The Lake Mary All-Stars are heading to the U.S. semifinal of the Little League Baseball World Series. Facing elimination, Lake Mary fended off a late rally from Hawaii to win 4-3 on Wednesday night to advance to the final four of the U.S. bracket in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Lake Mary plays again tonight against Paseo Verde, Nevada of the Mountain Region. Game is slated for 7 p.m. on ESPN.

Around The Horn.

• The Lake Mary All-Stars continue their quest for a Little League World Series championship after pulling off a thrilling 4-3 victory against Hawaii last night. The All-Stars currently have a record of 4-1 in the tournament thus far, and will look to put together a complete performance against Paseo Verde, Nevada at 7:00pm tonight.
• Local Edgewater High School is returning to the US with a win after defeating NFL Academy 51-45 in a Kickoff Classic preseason game played in Loughborough, England. The Eagles, ranked No. 57 in the High School Football America 300 national rankings, will open the regular season against Wekiva High School tomorrow night at 7:00pm.
• Orlando City SC returns to MLS regular season play following a multi-week hiatus to compete in the 2024 Leagues Cup tournament. The Lions (9-9-7) will visit Sporting Kansas City this Saturday, August 24 for an 8:30pm match that can be streamed on Apple TV.
• The Orlando Pride have acquired defender Carson Pickett from Racing Louisville FC in exchange for allocation money. Pickett returns to Orlando after previously playing for the Pride in the 2018-2020 seasons, and will look to make an immediate impact as the club seeks its first-ever NWSL championship. The Pride return to regular season play this Saturday, August 23 when they travel to face the Houston Dash.
• The Orlando Solar Bears are offering an exclusive combo ticket deal for the Tampa Bay Lightning preseason game and the Solar Bears' opening game against the Savannah Ghost Pirates. The Lightning will play on September 25, while the Solar Bears begin their season on October 26. The ticket deal can be purchased on the team website.
• Jones High School defeated Seminole High School 43-21 last Saturday night in the eighth annual 2024 Legacy Classic played at Camping World Stadium. Held since 2016, the Legacy Classic is part of Florida Citrus Sports' year-round engagement in The Communities of West Lakes, which includes the Jones campus.
• UCF welcomed former Knight and NFL player Shaquem Griffin into the 2024 UCF Athletics Hall of Fame class during the Countdown to Kickoff Luncheon last week. Griffin, who earned MVP honors at the 2018 Peach Bowl and became the first player without a hand to get selected in the NFL draft, was surprised with this distinction following his keynote speech at the event.
• The Athleta presents Gold Over America Tour (GOAT), starring Simone Biles and the best-of-the-best female and male competitors from the gymnastics world, will be leaping into 30 arenas around the US this fall with a high-flying and high-energy, gymnastics-meets-pop-concert spectacle. The GOAT show will be coming to Orlando's Kia Center for one show only on Saturday, October 12.
• The Orlando Magic will kick off the Emirates NBA Cup 2024 with a home game against the Charlotte Hornets on November 12. The Magic will also host the Philadelphia 76ers in a group stage match on November 15, and tickets for both games are currently on sale. The tournament, which will consist of two stages including group play and the knockout rounds, starts November 12 and will end with the title game on December 17 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

GO Sports is proud to announce five award winners that will be honored during the 2024 Celebrating Women in Sports Luncheon presented by Orlando Health Jewett Orthopedic Institute. Congratulations to Tiffany, Angela, Joanne, Grace and Pennie!

If you haven't purchased your table for 2024, reach out to Michael or Chase on our team today and join us to celebrate this year's class of award winners (announced at a later date) and hear from our 2024 featured speaker, Hall of Fame broadcaster and lead NBA Analyst for ESPN and ABC, Doris Burke. For more information, visit https://greaterorlandosports.com/celebrating-women-in-sports/

Michael Kalinich - michael@greaterorlandosports.com

Chase DeMayo - cdemayo@greaterorlandosports.com

Join the Orlando Pride at Inter&Co Stadium on Sunday, September 1st at 6:00pm to welcome back seven players from the 2024 Paris Olympics and cheer on the NWSL's top team! Purchase your tickets through the link below and receive a special discount off the single match rate.

In The News.

• The election results from Florida's August 2024 primary election for federal, state, circuit, county and city races in Orange, Seminole, Osceola and Lake counties are in! View the full list of elected officials and their margins of victory.
• Nemours Children's Health received one of its largest donations to fund cancer research and more. The nonprofit health system announced earlier this week a $7 million donation from the Pass It On To Kids Foundation, which will advance research using the Zika virus to eliminate neuroblastoma and ovarian cancers. In addition to research, $1 million of the donation will support the Child Life department's music therapy program.
• Downtown Orlando is alive with a unique art installation as part of DTOLive! This installation, known as Big City Birds, features 16-foot-tall, neon inflatable pigeons. Created in partnership with United Arts of Central Florida and The Creative City Project, this eye-catching display invites you to rethink urban wildlife and join the conversation about our feathered friends.
• Orange County is rolling out a new initiative called 'Ready Set Orange' designed to increase available housing. The plan seeks to speed up and encourage the buildup of starter homes and accessory dwelling units by offering eight pre-approved floor plans for small, detached homes. Landowners can apply for approval of their desired plan through the county.
• The Hyatt Regency Orlando, one of the region's largest convention hotels, has been sold for $1.02 billion to Los-Angeles based Ares Management and Houston-based Rida Development - the nation's largest hotel deal of the year. The sale of the 1,641-room hotel located on International Drive comes out to nearly $622,000 per guest room, and the structured deal has Hyatt retaining a financial stake in the business.
• A new luxury hotel project is in the works near Walt Disney World Resort according to plans filed last week in Orange County. The project, titled MB Resort, features a 19-story, 199-room hotel tower rising 200 feet in the air. A floor plan reveals a mix of room sizes and amenities, including a spa, gym, coworking space, an arcade, restaurant, bar, rooftop and a pool area.
• Lake-Sumter State College has began construction on a new workforce development center at its Leesburg campus. The center will be a 40,000-square-foot facility that will allow community members and employers to interact with students at the college. The $17.5 million project will be paid for by state funding approved last year, and is set to be completed in late 2025.

