Florida Sports Monthly Update - August, 2016 Upcoming Events 40 Floridians on Team USA Olympic Team roster August 13-14, 2016 When Team USA enters the Maracanã Florida Senior Games Qualifier Stadium for the Opening Ceremonies in Eddie C. Moore Complex, Clearwater

Rio de Janeiro, on Friday, August 5, 40 August 19, 2016 of the team members will be Floridians. FSF Board of Directors Meeting Daytona International Speedway The 17 days of Olympic competition will begin on Friday and conclude on Sunday, August 21. More August 25, 2016 than 10,500 athletes from 206 nations are expected to Florida Senior Games Series Workshop participate in 28 sports Sheraton Sand Key Resort, Clearwater

The 40 athletes representing Florida is second highest total September - November, 2016 Sunshine State Games from the 46 states represented. California leads the way with Sport Shooting Championships 125. Various Florida locations

Highlighting the roster of 40 athletes are four Floridians who September 24-25, 2016 have competed in the Sunshine State Games, the state’s Sunshine State Games Olympic-style Sports Festival for amateur athletes of all ages. International Beach Games Sheraton Sand Key Resort Clearwater, Florida

November 4, 2016 Gulfstream Park to host World’s Richest Race in FSF Board of Directors Meeting January Raymond James Stadium, Tampa

The $12 million Pegasus World Cup - the world's richest November 5-6, 2016 Sunshine State Games Thoroughbred race - has been scheduled for Saturday, Jan. Fall Lacrosse Championships 28, 2017 at Gulfstream Park. and Baton Twirling Championships Vero Beach, Florida

December 3-11, 2016 Florida Senior Games a qualifier for the 2017 National Senior Games Clearwater, Florida

FSF Sponsors

The Pegasus World Cup will be event of its kind in Thoroughbred racing and is designed to promote the sport of horse racing while creating a lucrative opportunity for owners of World Class Thoroughbreds. There will be 12 entrants who will pay $1 million each to buy a spot in the Pegasus World Cup starting gate.

Miami Marlins begin 2017 MLB All Star Game Preparations with Logo Unveiling

Major League Commissioner Rob Manfred, local officials and the Marlins proudly unveiled the official logo for the 2017 MLB All-Star Game presented by MasterCard. The 2017 All-Star Game will be played in Miami for the first time, Tuesday, July 11, 2017. The Marlins also offered fans a variety of ways to purchase tickets to the Mid-Summer Classic.

The Marlins are contenders for post-season play and if the season were to end today would earn one of the Wild Card Playoff Spots. The Marlins have 12 home games during August with home series’ against the San Francisco Giants, Chicago White Sox, Kansas City Royals and San Diego Florida Sports Foundation Padres. The Sunday, August 14 game against the White Sox A Division of Enterprise Florida, Inc. features a Billy the Marlins’ Birthday Bash and a Backpack 101 North Monroe Street giveaway to the first 5,000 youth fans. Suite 1000 Tallahassee, FL 32301 The closed out the month of July with a (850) 488-8347 four-game win streak including a sweep of the New York Yankees. Fans have plenty of opportunities to see the Rays in Clearwater Satellite Office August as they host 17 home games at Tropicana Field 1501 N. Belcher Road, #238 Clearwater, FL 33761 against the Kansas City Royals, Minnesota Twins, San Diego (727) 724-3082 Padres, Texas Rangers and Boston Red Sox. www.flasports.com

Jason Siegel to lead Central Florida Sports Commission

Former President and CEO of the Orlando Solar Bears hockey team, Jason Siegel, joined the Central Florida Sports Commission as interim president and CEO.

The Central Florida Sports Commission hosted 77 events last year that generated more than $131 million in economic impact. These events attracted thousands of athletes and their families to Orlando, as well as fans, that also can turn into longer vacation stays.

FSF Welcomes New Staff Member

The FSF is proud to welcome Elissa DiCampli, to the staff as an Executive Assistant. Elissa is a recent graduate of Florida State University.

Prior to accepting the position at the FSF, she worked at Capitol Alliance Group, a government relations consulting firm with a track record of success in serving a broad range of clients interests at the state and local levels in Florida.

FSF Amateur Sports Athletes in the News

A pair of Florida athletes with different levels of experience were recently featured in state media outlets. Read about and hear an interview with Florida Senior Games swimmer Barbara Goltz, of Tallahassee and Sunshine State Games Archer Sydney Sullenberger, of Valrico.

Goltz not only competes on a state level in the Florida Senior Games, but competes on a national level and has won National Senior Games gold medals. Sullenberger is just starting out on the archery range and has set goals to advance from the statewide level to national competition. Both are athletes who are taking full advantage of the FSF’s amateur sports programs.

The FSF partnered with the unique how to Do florida television show about the Florida Senior Games and Florida Grapefruit League. The show’s how-to format is designed to motivate viewers to venture outdoors and experience new and exciting activities, with host Chad Crawford.

See Chad’s day at the 2015 Florida Senior Games, in Clearwater, and be on the lookout for the show where he and his son, Chase, experienced a day with the Minnesota Twins at the CenturyLink Sports Complex in Fort Myers.

