GAINESVILLE, Fla.-Fort Walton Beach High School was named the winner of the 2025 Sunshine State Spirit Showdown. Fort Walton beat out two 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.
"The 2025 Sunshine Spirit Showdown was outstanding! FHSAA member schools went above and beyond to capture and showcase their school and community spirit with this year's submissions. Every school captured the creativity and passion of their students in their respective videos. Thank you to all member schools who participated in this annual event. Congratulations to Fort Walton Beach High School on winning the 2025 Sunshine State Spirit Showdown. Your exceptional school spirit and sportsmanship have earned you this well-deserved title. As a previous champion in 2022, your continued dedication to fostering a vibrant and supportive community is truly inspiring.” Said Craig Damon, Executive Director of the FHSAA.
The FHSAA will send Fort Walton Beach a commemorative plaque and a personalized banner that they can present at a ceremony to notably honor the 2025 champions.
Fort Walton Beach’s winning video and those submitted by the two 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 nearly 850 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 300,000 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.