Registration is currently open the 2023 Sunshine State Games, the State of Florida’s only Olympic-style Sports Festival. Athletes can now register to compete in Archery, Artistic Swimming, Canoe/Kayak, Table Tennis, Taekwondo and Ultimate through the Fuse Sports Registration System.
Visit the individual sports pages of www.sunshinestategames.com for competition and registration information. Athletes who have competed in the previous Sunshine State Games competitions in the sports listed above can go directly to the Fuse Sports registration page at https://sunshinestate.fusesport.com/registration/1925/
Look for registration to be open soon for Judo and Water Polo through the Fuse system. Sunshine State Games sports with alternate registration sites include Artistic Roller-Skating, Fencing, Figure Skating, Pickleball, Powerlifting, Swimming and Volleyball. Once available the registration links for those sports will be posted on the individual sports pages of www.sunshinestategames.com.
The 2023 Sunshine State Games is the 44th Edition and the Florida Games are the longest continuously-running State Games in the U.S.
New to the 2023 Sunshine State Games
The first event of the 2023 Sunshine State Games is a new partnership with the Beach N Board Festival to be held in Brevard County, March 8-12. The 11th Annual Beach N Boards Festival features Surfing, Beach Volleyball, a 5K Run/Walk, and Yoga. There will also be various demonstrations held throughout the weekend festivities. Visit www.beachnboardsfest.com for more information.
The Sunshine State Games events include Open Water Swimming and Stand Up Paddleboard, to be held on Sunday, March 12, at the Cocoa Beach Country Club, beginning at 8:00 a.m.
The two events are a continuation of a partnership between the SSG International Beach Games and Brevard County that began in September, 2022. Over 100 athletes competed in the Open Water Swim and Stand Up Paddleboard in the Indian River.
Sunshine State Games returns to Charlotte County
When Sunshine State Games Pickleball players take to the courts at the PicklePlex in Punta Gorda, on June 2, it will be the first visit to Charlotte County since 2018. Also slated for Charlotte County is the Canoe/Kayak Sprints and Marathon races at Port Charlotte Beach Park on Saturday, June 3 and Sunday, June 4.
Charlotte County is one of several Florida communities to capitalize on the growing popularity of Pickleball in the U.S. The 2023 Sunshine State Games facility, PicklePlex has 16 sanctioned courts, with an eye on expansion to 24 courts. It also features LED tournament lighting and fences separating each court.
The location is a premier state-of-the-art destination for pickleball in Punta Gorda, providing a safe and welcome environment for players of all skill levels, ages, and socioeconomic backgrounds. In collaboration with individuals and organizations, PicklePlex is growing the sport, emphasizing education, healthy lifestyles and positively impacting the local economy.
Over 400 athletes competed in the 2022 Florida Senior Games Pickleball Championships. The 2023 Sunshine State Games Pickleball Championships will be open to athletes of all ages. Visit www.sunshinestategames.com/pickleball for more information.
Lutz Archer is Ready to Go
When 2023 Sunshine State Games registration opened on February 1, Bruce Buckler, an archery athlete from Lutz, was the first athlete to complete his registration for the Archery events, to be held, June 11 and 12 at Gator Bowman in Gainesville.
What makes Buckler’s attentiveness so impressive is he was the first registration for the 2022 Sunshine State Games, when it opened on September 1, 2022. Buckler went on to win a gold medal in the Barebow Recurve event in the 60-64 age group, at the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus to qualify for the 2023 National Senior Games.
Buckler has been an active archer for the last five years and shoots at various tournaments around the state. "It's my hobby," he said about Archery. "I got attached to it and enjoy it."
The Sunshine State Games dates back to 1980 and the inaugural event in Gainesville. Since that time, more than 60 sports have appeared on the annual calendar of events.
2023 Sunshine State Games Calendar of Events
Schedule Subject to Change
March 8-12, 2023
Beach N Board Fest SSG, Shepard Park, Cocoa Beach, More information at https://beachnboardsfest.com
April 8-9, 2023
Sunshine State Games AAU Volleyball, Game Point Event Center, Orlando
May 14, 2023
Sunshine State Games Artistic Roller-skating, Semoran Skateway, Casselberry
May 19-21, 2023
Sunshine State Games Figure Skating Championship, Florida Panthers Ice Den, Coral Springs
May 28, 2023
Sunshine State Games Track and Field Championships, Cypress Creek High School, Wesley Chapel
June, Date TBA
Swimming, Dwight H. Hunter Northeast Pool, Gainesville
June 2-4, 2023
Pickleball, PicklePlex, Punta Gorda
June 3-4, 2023
Canoe/Kayak, Port Charlotte Beach Park (Registration now available)
June 9-11, 2023
Artistic Swimming, Location TBA, Gainesville, (Registration now available)
June 10- 11, 2023
Archery, Gator Bowman Archery Range, Gainesville, (Registration now available)
June 10-11, 2023
Fencing, Legacy Park Multipurpose Center, Alachua
June 10-11, 2023
Ultimate, Jonesville Soccer Park, Gainesville (Registration now available)
June 17, 2023
Judo, Polk State College, Winter Haven
June 17-18, 2023
Taekwondo, Auburndale Community Center, Auburndale (Registration now available)
Table Tennis, Simpson Park Community Center, Lakeland (Registration now available)
June 24, 2023
Powerlifting, Lift District Fitness Center, Margate
June, 2023
Sunshine State Games Water Polo Championship, Date and Location TBD
Artistic Roller-Skating, Beach N Boards Fest, Fencing, Figure Skating, Track and Field and Volleyball will have separate registration. Look for more information on those sports pages at www.sunshinestategames.com.
Schedule Subject to Change
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