August brings Football to Florida

Florida’s three NFL teams are on the field practicing as we begin the month of August. Within the next two weeks they will hit the field as a team working toward Week One of the 2016 NFL season, on September 11.

The begin their pre-season traveling to meet the New York Jets on Thursday, August 11. Their first home pre-season game is Saturday, August 20 against the .

The travel to meet the New York Giants on Friday, August 12 and take the field against the Atlanta Falcons on, Thursday, August 25, at Orlando's Camping World Stadium. The Dolphins will get their first look at the renovations at the New on September 1 against the Tennessee Titans.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are also on the road for the first week of pre-season against the Philadelphia Eagles on August 11. Bucs fans can see the team play at Raymond James Stadium on August 26 against the Cleveland Browns.

Plenty of College Football to follow as well

Fans of Florida college football teams are counting down the days throughout the month of August as teams hit the field in preparation for the 2016 season. All 18 Florida college teams begin play between Thursday, September 1 and Monday, September 5, including the historical first game for the West Florida Argonauts.

The Florida International Golden Panthers open against the Indiana Hoosiers in Miami. The Labor Day weekend wraps up, Monday night, September 5, with the Camping World Kickoff in Orlando with the Florida State Seminoles and Ole Miss Rebels.

Check out the schedules for all 18 Florida teams and three NFL teams at Florida Football Central, the only resource featuring all of Florida’s football teams in one place.

Tampa Bay/College Football Playoff Newsletter available

Make plans now to be a part of the first College Football Playoff National Championship Weekend in Tampa, January 7-9, 2017.

Besides the crowning of the 2016 College Football National Championship, there are plenty of events where fans can visit the hub of College Football on the final College Football Weekend of the 2016 season with certain events being free. Downtown Tampa will host Fan Central, a college football theme park, AT&T Playoff Live Concert Events, and an open to the public Media Day.

Learn more by taking a look at the Inaugural Edition of the Touchdown Tampa Bay newsletter and subscribe to receive the newsletter monthly through January, 2017.

2016 Florida Senior Games registration open

Registration is now open for the XXV Florida Senior Games, Florida’s Olympic-style Sports Festival for athletes age 50 and over. To register online and find competition information about the annual Florida Senior Games, to be held in Clearwater, December 3-11, 2016, visit www.floridaseniorgames.com. Registration fees vary by sport and the online entry deadline is November 18.

The 2016 Florida Senior Games Softball qualifier will be played August 13-14 at the Eddie C. Moore Complex in Clearwater and online registration is open through August 5. The 2016 Florida Senior Games is a qualifier for the 2017 National Senior Games, to be held June 2-15, 2017, in Birmingham, Alabama.

During the nine days of the Games in Clearwater in December, athletes have the opportunity to compete in 25 sports. Certain sports require a qualifying performance at a Florida Senior Games Series Qualifier. A fall schedule of nine FSG Series Qualifiers can be found at www.floridaseniorgames.com.

SSG Shooting and Beach Festival registration open

While the majority of the Sunshine State Games events have concluded for the 2016 year, there are still amateur sports available for competition.

Registration is open for nine Sport Shooting events between September and November and the SSG International Beach Games. Building on the Beach Games concept that began in 2015, the 2016 version features Beach Handball, Powerlifting, Beach Tennis, Beach and Weight Throw Pentathlon, September 24-25.

The International Beach Games is open to athletes throughout the world and presented by the St. Pete – Clearwater Sports Commission, Sheraton Sand Key Resort and the FSF.

Five FSF Granted events taking place in August

The month of August brings five sports events to the state that received a FSF Grant. The five events will bring an estimated 6,900 visitors and $5.4 million in economic impact to Florida.

The Treasure Coast Sports Commission is hosting two of the events, the 12 and Under and16 and Under Babe Ruth Softball World Series in Jensen Beach and Stuart. The two events are projected to bring more than 3,200 visitors to the Treasure Coast.

Pro Sports License Plate Sales breaks record

With an increase of 4.6% in the nine Florida Professional Sports License Plates, the FSF proudly reports sales during the 2015-16 fiscal year were a record-breaker with 117,425 plates sold.

Sales of the Pro Sports License plates the support Florida’s $44 billion sports industry have increased every year since the 2010-11 fiscal year. While the still leads the way in pro sports license plates, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had the highest increase of sales between 2014-15 and the 2015-16 fiscal year.

Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show generates more than $500 million for South Florida

The 2015 Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show generated an estimated $531.5 million in economic impact in South Florida and $857.3 million statewide, according to the study by Thomas J. Murray & Associates and the University of Florida.

The 56th Annual Boat Show accounted for an estimated $508.3 million in marine product sales, the study also revealed. The 2016 Fort Lauderdale Boat Show is scheduled for November 3-7, 2016

The Last Word - As Floridians await the start of another College Football season, now being played in 18 locations statewide, here's an interesting nugget regarding the first college game played in Florida. It is provided by former Orlando Sentinel sportswriter, Bill Buchalter in a 1999 article.

Although football in Florida began in 1894 with teams from Stetson and Forbes playing each other seven times, intercollegiate football as we know it in Florida arrived on Nov. 22, 1901. Stetson beat Florida Agricultural College at Lake City, the forerunner of the University of Florida, 6-0, in a game played as part of the Jacksonville Fair.