“We are delighted to unveil the 2023 Epson Tour schedule. This terrific lineup of tournaments is a big step forward in realizing the Epson Tour’s goal of providing the best opportunities for women pursuing their dreams on the golf course. With help from the Seiko Epson Corporation, our tournament partners and sponsors and the outstanding communities where we play, we’re proud to help provide these world-class athletes with the tools, opportunities and experiences they need to succeed at the highest level.” 

- Mollie Marcoux Samaan,

LPGA Commissioner

Around The Horn.

• The Epson Tour, the official qualifying tour of the LPGA, will play for the most money in its 43-year history and boast its largest tournament purse for the 2023 season. The 22-tournament schedule will take the Epson Tour to 14 states and offer over $4.9 million in total prize money, for an average purse size of $223,000. Both amounts exceed last year’s record-setting total prize funds ($4.41 million) and average purse size ($210,000). The Tour makes its annual stop at Mission Inn Resort & Club in Lake County on May 22-28, 2023.
• Exploria Stadium is set to host a pair of matches for the eighth annual SheBelieves Cup on Thursday, Feb. 16, with Japan set to face Brazil at 4pm, followed by the United States and Canada at 7pm. All four nations are set to take part in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup next summer and all four are ranked in the top 11 in the world with the USA at No. 1, Canada at No. 6, Brazil at No. 9 and Japan at No. 11.
• Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero has been named the NBA’s Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for December 2022. Banchero becomes the ninth player in franchise history to be named the league’s Rookie of the Month.
• C.J. Kelly recorded 30 points as UCF beat host East Carolina 64-61 on Wednesday night. Kelly shot 9 for 13 (4-for-6 from 3-point range) and 8 of 10 from the free-throw line for the Knights (11-4, 2-1 American Athletic Conference).
• The Orlando Solar Bears have announced that athletic trainer Brian DeAlmeida, LAT, ATC has been named the athletic trainer for the 2023 Warrior/ECHL All-Star Classic on Monday, Jan. 16, 2023 at Norfolk Scope Arena in Norfolk, Virginia. The game will air live exclusively on NHL Network and will stream on FloHockey.
• Exploria Stadium will host two of the most storied clubs in South America, as Brazilian side Vasco da Gama will take on Argentine side River Plate on Jan. 17. Tickets start at just $28.
• Orlando Magic forward Jonathan Isaac took important steps this past week toward returning to the floor, although he doesn’t have a timeframe for when he thinks that’ll happen. Isaac, who hasn’t played in an NBA game in more than two years, fully participated in practices Monday and Tuesday ahead of Wednesday’s home game vs. the Oklahoma City Thunder.
• From the Orlando Sentinel: The Top 10 Most Read Mike Bianchi stories of 2022.
• Two days after 24-year-old Damar Hamlin’s heart stopped and he needed to be resuscitated on the field during a game against the Bengals, an immense outpouring of support continued. Though he’s still under sedation, Hamlin’s recovery from cardiac arrest continues moving in “a positive direction,” the player’s marketing representative, Jordon Rooney, told The Associated Press by phone.
• LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers and Kevin Durant of the Brooklyn Nets might be headed toward yet another NBA All-Star Game rematch. James is the overall leader in All-Star balloting, and Durant leads all Eastern Conference players in early voting returns -- putting them on track to be All-Star captains for the third consecutive year.

In The News.

• Visit Orlando’s Magical Dining was conceived to benefit local restaurants during historically slow times of the year, but in the 17 years since its inception, the program has grown into something of a local phenomenon. In 2022, Visit Orlando was able to donate $186,805 to local organizations that support workforce development and create employment opportunities for people with disabilities in Central Florida via $1 from every prix fixe meal sold during the promotion.
• The Central Florida Hotel & Lodging Association (CFHLA) has announced its newly elected 2023 CFHLA Executive Committee and Board of Directors, which includes Central Florida hospitality executives from across the tri-county area (Orange, Osceola and Seminole Counties). Congrats to the following GO Sports partners and board members on their appointments: Jeff Swirsky (Delta Marriott Orlando Celebration Hotel) as 1st Vice Chair, Chris Mueller (Hilton Orlando) as Treasurer, Jesse Martinez (The Alfond Inn) as Historian, and R.P. Rama (Holiday Inn Orlando International Airport) and Justin Williams (Grand Bohemian Hotel Orlando) as board members.
• Sean McCrory has been named the next editor in chief of Orlando Business Journal. McCrory, a 30-year veteran in the journalism industry, currently is the executive editor of the Denton Record-Chronicle in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, a position he has held for four-plus years. He will step into the role on Jan. 23, 2023, succeeding retiring OBJ Editor Cindy Barth, who has been with the company for 30 years and served as editor for 16 years.
• Electronic Arts hopes to spark a change in the demographics of the video game industry, which is dominated by white men. In November, EA announced the first two recipients of their Inclusion in Gaming Endowed Scholarship: Luis Santiago and Adrienne Boatright. The scholarship fund began with a $100,000 investment in 2021 and is meant to continue providing scholarships annually for many years to come. Santiago is a games and interactive media undergraduate student at UCF.
• Central Floridian Donald Rupe is fulfilling a dream by taking his original musical “From Here” away from here. The show, written after the Pulse nightclub shooting in 2016, will be presented in concert form this month at the 54 Below performance venue in the heart of New York City’s theater district.
• The National Entrepreneur Center has named Belinda Ortiz Kirkegard as its new top executive. She replaces Jerry Ross, who announced his retirement last May. Kirkegard has long been known as a champion for Central Florida's small business community.
• Orlando Fringe is putting its best foot forward in a new way for the 2023 Winter Mini-Fest. It will be the first event in its new ArtSpace at 54 W. Church St.
• Atlanta-based dancer and choreographer Heath Gill, who co-founded the Terminus Modern Ballet Theatre, has shared that he will retire from the company to join Orlando Ballet. Gill will take the role of Guest Ballet Master and Choreographer starting in January 2023.
• Winter Park’s famous Park Avenue has long been a Florida landmark of shopping and dining, which brings locals from near and tourists from far. Now merchants are coming together to make it a cohesive Main Street District, modeled after a successful program in Orlando to help small businesses thrive amid changing consumer behavior.
• Longtime WFTV reporter Todd Ulrich has announced that he is retiring from the TV news station after nearly four decades on the air. Ulrich joined WFTV in 1984 after working at TV stations in Pennsylvania and New York early in his career.
• The main drag of Edgewater Drive is expected to get a makeover in coming years, with plans for wider sidewalks, lower speed limits and a roundabout at Lakeview Street. And just west, the $700 million Packing District project is bringing new residents, shopping, recreation, and dining options.

