“This was a true "TEAM" victory. I am extremely proud of how they performed under pressure. They were composed and confident.”

- Christa Teno, Head Coach

Seminole State Women's Golf

SPEAKING ABOUT THE SEMINOLE STATE WOMEN'S GOLF TEAM WINNING THEIR FOURTH CONSECUTIVE

NJCAA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

Around The Horn.

• For the fourth straight year (minus a Covid gap), the Seminole State Women's Golf Team is the best in the NJCAA. Sophomore "Pearl" Banthita Phoncharatkun won the individual title and became the fourth consecutive Raider to capture medalist honors.
• The Orlando Magic have learned what they’ll be working with for next month’s NBA draft. Now the hard work starts. With Tuesday’s draft lottery in Chicago securing the Magic the Nos. 6 and 11 picks, Orlando gained better clarity on its options to improve the team during the offseason.
• After capturing a second straight American Athletic Conference tournament championship, UCF softball is heading to the Tallahassee Regional in the NCAA tournament. They’ll be joined by South Carolina and Marist in the regional hosted by Florida State. This tournament appearance is the 10th in program history and the third straight under coach Cindy Ball-Malone.
• The ball is finally bouncing Winter Park’s way. The Wildcats ended Lake Mary’s 23-game unbeaten streak with a 5-3 win Saturday to advance to their first Florida High School Athletic Association regional championship game in nine years. Winter Park will host Port Orange Spruce Creek in Class 7A Region 1. The Wildcats are one of six Orlando area teams still playing this week.
• UCF men's basketball head coach Johnny Dawkins has been selected for induction into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2023. Coach Dawkins will be entering his eighth season at the helm of the Knights' program. UCF has made three trips to the postseason during his tenure, including the first NCAA Tournament win in school history as UCF beat VCU 73-58 in the first round on Mar. 22, 2019. 
• The 2023 Camping World Kickoff featuring the Florida State Seminoles and LSU Tigers will begin at 7:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, Sept. 3. The game, played at Camping World Stadium, will air live on ABC. ​​​​​ESPN confirmed the time and broadcast details for its marquee Week 1 matchup on Tuesday during The Walt Disney Company’s Advertising Upfront in New York.
• Forward Duncan McGuire scored in the second minute of stoppage time for his team-leading fourth goal of the season as Orlando City completed a rally from a two-goal deficit to secure a 2-2 road draw with the Columbus Crew on Saturday night.
• The Orlando Solar Bears have announced that schools and students throughout Central Florida will be welcomed back to experience hockey in an educational setting at the team’s seventh annual School Day Game, when the Solar Bears take the ice at AdventHealth Rink at Amway Center on Tuesday, Nov. 7 at 10:30 a.m..
• The 144-player field for the IOA Golf Classic presented by LPT Realty has been finalized by the Epson Tour. The “Road to the LPGA” returns to the Sunshine State for the second time this year with the field now taking on Alaqua Country Club in Longwood, FL. The tournament will begin on May 19 and conclude on the 21.

Thank you to our industry association Sports ETA for recognizing GO Sports as a finalist for Sports Commission of the Year at their annual meetings in Kansas City this week.

In The News.

• Brightline’s rollout to Orlando took another step forward early Wednesday as the South Florida-based higher-speed rail line started to sell tickets for travel as early as September along a 170-mile extension between West Palm Beach and Central Florida.
• The City of Orlando will launch a new projection activation at its newest park space, Luminary Green in Creative Village, on Wednesday, May 10, called “Luminary Nights on the Green.” The new 20-minute show will project animations onto a white “ORLANDO” sign/sculpture that is set to music that’s broadcast into the park. The animations feature Orlando icons, local nature, theme park tidbits, and food/hospitality scenes. The show will run every night at dusk and run through 10 p.m. at the park.
• A year after releasing the first conceptual drawings of the new $106 million Holocaust Museum for Hope & Humanity in downtown Orlando, the museum board and architects are asking for official city approval for the project, which has been refined and redesigned.
• A team of middle school students from Lake Highland Prep in Orlando won the Regional championship for the 2023 National Science Bowl in March and represented Florida in the national competition from April 27 through May 1. The U.S. Department of Energy has been hosting the NSB for 30+ years, bringing together thousands of middle and high school students from across the country to compete in a fast-paced question-and-answer format where they solve technical problems and answer questions on a range of science disciplines including biology, chemistry, earth and space sciences, physics, and math.
• R. Nichols a boutique brand and shop in Audubon Park, has made a name for itself with its original collage art line of stationary, and they will be selling some rare original artwork this week. Shop owner Nick Hanzlik hand-cuts and glues his designs into ornate and original collages that he then scans and digitally manipulates into whimsical products that he sells in his shop and online.
• 15 years after it closed its last Orlando location, Fazoli’s will be opening a new restaurant on Colonial Drive. The Italian-ish restaurant will be moving into a former Boston Market space at 4201 E. Colonial Drive just east of Fashion Square Mall, and across the street from Orlando Executive Airport.

Stay Engaged.

