Olympic Day, Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore welcomed the crowd and competitors to Pasco County and wished all skaters a great competition over the three-day stretch.
At the end of the competition, Jordan Scott received the Elizabeth “Betty” Stark Award, recognizing the Juvenile Girl with the highest points in the Juvenile Girls Free Skate program, while Lauren Lampinen won the Dorothy Dodson Award that honors the highest combined score in the Intermediate Ladies Free Skating and Short Program events.
The annual basketball championships were also held in Gainesville May 25-26 where champions in five divisions were crowned. In the fifth-grade division, Legacy Elite pulled out a nine-point, 56-47 win over Florida Exclusive to win the 2019 SSG title. In the battle of the unbeatens, the Alachua Outlaws dethroned the 3-0 Game Speed Elite squad with a 42-35 victory in the sixth-grade championship game.
On the courts of Gainesville High School, Florida Blaze put up 63 points in its 63-43 win over the 7th Grade Alachua Outlaws squad. The eighth-grade addition of the Outlaws brought home the group’s second championship title of the weekend with a 74-67 showing against the Florida Blaze’s eighth-grade unit. To wrap up the two-day tournament, Best Choice Naples Spartans ran the table in the varsity division at the Santa Fe College court, going 3-0 in pool play before winning a decisive 68-46 victory over the Ocala Falcons Blue.
Complete tournament results, including pool play, bracketing, and individual awards, can be accessed by clicking here.
Up next for the Sunshine State Games calendar is the Sarasota/Manatee County festival, which includes Rowing, Canoeing/Kayaking, and Olympic Weightlifting, and Wrestling Championships. All five events will take place on Saturday, June 1. The SSG wrestling championships will be contested in West Palm Beach at the Keiser University – Flagship Campus Gymnasium. Feats of strength at the Olympic Weightlifting competition will be on display at Robarts Arena in Sarasota while rowing and canoe/kayak events will be split between Nathan Benderson Park and Fort Hamer Park.
About the Sunshine State Games
The 40th Sunshine State Games are presented annually by the Florida Sports Foundation (FSF), the state’s lead sports promotion and development organization, and a division of Enterprise Florida, Inc. The Foundation works in conjunction with a variety of local sports industry partners to present the different competitions. The Sunshine State Games, an annual amateur sports tradition in Florida, is part of the state’s $57.4 billion sports industry that accounts for 580,000 jobs statewide.