GAINESVILLE, FL (11/17/16) – The Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) and the Gainesville Sports Commission have entered into a one-year agreement to host the 2017 Florida High School Competitive Cheerleading State Championships Jan. 28-29 at the Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center on the campus of the University of Florida.

“We are excited to bring an FHSAA championship event back to the University of Florida campus,” FHSAA Executive Director Dr. Roger Dearing said. “The recent renovations to the O’Connell Center will significantly improve the experience of our student-athletes, coaches and fans in attendance this January.”

Tickets cost $10 and will go on sale in early January. Parking will be free. For a list of official hotels, please click here. Preliminaries will be broadcast live on the NFHS Network at www.NFHSNetwork.com. Spectrum Sports will air two recap shows of the finals following the event at www.FloridaGames.MySpectrumSports.com.

The GSC is looking forward to partnering with the FHSAA in hosting this wonderful event,” GSC Executive Director Joleen Cacciatore said. “This event, combined with the newly-renovated O’Connell Center, will showcase all of the positive qualities that make Gainesville a go-to destination for championship athletic events.”

The 10,000-plus seat Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center is currently finishing up a $64.5 million renovation. Fans of competitive cheerleading will walk through the new grand entrance on the east side of the venue and experience new chairback seating, new state-of-the-art audio and visual systems (including a center-hung scoreboard), a club level, and a full-round concourse level with new bathrooms and concession areas.

For more information on the FHSAA, follow them on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat by searching for “FHSAA.”

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 almost 800 middle, junior and senior high schools statewide. Headquartered in Gainesville, it is the official governing body for interscholastic athletics in Florida.

Original Article: https://www.fhsaa.org/news/2016/1117