"The dynamic spirit and energy of Orlando will help showcase the immense running talent here in the United States and we’re excited to see it showcased during this historic event. USATF thanks all our partners and we look forward to bringing world class running talent to the streets of downtown Orlando in February 2024."

- Max Siegel

CEO, USA Track & Field

Around The Horn.

• Orlando will soon welcome the nation’s elite male and female long distance runners to compete at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Marathon for the chance to represent Team USA at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. The City of Orlando, in collaboration with Orange County, Track Shack Events, the Greater Orlando Sports Commission, USA Track & Field and the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee, will host America’s best male and female runners for the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Marathon on Saturday, February 3, 2024. 
• The preseason U.S. tours for Juventus and Real Madrid ended Wednesday night at Camping World Stadium in front of 63,503, and it had an American flair. Juventus won 3-1, getting ahead in the first half with two goals in the victory.
• As an assistant coach for the Fort Wayne Mad Ants for three years, Dylan Murphy sometimes questioned the career path he was taking. Where Murphy ended up is a spot he never could have imagined. In addition to coaching the Magic’s summer league team earlier this month in Las Vegas, Murphy was recently named the head coach of the organization’s G League affiliate, the Osceola Magic, after spending the last five seasons with Orlando.
• One day after UCF kicked off its first fall camp as a member of the Big 12 Conference, the Knights struck gold on the recruiting trail by flipping a top local prospect from another Power Five school. Melbourne Central Catholic 4-star wide receiver Ric’Darious “DayDay” Farmer, who had been pledged to ACC member Pittsburgh since December, announced he’s now committed to UCF.
• Congratulations to our partners at the Florida Region of USA Volleyball on hosting a successful 2023 USA All-Star Championships at the Broward County Convention Center in Fort Lauderdale, FL. The event featured all-star teams from twenty of the forty regions of USA Volleyball and two teams from the Federation of Canada.
• The Magic are making their return to Mexico. Orlando will take on the Atlanta Hawks in a regular-season game at the Arena CDMX in Mexico City on Nov. 9, the NBA announced Wednesday morning. The matchup will mark the league’s 32nd game in Mexico since 1992, more than any country outside the United States and Canada.
• Hagerty High athletic director Jay Getty has coached an astonishing 81 sports seasons in 33 years since he graduated from UCF and joined the Seminole County Public School system as an intern in 1991. That includes 33 years coaching track and field, 32 in cross country and 16 in soccer to go along with his 26 years working as an AD or assistant AD.
• Greater Orlando Sports Commission will host our 5th annual Celebrating Women in Sports luncheon presented by Orlando Health Jewett Orthopedic Institute on Wednesday, September 13 at UCF's Addition Financial Arena. This year's featured speaker is Joan Benoit Samuelson, winner of the first ever women's Olympic marathon at the 1984 games in Los Angeles, and pioneer of women's marathoning. To purchase a table and inquire about sponsorship opportunities, contact Michael Kalinich. Click here to purchase individual tickets.

In The News.

• Congratulations to the Black Boardroom Leadership Institute (BBLI) who was awarded first place for the 2023 Excellence in Innovation Award from the Association of Leadership Programs (ALP). Receiving this recognition, an award designed to recognize outstanding innovations driven by Community Leadership Programs, is a testament to the program’s impact in our community and speaks to the dedication of BBLI's staff and Advisory Council.
• The Orlando Economic Partnership has been named the 2023 Chamber of the Year by the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives. The announcement came at the organization’s conference in Salt Lake City, Utah, this week. OEP was chosen over the other finalists, Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce and Portland Business Alliance.
• The City of Orlando will officially break ground on a new pocket park on the northeastern corner of Central Boulevard and Rosalind Avenue this week. The 0.12-acre property was purchased through a partnership with the privately-led Orlando Land Trust and the downtown CRA – in order to create a new green space that will eventually, somehow, be connected to the almost adjacent Lake Eola Park.
• Walt Disney World has introduced a two-park ticket that’s valid at just two of its parks: Epcot and Disney’s Animal Kingdom. The deal, available to Florida residents only, is called the Disney 2-Park Explorer Ticket. The Explorer Ticket can be enhanced with the water park and sports option, which includes choices such as a day at Typhoon Lagoon water park.
• The Orange County Library System has rolled out a new mobile book service this month. The new Book Bike was made possible via a $100,000 donation from the Sorosis of Orlando Woman’s Club in January of this year, following the sale of their longtime clubhouse in Lake Eola Heights. The club helped to found Orlando’s first circulating library in 1893 and launched the bus-based Orange County Bookmobile in 1949, which brought books to Orange County residents who were unable to make the trip downtown.
• The moon will be even closer the night of Aug. 30 — a scant 222,043 miles (357,344 kilometers) distant. Because it’s the second full moon in the same month, it will be what’s called a blue moon. The last time two full supermoons graced the sky in the same month was in 2018. It won’t happen again until 2037, according to Italian astronomer Gianluca Masi, founder of the Virtual Telescope Project.
• Sloths, kangaroos, lemurs, alligators, capybaras and more will have a new home on International Drive this fall as Cool Zoo prepares to open its doors. The company, which has taken animals on the road to an estimated 14 million visitors in the last year, is preparing to welcome guests into a 10,000-square-foot wildlife center full of exhibits — and air conditioning.

