This week in FlaSports - October 22-28
 

Welcome to This week in FlaSports.  This space on the Florida Sports Foundation web site will give a weekly smattering of information about what's going on in sports in the Sunshine State.

Whether it be professional, amateur or recreational sports, and it's happening in Florida, look for it at This week in FlaSports.

Information on this page will be updated on Monday of each week.  To have your organization's events or happenings on This week in FlaSports, send an email to ngandy@flasports.com. 

Volume 1, Issue 9
October 22, 2007

► FSF announces Sunshine State Games Flag Football Fall Festival
► Major Indoor Soccer kicks off in Orlando
► Florida Amateur Athlete Accolades
► This Week in FlaSports Calendar of Events
► Archive of previous issues of This Week in FlaSports

2007 Sunshine State Games Flag Football Fall Festival

The Florida Sports Foundation presents the 2007 Sunshine State Games Flag Football Fall Festival with four competition opportunities in November and December. This is the latest addition to the Sunshine State Games Calendar of events and Adult Flag Football teams statewide are welcome to participate in any of the four tournaments offered.

There are two divisions available for entry - Recreation and Competitive - with an entry fee of $250 per tournament. Each team is guaranteed to at least two games. The teams must be certified through the Florida Sports Foundation for the 2007 calendar year. Certifications will be available on-site or can be obtained in advancing by contacting the FSF at  866-FLGAMES (866-354-2637) or games@flasports.com

2007 Sunshine State Games Flag Football Fall Festivals

November 3-4, 2007

Registration Deadline: October 26

Kelly Road Soccer Complex

Ft. Myers

Contact: Mack Young

(239) 461-7425 or youngma@leegov.com

Jesse Lavender (239) 461-7428

November 17-18, 2007

Liberty Park Sports Complex

Palm Bay

Contact: Al Majoy

(321) 409-6397 or athletics@pbfl.org

December 1-2, 2007

Registration Deadline: November 26

North Collier Regional Park

Naples

Contact: Ralph Pryor

(239)254-4088 or ralphpryor@colliergov.net

www.athletesinparadise.com

December 8-9, 2007

Registration Deadline: November 30

Palm Bay Regional Park

Palm Bay

Contact: Troy Cox

(321) 733-3007

coxt@pbfl.org

These tournaments are competitions separate from the six 2008 Sunshine State Games State Ranking Tournaments the Florida Sports Foundation offers. These competitions do not serve as qualifiers for the Sunshine State Games Adult Flag Football State Championships to held in Lakeland, June 7-8, 2008.

For more information about the 2007 Sunshine State Games Flag Football Fall Festivals, please check www.flasports.com.

Major Indoor Soccer kicks off in Orlando this week

The Orlando Sharks, Central Florida’s Professional Soccer Team, begins its 30-game inaugural season with the Opening Night Gala on October 26 against the New Jersey Ironmen.  Amway Arena hosts 15 games of the fast-paced, high-scoring family fun of Orlando’s newest sports entertainment attraction at a great value.

Each home game will consist of a different party theme and will bring a new level of excitement and entertainment along with world class soccer.  The game of indoor soccer can be summed up as a game that takes the fundamentals of Major League Soccer and the fast pace movement of Professional Hockey.

The expansion Sharks are the eighth team to join the current Major Indoor Soccer League. The Sharks will compete with the Baltimore Blast, California Cougars, Detroit Ignition, New Jersey Ironmen, Milwaukee Wave, Philadelphia Kixx, Chicago Storm and La RaZa de Monterrey in the 2007-08 MISL season. The league is in its 23rd consecutive year of operation, starting as the American Indoor Soccer Association in 1984 and then the National Professional Soccer League beginning in 1990 before the MISL name was established in 2001.

For more information, visit www.orlandosharks.com

 

Amateur Sports Accolades
 

Gainesville's Tyler Wolfe wins international Karate competition
Tyler Wolfe of Gainesville, the 2004 Sunshine State Games Female Athlete of the Year, won a gold medal in the 14-15 year old -45 kg female sparring division at the 2007 Junior Pan American Karate Championships held in Quito, Ecuador held on August 30^th – September 1^st.

This is her second consecutive gold medal in this division.  She also won last year in Curacao, Dutch Antilles.  Tyler qualified for the US Junior team at the USANKF National Karate Championships in Charleston, WV in June. 

600 athletes representing 18 countries in the Western Hemisphere competed at the Junior Pan Am Championships this year.  Each country is allowed to bring two of their top athletes per division.  The United States brought 52 athletes to compete.  Tyler is only one of four US Athletes that won a gold medal in sparring and only one of two that has won gold in sparring two years in a row.  Tyler defeated Stefani Liendo from Venezuela in the finals, outscoring her 9 - 1.

FSGA names Players of the Year 

The Florida State Golf Association has announced the 2007 Players-of-the-Year for their outstanding play this season. Jeff Golden earned the Amateur Player-of-the-Year, Rick Woulfe secured the Senior Player-of-the-Year and Kevin Aylwin was awarded the Junior Player-of-the-Year. They will be recognized at the FSGA Annual Dinner in November.

Jeff Golden, 22, of Winter Park, earned Player-of-the-Year honors following an exceptional year. After wrapping up his college golf career at Rollins College, Golden earned medalist and low amateur honors in US Open Sectional Qualifying to advance to the US Open. He also qualified for the US Amateur and most recently, represented Florida in the USGA State Team Championship and helped Team Florida to a 14^th place finish.

Rick Woulfe, 57, of Fort Lauderdale, wins his third Senior Player-of-the-Year award in 2007 with an overwhelming 1855 points. Woulfe captured four State titles this year; the Senior, Senior Match Play, Mid-Senior and Mid-Amateur Four-Ball South Championship. This year, Woulfe also qualified for the US Senior Amateur Championship. Overall, Woulfe has nine State titles and earned the Player-of-the-Year award in 2002, 2004 and 2006 and the Senior Player-of-the-Year in 2005 and 2006. 

Kevin Aylwin, 18, from New Smyrna Beach, finished the year with 990 points and two State Championships. Aylwin, a past Florida Junior Tour member, won the Public Links Championship and Junior Match Play Championship. This year, he also finished in the Top 20 in the State Amateur, advanced to the Round of 16 in the Match Play Championship and qualified for the Boys Junior Championship. Aylwin also qualified for the US Amateur Public Links Championship.

The FSGA will hold the 2007 Annual Dinner at Interlachen Country Club in Winter Park on Friday, November 16, where the 2007 Players-of-the-Year will be recognized.

Organized in 1913, the Florida State Golf Association is a not-for-profit organization that governs amateur golf in the state of Florida. In addition to conducting 25 championships for amateur golfers in the state, the FSGA is responsible for more than 40 qualifying tournaments for USGA National Championships. The FSGA also maintains the USGA Handicap System, performs course ratings throughout Florida and assists in junior programs and scholarships.

For more information about the Florida State Golf Association, please check www.fsga.org.
 

FlaSports Calendar of Events this week, October 22-28
 

This week in FlaSports Archive
Volume 1, Issue 1, August 27
Volume 1, Issue 2, September 4
Volume 1, Issue 3, September 10
Volume 1, Issue 4, September 17
Volume 1, Issue 5, September 24
Volume 1, Issue 6, October 1
Volume 1, Issue 7, October 8
Volume 1, Issue 8, October 15

 

Office Information

The Florida Sports Foundation
2930 Kerry Forest Parkway
Tallahassee, FL 32309
850-488-8347
850-922-0482 Fax