Visit Orlando's Magical Dining presented by Orlando Health is back and better than ever! Don't miss your chance to enjoy three course, prix-fixe dinners at a record-breaking 150+ top Orlando restaurants for just $40 or $60 per person, plus tax and gratuity. The lineup includes nine MICHELIN Guide honorees, as well as 24 venues participating for the first time.

A stellar mix of athletes, coaches and support team members has been tapped for induction into the Florida Sports Hall of Fame as part of the 2024 class. The eight-member class represents six different sports and includes a seven-time NBA All-Star, a Super Bowl winner, women’s World Cup champion, a 14-time NCAA Track & Field Championship Coach, a World Golf Hall of Fame member, a four-time national champion cheerleading coach and the first-ever athletic trainer. The eight will be inducted in a star-studded ceremony to be held at the Kia Center in Orlando on October 16.

Stay Engaged.

• The Epcot Food & Wine Festival is approaching quickly at Walt Disney World with new locations and a bulk of new menu items. The event, which begins on August 29, will have a couple of global marketplaces based in the newly-constructed CommuniCore Hall as well as all-new food menus for the Mexico, Italy and Flavors of America marketplaces. View the full list of menu additions and location changes.
• Universal Orlando has released more details about its under-construction Helios Grand Hotel, a resort adjacent to its future Epic Universe theme parks. Helios will be an extension of Epic's Celestial Park area, which serves as the entrance to the attraction and the hub to four additional theme-park lands. Among the hotel's amenities: a starry theme, rooftop bar and vistas of the park.
• SeaWorld Orlando has brought back its Fun Card deal for admission to the theme park for the rest of 2024 and 2025. The current Fun Card price is $137.99, with a version that includes access to Aquatica water park available for $198.99. The deal is valid for residents of the US and Canada, and can be purchased on the SeaWorld Orlando website.
• The Orlando Boat Show floats into Central Florida once again as boaters of all backgrounds and interests are welcomed to the event at the Orange County Convention Center. With a selection display of approximately 500 boats from more than 80 manufacturers, the three-day event starts tomorrow and will conclude this Sunday, August 25.
• Do you work downtown? Join the Downtown Orlando Partnership from September 9-12 for its inaugural Downtown Employee Appreciation Week presented by the Downtown Development Board! The free come-and-go event will reward downtown Orlando’s dedicated workforce with a fun-filled week of incentives, daily giveaways, live music, employee discounts and more.
• Florida residents can save up to $65 on select multi-day tickets at Universal Orlando theme parks when buying online. Click here for current offers.
• Florida residents can save big while visiting Walt Disney World Resort theme parks. Click here to view the current list of special offers.

In The Community.

GO Sports President & CEO Jason Siegel was interviewed by Ryan Elijah of FOX 35 Orlando earlier this week.

GO Sports President & CEO Jason Siegel and his wife Sarah Grafton attended the UCF Countdown to Kickoff Luncheon at Addition Financial Arena last week, pictured with keynote speaker and former NFL player Shaquem Griffin and Cliff Marvin (UCF).

GO Sports Executive VP Jennifer Lastik attended the Greater Orlando WISE Within Mentor Program's mid-year celebration, pictured with members from the Orlando chapter's mentorship program.

GO Sports President & CEO Jason Siegel presented to the Private Business Association of Seminole County last week at Heathrow Country Club, pictured with Michelle Smith (PBAS) and Jeremy Kupsch (Orlando Teen Challenge).

GO Sports President & CEO Jason Siegel, his wife Sarah Grafton and board member Jesse Martinez (Celeste Hotel) attended the UCF Countdown to Kickoff Luncheon last week at Addition Financial Arena.

The GO Sports team attended the UCF Countdown to Kickoff Luncheon at Addition Financial Arena last week, pictured with Ryan Ritchie (Seminole County) and UCF running back Johnny Richardson.

Corporate Partner Spotlight.

GO Sports is proud to welcome our newest corporate partner, Holiday Inn Resort Orlando Lake Buena Vista! For more information, click the logo above.

Thank you for supporting sports tourism in Greater Orlando!

Fun & Games.

• What's Happening: Orange County Things To Do
• What's Happening: Seminole County Things To Do
• What's Happening: Osceola County Things To Do
• What's Happening: Lake County Things To Do