FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 17, 2001


Tampa, Fort Lauderdale named host sites for cross country, swimming & diving state finals

GAINESVILLE – Hillsborough County Public Schools and the City of Fort Lauderdale's Hall of Fame Aquatic Complex have been awarded the 2001 and 2002 FHSAA Florida Finals state high school championship meets in cross country and swimming & diving respectively, the Florida High School Activities Association announced today.

The FHSAA Florida Cross Country Finals will be held at the newly built Ed Radice Sports Complex in north Tampa. Competition dates are November 17, 2001 and November 23, 2002. Leto High School will serve as the primary host member school for the event.

The FHSAA Florida Swimming & Diving Finals will be held at the Hall of Fame Aquatic Complex and the International Swimming Hall of Fame. Competition dates are November 15-17, 2001 and November 21-23, 2002. Host schools for the event will be Cardinal Gibbons High School in Class A, St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Class 2A and Plantation High School in Class 3A.

"We are deeply grateful to every organization that submitted proposals to host these two championship events," said Ron Allen, FHSAA Associate Commissioner for Athletic Operations. "Our staff spent many hours visiting the prospective venues and studying their proposals before making our recommendations to Commissioner (Robert W.) Hughes.

"Both venues have the facilities and personnel to ensure that participation in the FHSAA Florida Finals will be a first-class experience for competitors and coaches alike," Allen said. "The FHSAA staff looks forward to working with both host organizations over the next two years."

Proposals to host the FHSAA Florida Cross Country Finals were received from Columbia High School in Lake City, Fort Pierce Central High School, South Fork High School in Stuart and Hillsborough County Public Schools.

Proposals to host the FHSAA Florida Swimming & Diving Finals were received from Dr. Phillips High School of Orlando and West Orange High School of Winter Garden jointly for the Orlando International YMCA Aquatic Center, as well as the Hall of Fame Aquatic Complex.

The Florida High School Activities Association is the governing body for interscholastic athletic competition in Florida. It has a membership of 632 middle, junior and senior high schools.

The FHSAA annually conducts state championship series in 13 sports, each culminating with the FHSAA Florida Finals, in which the official state champions are crowned.

Contact:
Jack Watford
Director of Communications, FHSAA
(352) 372-9551 ext. 170
jwatford@fhsaa.org