Andrew Torgeshev Follows Sunshine State Games Plan from a Local Skating Rink to an International Stage
Andrew Torgeshev Follows Sunshine State Games Plan from a Local Skating Rink to an International Stage
By Nick Gandy
Olympic Figure Skater Andrew Torgeshev completed his journey to Milan 2026 just the way his origins in the sport began, in the Sunshine State Games.
The Sunshine State Games was created in 1980 to provide an opportunity for Florida amateur athletes to reach the highest levels of competition, while starting in the comforts of their home state.
At the 2006 Sunshine State Games Figure Skating Championships, at what was then known as Incredible Ice, in Coral Springs, a four-year old Andrew Torgeshev, 17 days shy of his fifth birthday, skated on to the ice to begin his 20-year journey to the 2026 Olympic Games.
He won a gold medal in the Special Free Skate C Boys event, topping Ivan Sokolov, of Naples and Jack Matthews, from Coral Springs.
Torgeshev (pictured at right with his family, photo courtesy of Betty Stark) refined his talents in the Sunshine State Games skating for eight consecutive years through the 2013 Games. He advanced each year through the Novice Division in 2013 when he was 12 years old.
In 2014, he made his first trip abroad to skate in the 2014 Junior Grand Prix, in the Czech Republic. Since that time, he has represented the U.S. and the Panthers Figure Skating Club in over 50 competitions, in locations around the world.
“We’re very proud of Andrew’s accomplishments,” said Panthers Figure Skating Club President and former Sunshine State Games Figure Skating Sport Director, Betty Stark. “He just kept advancing and moving up the ladder. He trained here in Broward County, then moved to Colorado and is now in California. The Club supported him early on helping him with expenses to travel to regional, sectional and national events.”
In December, 2025, he returned home for the first time in two years.
“I just wanted to remind myself where I came from and how far this journey has actually brought me,” he told NBC6 Miami.
It was for the annual Panthers Figure Skating Club Annual Holiday Show at the Amerant Bank Arena, the home ice of the Florida Panthers.
“My purpose of coming here is to take myself away from the competitive aspect and focus on the joy to get back to the roots of why I started this in the first place,” he said.
At the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milan, Torgeshev finished 12th overall in the Men’s Singles Skating, in a field of 29 skaters. He recorded a personal best in the Short Program in Milan.
For those wanting to follow in his footsteps from the Sunshine State Games to the Olympic Games is simple.
“Enjoy what you’re doing. Enjoy the people around you. Because with this like positivity and support, then great things happen,” he said.
Torgeshev joins a long list of athletes who earned one of their first competitive medals at the Sunshine State Games. Among those who have marched in an Olympic Opening Ceremony are Roy Jones, Jr. (Boxing, Pensacola), Ryan Lochte (Swimming, Daytona Beach), Angelica Delgado (Judo, Miami), Ashleigh Johnson (Water Polo, Miami), Brian Olson (Judo, Tallahassee), Ato Hand (Judo, Tallahassee), Cece Williams (Swimming, Tallahassee), Antonio Tarver (Boxing, Orlando), Justin Gatlin (Track and Field, Pensacola) and Jennifer Rodriguez (Speed Skating, Miami).
The 2026 Sunshine State Games Figure Skating Championships are scheduled for May 14-17, at Advent Health Center Ice in Wesley Chapel. Visit www.sunshinestategames.com/figure-skating for more information. Look for a full calendar of 2026 Sunshine State Games events to be announced in the near future.
Nick Gandy is a 40-year sports communications professional who has worked with the Florida Sports Foundation, the state of Florida’s lead sports promotion and development organization, since 1998.