WATCH FOR more than 300 amateur figure skaters to hit the ice in the 2014 Sunshine State Games Figure Skating Championships at the Ellenton Ice Complex beginning Friday. The Figure Skating Championships are part of the 35th Anniversary Celebration of Florida’s Sunshine State Games.
For some, the Sunshine State Games is the first stop of moving up the competitive ladder that ends with the U.S. Figure Skating Championships. Appearing at the Ellenton Ice Complex this weekend are 10 Florida skaters who advanced to the 2014 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, held in Boston in January.
Melbourne’s Tommy-Jo Nyman, took first place in the Juvenile Boys Free Skate event, at the U.S. Championships, and finished third, with his partner Sarah Rose, of Geneva, in the Juvenile Pairs Free Skate event.
Longtime Sunshine State Games medalist, Franchescha Chiera, of Coral Springs, and a Senior Ladies Free Skate participant at the U.S. Championships, returns for her 10th Sunshine State Games performance. Since 2003 she has skated in 25 events, winning 17 medals (7 gold, 5 silver, 5 bronze). She won the 2010 Dorothy Dodson Award for Figure Skating Excellence.
Competition begins Friday and Saturday mornings at 9:00 a.m. and runs through 6:30 p.m. On Sunday, skating begins at 8:30 a.m. and concludes at 12:30 p.m. Two of the more popular events, the Short Programs, will be contested on Friday afternoon and the Free Skating programs, are scheduled for Saturday afternoon.
Visit the Sunshine State Games Calendar of Events page for more Summer Games Festivals and Championship Events information and registration opportunities.
WATCH FOR the State of Florida to become the national leader when it comes to College Football Bowl games in 2014. With the addition of two new games, the Boca Raton Bowl and Miami Beach Bowl following the upcoming season, it brings the total in the Sunshine State to eight.
Add a third Orlando-based bowl game is set to kick off after the 2015 season to increase the total to nine. The Tampa Bay area was selected to host the 2017 National Championship Game at Raymond James Stadium and the Orange Bowl will host a 2016 College Football Playoff Semifinal Game.
Dates and times have now been announced for the eight Florida Bowl games.
- Boca Raton Bowl, FAU Stadium, December 23, 6:00 p.m. Conference Affiliations: Mid-American Conference, Conference USA, American Athletic Conference
- Miami Beach Bowl, Marlins Park, December 23, TBD. Conference Affiliations: American Athletic Conference, Brigham Young University
- St. Petersburg Bowl, Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, December 26, 8:00 p.m. Conference Affiliations: American Athletic Conference, Atlantic Coast Conference
- Russell Athletic Bowl, Citrus Bowl, Orlando, Date TBA. Conference Affiliations: Atlantic Coast Conference, Big 12
- Disover Orange Bowl, SunLife Stadium, Miami, 8:30 p.m. Conference Affiliations: ACC Champ/At large, Big Ten/SEC/Notre Dame
- Capital One Bowl, Citrus Bowl, January 1, 1:00 p.m. Conference Affiliations: ACC/Big Ten, SEC
- Outback Bowl, Raymond James Stadium, January 1, 1:00 p.m. Conference Affiliations: Big Ten, SEC
- TaxSlayer Bowl, EverBank Field, Jacksonville, January 2, Time TBD. Conference Affiliations: ACC/Big Ten, SEC
WATCH FOR six Florida-based NCAA Division I Softball teams as they begin post-season play this weekend in Tallahassee and Gainesville. The Florida State Seminoles host Regional action in Tallahassee with South Florida, South Carolina and Fordham visiting JoAnne Graf Field on the campus of FSU. The University of Florida hosts Florida A&M, Stetson and the University of Florida at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.
The Gators, 45-11, secured a number five overall seed in the 2014 NCAA Tournament while the Seminoles, 50-6, are a number eight overall seed.
WATCH FOR more Sports Tourism headlines like these being generated by Florida media outlets as the state continues to be a leader in the $44 billion sports industry.
Little League is a big deal in Panama City Beach
Hundreds of baseball and softball teams to play at Frank Brown Park this summer
Naples will host the 2014 and 2015 FBU National Championship tournaments
The events are estimated to bring over 10,000 football players and their families to Collier County in December
Sarasota County moves forward with improvements to bicycle motocross track
Sarasota County is focused on branding itself as a sports tourism destination
Palm Coast Indian Trails Sports Complex expands for the second time in three years
Reflecting its success in attracting quality sports tournaments that draw thousands of out-of-town visitors to the county
The Weekly “What to Watch For in Florida Sports,” is compiled by the Florida Sports Foundation, a Division of Enterprise Florida, Inc., and the state’s lead sports promotion and development organization. Follow the Florida Sports Foundation on Facebook and on Twitter #fla_sports. Visit http://www.flasports.com for more information about the Florida Sports Foundation and the vibrant sports industry in the Sunshine State. Florida is Where The World Comes to Play.
Five teams have topped 100,000 total attendance already this season with the Atlanta Braves (ESPN Wide World of Sports-Walt Disney World), Boston Red Sox (Jet Blue Park-Fort Myers), Detroit Tigers (Joker Marchant Stadium-Lakeland), New York Yankees (Steinbrenner Field-Tampa) and Philadelphia Phillies (Bright House Field-Clearwater) hitting six figures.
The 2014 Florida Grapefruit League season has seen more games cancelled due to rain this year than the last three years combined. A total of 12 games have been lost to rain this season, compared to eight over the last three years combined.
Sunshine State Games Basketball Championships, Alachua County, May 9-11
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