Stay Engaged.

• Disney Springs’ Flavors of Florida is preparing to return to Walt Disney World Resort this summer with even more savory dishes and a scrumptious new culinary series featuring renowned chefs. Running July 1 through Aug. 13, more than 30 locations throughout Disney Springs will be featuring a variety of food and drinks that celebrate homegrown flavors from Florida.
• Orange County Regional History Center is celebrating the run of its Figurehead exhibit with concerts, a Sunday brunch and a limited-capacity walking tour of downtown Orlando sites with ties to back in the day. The exhibit looks at Orlando’s music scene of the late 1980s and 1990s told through the lens of promoter Figurehead, which was headed up by Jim Faherty. It features underground bands, the club circuit and the concert-going community.
• McRae Art Studios will be bringing back its popular "8×10 Sale" event on Wednesday, August 10. The one-hour event will feature original artworks from a curated list of professional working artists in the Central Florida region, with over 100 works available for purchase for $100-$200 apiece. The sale will feature unframed paintings, drawings, and original photographs, all measuring eight inches by ten inches, as well as sculptures and ceramics up to 10 inches. Flamingo Framing will be offering framing services onsite and all proceeds from the sales of the artworks will go towards the collective and its studio in Parramore.
• Join Mayor Dyer and representatives from Orlando's Citizen Advisory Boards on Wednesday, August 30 at 5:30 p.m. at The Monroe for a Boards and Brews event to learn how you can make an impact by serving on a city board. As board members, residents contribute to the policy-making process, offering valuable input and review of city programs. Registration is required. Click here for more information or to begin an application to serve on a City of Orlando Advisory Board or Commission.  
• Unleash your inner artist at Art in the Heart: Paint & Sip event at CityArts on Wednesday, August 23. This will be a perfect mid-week pick-me-up full of creativity, drinks, and delectable bites. With expert guidance, you'll create a masterpiece all while enjoying a lively atmosphere and meet new friends in the downtown Orlando community. Tickets are $35 and include lite bites, two drink tickets and all the art supplies needed.
• Volunteer to keep the Heart of Orlando Clean and Green! On Sunday, September 10, join City District Main Street and their community partners as they work together to pick up litter and remove graffiti in downtown Orlando. Volunteers will receive FREE tickets to an Orlando Magic preseason game!
• Universal Passholder Appreciation Days is Back on Aug. 15 - Sept. 30, 2023. Includes over six weeks of exclusive offers, special events, discounts, Passholder opportunities and more. 
• Country Thunder is coming back in 2023! Keith Urban, Hardy and Cody Johnson headline three days of non-stop music and fun! Other artists include: Parker McCollum, Kip Moore, Lonestar, Parmalee, Jo Dee Messina, Megan Moroney, Tracy Byrd, Shane Profitt, Kip Moore, Hailey Whitters, Josh Ross, & The Reklaws. Check out the full lineup here!
• EDC will return to Orlando on November 10-12 at Tinker Field at Camping World Stadium and the lineup has been released. The annual three-day music festival boasts multiple stages in different sections of the venue and attracted over 100,000 people a day at the 2022 event. 
• 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.

In The Community.

GO Sports President & CEO Jason Siegel, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, USA Track & Field CEO Max Siegel, and Track Shack Co-Owner Jon Hughes posed for a photo with local dignitaries at City Hall when the group unveiled the route for the upcoming U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Marathon.

The GO Sports staff co-hosted a press conference at City Hall along with partners at the City of Orlando, Orange County and Track Shack, to unveil the route for the upcoming U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Marathon which will be hosted in downtown Orlando on Feb. 3, 2024.

GO Sports Senior VP Brent Nelson presented at the CFHLA Downtown Hoteliers Luncheon this week.

GO Sports President & CEO Jason Siegel presented to the Orlando Magic sales team this week, pictured with GO Sports Coordinator Nolan McDonald.

GO Sports staff and Board members took a road trip to visit the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Training Camp.

GO Sports President & CEO Jason Siegel attended Juventus vs Real Madrid last night at Camping World Stadium, pictured with Orange County Commissioner Mike Scott.

GO Sports Executive VP Jennifer Lastik attended the Downtown Orlando Partnership's Legislature Luncheon, pictured with Jill Vaughan (DOP) and Rachel Moalli (Dr Phillips Center for the Performing Arts).

GO Sports President & CEO Jason Siegel, board members Jesse Martinez (The Alfond Inn) and Dan Malasky (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Training Camp.

New Corporate Partner.

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Fun & Games.



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