Big-time team championships, individual successes and inevitable heartbreak.
2016 had it all.
If nothing else, the year was a memorable one.
What better time to start the fond remembrances than now?
Here's a look back at some of the best sports pictures and moments of the past 12 months.
Then- Sarasota sophomore Jaasiel Torres cleared 6 feet, 4 inches to finish third in the high jump at the Class 4A state meet on May 6 at IMG Academy. Photo by Jen Blanco.
Then-Sarasota senior tennis player Sam Maxwell advanced to the No. 3 singles final at the Class 4A District 8 tournament held on March 30 and 31. He defeated Garrett Kelly of Lakewood Ranch 6-0, 6-1, to get there. Photo by Jen Blanco.
Gracie and Colleen Brasacchio practice their synchronized swimming routine on March 24. The sisters have competed in the sport together for 10 years. They practice three days a week in the water for a total of eight hours. Photo by Jen Blanco.
Then-Sarasota Christian junior pitcher Jordan Schmucker baffles the Gulf Coast HEAT on April 19. Schmucker went six innings allowing just one run, and also hit a home run himself. The Blazers won 10-1. Photo by Jen Blanco.
Sarasota triathlete Linda Bayne stretches on Oct. 18 before a swim session on Siesta Beach. Bayne, a “punk rock hippie” who qualified for the 2017 Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Chattanooga, Tenn., loves pushing her body to its limits.
Jake Ilardi, then 19, trains for the Skateboard Street Amateur event at X Games Austin 2016 on June 3. Ilardi finished fifth with a score of 82.00. Ilardi is an Osprey resident. Photo by Jen Blanco.
Eliot Bergbauer, a then-freshman at Sarasota Military Academy, skates for the Tampa 2001 Hockey Club on May 12. Bergbauer plays both forward and defense for the club. Photo by Jen Blanco.
The Sarasota Christian Middle School cheerleading team won the national championship at the Florida Cheer & Dance Association Nationals on April 23. It was the program' s first year back after a 20-year hiatus. Courtesy photo.
Then-Booker interim football coach Dumaka Atkins instructs his team at practice on Nov. 1. Atkins took over the team at 0-2 and turned the program around, coming within a game of a playoff spot. Atkins, a Booker alumnus, is now the permanent head coach.
The Sarasota Ski-A-Rees ballet section performs on Oct. 23. The Ski-A-Rees The Ski-A-Rees were crowned Southern Region Show Ski Champions in June by the National Show Ski Association, the team’s first regional title since 2005.
