25th Annual SSG Water Polo to be Contested in Broward County This Weekend
Sunshine State Games Water Polo teams will be in the Coral Springs Aquatic Center and Pompano Beach Aquatic Center pools vying for gold, silver, and bronze medals with games beginning Friday morning and continuing through Sunday afternoon in South Florida.
A total of 55 teams have registered to play in men’s, women’s, and coed divisions ranging in age groups from 10 and Under Coed to Men’s and Women’s Open Divisions at the 25th Annual Sunshine State Games Water Polo Championships.
Besides 13 teams from Florida, reaching north to Gainesville and south to Miami, three international teams from the Bahamas, Ecuador, and Trinidad and Tobago will join the competition.
In the 16 and Under Boys Division, Mantas Bahamas Water Polo joins the eight-team bracket. The Trinidad and Tobago National 16U Female Team will play in the 16 and Under Girls Division and Leones del Water Polo, from Ecuador is in the 14 and Under Coed Division.
Two Leones teams traveled from Ecuador to play in the 2017 Sunshine State Games Water Polo Championships in the 12 and Under Coed and 18 and Under Boys Divisions.
The four teams that dominated the gold medal position on the medal stand at the 2017 SSG Water Polo Championships all return for the 2018 Games. The South Florida Water Polo Club, winners of three gold medals is represented in eight of the nine divisions. The Miami Riptides, winners of the Men’s and Women’s Open championships are playing in seven divisions. The Hialeah Storm, that won the 14 and Under Coed and Boy’s 16 and Under Championships, is registered in five divisions and the Girl’s 18 and Under division-winning Orlando Thunder has four teams in the water.
At the 2017 Games, the Riptides Women’s Open team featured 2016 Olympic Gold Medal winner Ashleigh Johnson as its goalkeeper.
This weekend is the fourth weekend of competitions during the month of June and the fifth weekend in the last six to host SSG events. Since February, over 7,000 athletes have competed in 18 sports held in 10 different Florida communities. For results of the past SSG competitions, please visit www.flasports.com/ssg-results-2.
The month of June concludes with badminton, Saturday, June 30, to be played at Shula’s Athletic Club in Miami Gardens. Online registration closes on Sunday, June 24 at 11:59 p.m. The 2018 Sunshine State Games Badminton Championships will also serve as a qualifier for the 2019 National Senior Games for athletes age 50 and over.
Upcoming Sunshine State Games Schedule of Events
Friday, June 22
9:30 a.m. – Sunshine State Games Water Polo, Pompano Beach Aquatic Center (Last game scheduled for 4:10 p.m.)
11:10 a.m. – Sunshine State Games Water Polo, Coral Springs Aquatic Center (Last game scheduled for 6:40 p.m.)
Saturday, June 23
7:00 a.m. – Sunshine State Games Water Polo, Coral Springs Aquatic Center (Last game scheduled for 5:50 p.m.)
7:50 a.m. – Sunshine State Games Water Polo, Pompano Beach Aquatic Center (Last game scheduled for 4:10 p.m.)
Sunday, June 24
7:50 a.m. – Sunshine State Games Water Polo, Coral Springs Aquatic Center (Final game scheduled for 3:20 p.m.)
Saturday, June 30-Sunday, July 1
Sunshine State Games Badminton, Shula’s Athletic Club, Miami Gardens, Start Times TBD
The 39th Annual Sunshine State Games, the State of Florida’s only Olympic-style Sports Festival, is presented annually by the Florida Sports Foundation (FSF), the state’s lead sports promotion and development organization, and a division of Enterprise Florida, Inc. The events of this weekend are held in conjunction with Broward County Sports Development.
The Sunshine State Games, an annual amateur sports tradition in Florida, is part of the state’s $57.4 billion sports industry that accounts for 580,000 jobs statewide.