The United Grid League will conclude its regular season this weekend, providing teams with a final opportunity to qualify for the playoffs and the championship match in August.
- The Southwest Florida Sharks are considered favorites heading into the weekend, boasting a talented roster of CrossFit elite athletes, including Dana Paran and Kelsey Kiel.
Check out this weekend’s match schedule here.
Remind me: The United Grid League (UGL) season started in May. Each team plays four regular-season games, and the top two teams from each conference (East and West) move on to the playoffs and then face off in a conference championship. The winners of those games advance to the league championship.
The details: The final matches will take place in Mesquite, TX, from July 12 to July 13. Each team will play twice during the weekend. The playoffs and the championship will be held on August 23.
The most dominant team this season has been the Southwest Florida Sharks.
The team’s roster of 19 players features athletes with a diverse range of skills and specialties, including gymnastics, strength, bodyweight, and utility.
- “They’re basically the best team ever at the midpoint of a regular season,” Mather Wiswall, the United Grid League’s head of media and commissioner, told the Morning Chalk Up in an interview.
Kiel joined the UGL after retiring from elite CrossFit. She has been to the CrossFit Games five times and was named a UGL rookie to watch for 2025.
- Last year the Sharks made the playoffs for the first time, and they are looking to repeat the effort this year.
We “are extremely excited going into this last weekend of the regular season, especially with the success we’ve had in the first two matches,” the Sharks’ co-captain and bodyweight specialist, Chelsea Raineri, told the Morning Chalk Up.
- “We understand, though, it only matters as long as we get to the championship match like we did last season, but [this time] dial it in so we can bring home the win,” she continued.
The Underdogs
Another team to watch is the Palm Beach Breakers, according to Wiswall.
The team has never made the playoffs before, and they’re well-positioned to (hopefully) make the next stage of competition.
- “They really landed on stable ground this year,” says Wiswall.
One of the significant risks they took was bringing in players from another team (which moved locations) and adding them into the mix.
The players came from the Daytona Venom, which is now the Las Vegas Venom, and it has paid off thus far.
- The new players added to the team, coupled with retaining the best players from previous seasons, “has really positioned them [Breakers] well and they’re near the top in a lot of their race performances as well,” said Wiswall.
Other teams to watch are the Ft Lauderdale Lions and the Tampa Bay Brigade.
- “I’m excited to play the new team – the Houston Bandits – this weekend, as well as the veteran team of the Brigade,” Raineri added, “Can’t wait to be on the grid with all of these amazing players. Everyone in this league works their ass off and so getting together and showing up for one another is the best part!”
Individuals to Watch
Alec Smith: Speaking of the Las Vegas Venom, one of its team members is elite CrossFit athlete Alec Smith. He had an impressive season and is a versatile player with a unique skill set, combining gymnastics and strength.
- “The fact that he has all that extremely high level of capability is really the root of how he’s able to contribute so well,” says Wiswall.
Dan Tai: The British athlete is part of the Tampa Bay Brigade and has been traveling from England to play every match. Tai is a former Games athlete and professional rugby player in the UK, with a large following on social media.
Loredana Niroda: A former Romanian gymnast and avid UGL fan will compete with the South Beach Palms in the final match of the season. Niroda told Wiswall it was her lifelong dream to play on a UGL team, and she’ll make that dream come true by flying all the way from Dubai.
One Last Thing
Tickets for the final match can be found on the UGL website. A livestream is also available for those who want to watch from home.
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