Meet the Southwest Florida 2023 Special Olympics Athlete of the Year Award finalists
Unified Sports have become a staple in Southwest Florida schools and to support their growth, The News-Press and Naples Daily News annually recognize our area's Special Olympic athletes.
We will honor some of these incredible athletes as we have selected four in conjunction with Special Olympics Florida in Lee and Collier counties to be finalists for the 2023 Special Olympics Athlete of the Year Award. The winner of the award will be announced during the Southwest Florida Sports Awards presented by Babcock Ranch Thursday at Florida SouthWestern's Suncoast Arena. Olympic swimming great Dara Torres will be the keynote speaker for the event, which begins at 7 p.m.
More: Dara Torres to be guest speaker at the 2023 Southwest Florida High School Sports Awards
More: Area's top high school athletes, teams honored at the Southwest Florida Sports Awards
Here are our four athletes selected for Southwest Florida Special Olympics Athlete of the Year:
Anthony Heimann
School: Fort Myers
Anthony is a two-year varsity letterman in Unified Basketball and Bowling. He was a key part of the Green Wave's Top 4 finish at this year's FHSAA State Bowling Championships, as well as the leading scorer on the state runner-up basketball team. Anthony is an inspiration to his teammates. He suffered a medical episode in March 2022 and was unable to participate in any athletic activities until August. He was determined to participate in Unified Sports for his last school year and did everything necessary to be cleared. Anthony also maintains a 3.98 GPA and is known on campus as "MVP" to his classmates.
Camryn Ramsey
School: Golden Gate
Camryn participated on Golden Gate's first bowling team. She was instrumental in recruiting partners for the team and took on a leadership role by being team captain. She never missed a practice and was always striving to better her game with each frame. She improved her average by 15 pins by the end of the season. During the team's trip to Orlando for the state tournament, Camryn not only was a great teammate on the lanes but helped one of her teammates who was nervous about taking her first overnight trip. She pumped her up and made sure she felt safe and secure.
Joy Warf
School: Cape Coral
This year Joy had an integral role in the Cape Coral Unified Sports programs. Joy competed in basketball and track and field and had a leadership role on Inclusion Day. Joy is always enthusiastic about practices and competitions, and her presence brightens everyone’s day. In basketball, Joy excelled at rebounding, passing, and shooting and was always one of the hardest workers and provided great support for teammates who were less sure of themselves. In track and field, Joy showed her athletic versatility and competed in the long jump and sprint relays. One of her relay teams was awarded a first-place ribbon for winning their race. In addition, Joy is a fantastic student in the classroom where she has earned all As and Bs this year.
Freddie Williams
School: Cypress Lake
Freddie has competed in Unified Basketball for the last five years and has helped the Panthers finish in the final 8 at states each time. Last year, Freddie also participated on the state championship community basketball team from Lee County. This year Freddie led the team in scoring at 15 points per game. Freddie has competed in Unified bowling for the last three years and has finished in the top 10 individually twice. Freddie has competed in track and soccer as well. Off the playing field, Freddie won the school superlative as best dancer and has performed during school pep rallies. He has also been hired as a part-time staff member in the school's cafeteria.
More: SWFL 2023 All-Region Teams: Baseball, Softball, Lacrosse, Track, Tennis, Boys Weightlifting
More: The 2023 Southwest Florida Sports Awards Winter All-Region Teams sponsored by Babcock Ranch
More: The 2022 Southwest Florida Sports Awards Fall All-Region Teams sponsored by Babcock Ranch
IF YOU GO
WHAT: 2023 Southwest Florida High School Sports Awards, presented by Babcock Ranch.
WHEN: Thursday. Doors open at 6 p.m. Show starts at 7 p.m.
WHERE: Suncoast Credit Union Arena
NOMINATED ATHLETES: All nominated athletes must register for a free ticket. Nominated athletes register here.
TICKETS: All guests of nominated athletes need tickets for entry. Tickets will not be sold at the door. Tickets can be purchased here: sportsawards.usatoday.com/swflorida/.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Here are the SWFL 2023 Special Olympics Athlete of the Year Award finalists
