GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Lake Mary High School was named the winner of the 2023 Sunshine State Spirit Showdown. Lake Mary beat out twenty-four spirited competitors to claim the title of best student section in Florida. 

The Florida High School Athletic Association kicked off this competition in 2014 to promote sportsmanship and celebrate school spirit among member schools. 

Student sections are an essential component when it comes to supporting athletic teams. The athletes and teams feed off the fans excitement and are there to cheer them on through the good plays and the bad ones.

The members of the FHSAA’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee scored the entries on the criteria of sportsmanship, participation, organization of students, and spirit conveyed through the submissions. Fans showed their support by voting for their favorite video via social media, which contributed to the overall scores.

"FHSAA member schools are awesome! The effort and school spirit displayed in this year’s Sunshine State Spirit Showdown is what high school sports is all about. Every school captured the creativity and passion of their students in their respective videos. The Sunshine State Spirit Showdown provides the perfect opportunity for our member schools to showcase their school pride while promoting sportsmanship in a competitive manner. Thank you to all member schools who participated in this annual event.” Said Craig Damon, Executive Director of the FHSAA.

The FHSAA will send Lake Mary a commemorative plaque and a personalized banner that they can present at a ceremony to notably honor the 2023 champions.

Lake Mary’s winning video and those submitted by the twenty-four other finalists can be found on the FHSAA’s YouTube Channel.

For more information about the Sunshine State Spirit Showdown visit the Sunshine Spirit Showdown information page.

For additional updates, follow @FHSAA on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat. Use #FLSquad, the official hashtag for the Sunshine State Spirit Showdown, to join the conversation.


About the FHSAA
The Florida High School Athletic Association supervises and regulates interscholastic athletic programs for high school students at member public, private and charter schools. The organization also recognizes and honors academic achievement among student-athletes at over 800 middle, junior and senior high schools statewide. Headquartered in Gainesville, it is the official governing body for interscholastic athletics in Florida.

About the SAAC
The Student-Athlete Advisory Committee will provide a voice in the FHSAA governance structure to the Association’s largest constituency – the more than 240,000 participating student-athletes. The committee will focus on the following areas: current issues facing student-athletes, input regarding rules and regulations, input on FHSAA special initiatives (e.g., sportsmanship program), and promoting a positive image of the student-athlete.