Stay Engaged.

• Join the Downtown Development Board at their next Lunch & Learn (Friday, Jan. 6) to celebrate the 100-year anniversary of the Orlando Public Library and the Orange County Library System! They will look back at the library system’s century of service to Orange County, explore the important role that libraries play in their communities and take an in-depth look at the fascinating story of how OCLS has grown along with our community from the singular Albertson Public Library in 1923 to the far-reaching, widely utilized resource we know today.
• Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex is bringing back its Fly With an Astronaut special-interest tour later this month. The first featured NASA veterans will be Mark Lee and Brian Duffy. The experience includes a catered lunch at the visitor complex, where the guest speakers/astronauts talk about their experiences, followed by a Q&A session.
• The Amazing Acro-Cats will be returning to Orlando with their traveling troupe of trained kitties in January 2023.
• Funded by the American Rescue Plan Act in Orange County and led by the Edyth Bush Institute for Philanthropy & Nonprofit Leadership, Empowering Good equips local nonprofits with the tools necessary to succeed in the post-pandemic environment. The program assists small grassroots and diverse-led Orange County non-profit organizations in focusing on impact measurement, innovation, financial management, fundraising and risk management. Applications are currently open until Jan. 13, 2023.
• Florida residents can get free admission for their preschoolers (ages 5 and under) to SeaWorld Orlando theme park and Aquatica water park for the remainder of 2023. The deal is good for unlimited admission to the attractions through Dec. 31.
• 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.

Congratulations to all of the CFHLA Hospitality Gala award winners, including our own GO Sports President & CEO Jason Siegel (Charles Andrews Memorial Hospitality Award for Community Leadership) and GO Sports Board Member Jesse Martinez, GM of The Alfond Inn (Lodging Member of the Year).

GO Sports President & CEO Jason Siegel at the CFHLA Hospitality Gala with wife Sarah Grafton, Mayor Jerry Demings and Representative Val Demings.

GO Sports President & CEO Jason Siegel at the CFHLA Hospitality Gala with wife Sarah Grafton, GO Sports Board Member Dan Malasky (Tampa Bay Buccaneers), and Brian Combs (Hyatt Regency Orlando).

GO Sports President & CEO Jason Siegel at the CFHLA Hospitality Gala with wife Sarah Grafton, GO Sports Executive Committee Member Chris Carmody (GrayRobinson) and CFHLA President, Robert Agrusa.

GO Sports Senior Vice Presidents Brent Nelson and Michael Kalinich attended the 2022 Cure Bowl with many of GO Sports' corporate partners and board members.

GO Sports Senior Vice President Michael Kalinich attended the January 5 Orlando Magic game against the OKC Thunder along with board members Scott Breault (Planet Fitness), John Mahoney (Kavaliro) and Mike Harris (Uproar PR).

GO Sports Senior Vice President Brent Nelson and board member Chris Mueller (Hilton Orlando) attended the Cheez-It Bowl over the holidays at Camping World Stadium.

GO Sports Executive Vice President Jennifer Lastik and Coordinator Elizabeth Caldarelli helped out at Orlando City's official World Cup Final Watch Party at Ace Cafe in Downtown Orlando.

New Corporate Partner.



BRIGHTLINE TRAINS

Brightline is the only provider of modern, eco-friendly, intercity rail service in America. The company currently serves Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach, with stations in Aventura and Boca Raton opening at the end of 2022 and its Orlando station beginning service in 2023. 

For more information, visit

https://www.gobrightline.com/

https://www.gobrightline.com/orlando

Thank you for supporting sports tourism in Greater Orlando!

Fun & Games.



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