• Holographic theater company Verse Orlando has this week announced that it will open at Boxi Park in Lake Nona on May 26. The new venue will feature four mixed reality (MR) experiences, including the immersive experience ‘The Unreal Garden,’ following successful runs in San Francisco, Denver, and Chicago. Guests will also be able to enjoy hours of interactive visuals in what fans of the theater experience have described as: “playing in a dreamscape video game.”
• Orlando’s newest, promising focal point for economic, business and community growth, West Lakes Market Street District, is set to host its inaugural, family-friendly West Lakes District Play Date.  On Saturday, May 20, from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Lake Lorna Doone Park will be filled with sports, games and activities for both kids and adults to enjoy. 
• Asian immigrants began to arrive in Florida after the Civil War. In the decades since, they have played an increasingly visible role in Florida’s economic, social, and political affairs. In a speaking program at Orange County History Center on May 20, Prof. Wenxian Zhang of Rollins College will trace their experiences and review their contributions to the state from the late 19th century to the present day.
• Opera Orlando will be performing a family-friendly musical revue called Baseball: A Musical Love Letter at Harriett’s Orlando Ballet Centre in Ivanhoe Village the weekend of May 19. The musical “weaves together the history of baseball with music from every corner of the American songbook: opera, musical theater, and jazz.”
• USTA National Campus is hosting a number of community events in conjunction with the NCAA Division I, II & III Men's and Women's Tennis Championships this month in Lake Nona. Check out the full calendar here!
• America’s Favorite Beer Fest, Beer ‘Merica, returns bringing 100+ American craft brews, seltzers & beyond to beautiful Lake Ivanhoe in celebration of American Craft Beer Week on Saturday, May 20. Enjoy an afternoon with live music, delicious local food trucks, and limitless, complimentary craft brew samplings, and if so inclined, put on your most outrageous red and blue to whoop it up ‘Merica-style! Beer ‘Merica is dog friendly, as long as they are friendly and on a leash.
• At Walt Disney World Resort, Epcot is bringing on spring with fantastic food and beverages, live entertainment, and more at the EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival. Now through June 5, guests will enjoy fresh cuisine, colorful gardens, playful topiaries and vibrant entertainment.
• The Melrose Center at the downtown branch of the Orange County Library System will be hosting a special Melrose Pop Festival on Saturday, June 10. The name of the event is an homage to the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival which celebrated the music of the decade.
• SeaWorld Orlando has introduced a flash sale for Howl-O-Scream, its after-hours, haunted house Halloween event. The discounted price is $36.99 per ticket, and at least two tickets must be purchased to get that price. The offer ends on May 14.
• Florida Residents can save up to $65 on select multi-day tickets at Universal Orlando theme parks when buying online. Click here for current offers.
• Florida residents can save big while visiting Walt Disney World Resort theme parks. Click here to view the current list of special offers.

GO Sports Senior Director Shalisa Griffin and Senior VP Brent Nelson attended the Legacy of Champions Luncheon presented by AdventHealth.

GO Sports Senior VP Michael Kalinich attended the ribbon cutting of the new AdventHealth emergency room department located at Flamingo Crossings Town Center, pictured here with GO Sports Board Chairman Sharon Line Clary (AdventHealth) and husband Michael.

GO Sports Coordinator Nolan McDonald and Intern Gabriella Haugland at the NCAA DI, DII & DIII Tennis Championships being hosted at USTA National Campus.

GO Sports Senior VP Brent Nelson attended the Delta Celebration Ribbon Cutting Event hosted by Delta Celebration and Tishman Hotel Corporation, pictured here with CFHLA President Robert Agrusa and GO Sports Board Member Jeff Swirsky.

GO Sports President & CEO Jason Siegel and wife Sarah Grafton enjoyed Mother's Day Brunch at The Alfond Inn alongside John Soapes (WESH) and Board Members Jesse Martinez (The Alfond Inn) and Craig Leicester (Crowne Plaza Orlando Downtown) and their spouses.

GO Sports CFO Gary Cohen and Senior VP Mike Kalinich attended Visit Orlando’s Travel and Tourism event, including the announcement that 74 million visitors were welcomed to the Orlando area in 2022.

GO Sports President & CEO Jason Siegel and wife Sarah Grafton enjoyed attending the Make A Wish Foundation's annual Wishmaker's Ball along with Board Members Clay Luter (Ticketmaster), Ronnie Bitman (Bitman, O'Brien & Morat), John Mahony (Kavaliro) and their spouses.

GO Sports President & CEO Jason Siegel attended a hospitality dinner at the Grand Bohemian Orlando Downtown along with GO Sports Board Members Jesse Martinez (The Alfond Inn), Justin Williams (Grand Bohemian), and John McGavin (Grande Lakes Orlando).

New Corporate Partner.



TECO Peoples Gas



Delivering safe, resilient, clean, affordable natural gas for homes and businesses across Florida.

For more information, visit

https://www.peoplesgas.com/

Thank you for supporting sports tourism in Greater Orlando!

Fun & Games.



• Video: Disney Springs Art Walk
• 6 things to do in Orlando this weekend
• Ultimate Guide to the Perfect Memorial Day Weekend in Orlando