These days athletes are always looking for the best edge. Science and sabermetrics have all but replaced the fabled “eye test”, in an age where mere civilians routinely track heart rate, calories burned and sleep efficiency, the advent of modern science has completely changed the way athletes train and perform. It’s made sense then, that the teams these athletes play for would also want in on the action.

The Sarasota Paradise, Sarasota’s premier pre-professional team that plays in United Soccer League Two (USL2), have joined the tech party. Coming off of just their second season, the Paradise have leveraged their recent success into becoming a bigger brand in 2024-25 than ever before. Last year, the Paradise took the USL2 by storm, posting a 8-1-3 record en route to capturing the South Florida Division title and securing their first postseason berth in franchise history.

Although the Paradise lost in the first round to Brave SC, their season was a resounding success. The team grew their fan base exponentially, routinely packing the house at Sarasota High School, where they call home. They attracted some of the best amateur talent in the nation, like striker Seth Mahlmiester, who helped steer the team to success. They even attracted new investors, when the Papanicholas family of the construction and development firm Nicholas & Associates, purchased an interest in the team. “The long term goal with this project will always be to have a professional team in Sarasota,” says founder Marcus Walfridson, who owns and operates the Paradise's controlling company, Audigr Group Inc.

This past week, the Paradise took another step towards their professional goals by investing in the artificial intelligence platform, Playmaker AI. The software, founded in 2016, is the latest and greatest technology to come to the soccer industry. Part of what Playmaker AI does is create individualized scouting reports for players, allowing Walfridson and his team to review a wider swath of potential players with more detail in a shorter period of time than they usually would. “This incredible software will play a pivotal role in the team’s future in that it will enable us to adopt cutting-edge technology for scouting and recruiting top-tier talent as we grow,” says Marcus Walfridson. “We are so impressed by it that we’ve invested in its expansion.” 

Pictured: from left to right Marcus Walfridson, owner of Audigr Group and Ola Lidmark Eriksson, founder of PlaymakerAI. Photo courtesy of The Sarasota Paradise.

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Sarasota Slam Pickleball Tournament, an annual event organized by the Sarasota High School Tennis Foundation that benefits athletics at Sarasota High School (SHS), recently announced it will be donating a portion of its proceeds from this year’s event to those displaced and affected by Hurricane Milton and Hurricane Helene. In its second year, the pickleball tournament will take place on Saturday, November 16 at Pompano Park in Sarasota from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Registered singles and doubles will participate in a round robin style tournament to compete for prizes in Advanced category. 30 percent of this year’s proceeds will go to All Faiths Food Bank, designated specifically to help storm victims, with the other remaining 70 percent supporting SHS athletics. Last year’s event welcomed 131 players and 14 sponsors, raising $8,000 for equipment and coaching for SHS student athletes. The presenting sponsor for the 2024 Sarasota Slam Pickleball Tournament is Seaward Homes, a Sarasota-based residential and commercial construction company. Other sponsors include: One Eight Oh PR, Benderson Development, Sweets Sparkman Architecture + Interiors, Gilbane Building Company, Stutler Strategies, US Submergent Technologies, Palm Printing, and Royal Tees. Additional sponsorship opportunities as low as $600 are still available. For more information, contact Jennifer Stutler at jstutler@stutlerstrategies.com or register a team online. 

Pictured: SHS student volunteers.

On Saturday, October 26, from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., law enforcement agencies throughout Sarasota County, will participate in the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Prescription Drug Take Back Campaign. Drug turn-in events address a vital public safety, public health, and environmental issue. Studies show that most abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from home medicine cabinets. 

Choral Artists of Sarasota’s 46th season offers a vibrant celebration of music that uplifts, inspires, and connects. As the region’s only professional choral ensemble, Choral Artists presents a diverse season of captivating performances, blending classical masterpieces with contemporary works designed to stir the soul and engage the community. The season includes five concerts in December, January, February, April, and May. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit ChoralArtistsSarasota.org or call 941-387-6046. 

Ford’s Garage, the burger and brew joint inspired by the heritage of the Ford Motor Company and designed to look and feel like a vintage 1920s service station, is giving back this October! In celebration of National First Responders Day on Oct. 28 and to honor and recognize the impactful contributions that first responders make in the community, Ford’s Garage restaurants will give all first responders a choice of a free American Standard Burger or a free entrée up to $15 when they dine at the restaurant that day. The American Standard features a half-pound of Black Angus beef, stacked with American Cheese, crisp lettuce, tomato, red onion and pickle planks on a brioche bun. The offer is valid for U.S. veterans or active duty military, police, firefighters, nurses, doctors and medical staff (with valid medical, state or federal service ID when dining in the restaurant on Oct. 28). The promotion is part of the Ford’s Garage partnership with First Responders Children’s Foundation (FRCF), a nonprofit organization that founded the honorary day and provides financial support to families of fallen police officers, firefighters, paramedics/EMTs, medical personnel and 911 dispatchers. Additionally, for Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Ford’s Garage is selling a limited-edition t-shirt benefiting Pink Fund through the end of October. T-shirts are $18 (see photo below) and 100 percent of the net proceeds will be donated to support Pink Fund’s mission to improve the lives of people in treatment for breast cancer through financial support, community engagement and education. For more information, visit www.fordsgarageusa.com. 

The Atlanta Braves have released game times for the 2025 Spring Training Schedule. With 12 games scheduled for 1:05 PM, two evening games slotted for 6:05 PM and the Minor League Breakout game set for 1:05 PM. Single Game tickets will go on sale at 11:00 AM at the 4th Annual Grilled Cheese Festival on November 23, 2024. For more information please follow our social media pages, with the links below, or visit our website www.cooltodaypark.com.  

Sarasota County Schools is pleased to announce that 18 of its schools have been recognized as Schools of Excellence by the Florida Department of Education. Section 1003.631, Florida Statutes, requires the State Board of Education to designate a school as a “School of Excellence” if the school’s percentage of possible points earned in its school grade calculation is in the 80th percentile or higher for schools comprised of the same grade groupings (elementary, middle, high, and combination) for at least two of the last three school years. This program was developed & created by the Florida Legislature back in 2017. Schools that initially qualify for the designation retain their designation as a School of Excellence for up to three years, at the end of which they have the opportunity to renew the designation. 

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From dramatic performances to comedies and musicals, from beautifully-detailed paintings to custom-designed crafts, our community has no shortage of cultural happenings and SRQ has the arts beat covered. With live performances and exhibitions taking place throughout the county, we have all you need to be a part of Sarasota's very vibrant 2024-2025 arts scene.

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