Perfect Season, Perfect Ending – The Southwest Florida Win 2025 United Grid League Championship
The United Grid League concluded its 2025 season this past weekend, featuring exciting finishes and close races.
- The Southwest Florida (SWFL) Sharks redeemed themselves by winning the crown after narrowly missing out last season by just two points.
“Last year we didn’t get the outcome we wanted, so at the very first team meeting this season, I told the players that I was going to give everything I had to win the championship, and all I asked was that they do the same,” Sharks head coach Francisco “Fico” Gomez told the Morning Chalk Up. “They delivered more than I could have ever imagined.”
Team co-captain Chelsea Raineri echoed her coach, “We were one race away from making it happen [last year] and fell short. Knowing that the majority of the team had returned this season, we constantly reminded ourselves of that feeling in the moment when we missed winning the championship. We knew that every race, every training session, and every moment truly mattered.”
- “I’m beyond happy that they earned this championship,” Gomez continued, “but even more proud of how this group has grown into a true family.”
The first athlete to sign with SWFL Sharks, Derek Anderson, added, “It feels surreal – like years of hard work, heartbreak, and persistence finally came full circle. Winning this championship isn’t just about the trophy; it’s about completing a journey we started back in 2017.”
Remind me: The championship match was held in Kissimmee, FL, on August 23. The Tampa Bay Brigade, Southwest Florida Sharks, Fort Lauderdale Lions, and Palm Beach Breakers competed first in their respective conference championship matches, from which the Lions and Sharks advanced to the final championship match.
- “This season was incredible,” Mather Wiswall, commissioner of the United Grid League, told Morning Chalk Up. “The talent in the League is way up, the matches were as competitive as ever, attendance records were broken, views are up, and feedback has been amazing. The sport is going in the right direction. I’m honored to be a part of it.”
The details: The final match between the Sharks and the Lions was a close contest, with the athletes competing fiercely until the very end.
- The last race was the “Sprint Relay,” which consisted of eight movements, including triple touches, burpee box jump overs, and wall balls. But at the fastest pace a CrossFit likely has ever seen.
The Lions led at the start, but the Sharks quickly took control during the single dumbbell pistol thrusters. The Sharks maintained their momentum and won the match, securing a victory that clinched their championship.
- “When we won, it was an unexpected flood of emotions,” utility specialist and 2022 UGL MVP, Sammy Nalley, told the Morning Chalk Up. “You’re focused on competing and the tasks at hand, and then all of a sudden you get flashes of what everyone of your teammates has been through to get there…balancing being an athlete, parenting, working, moving, going to school, and everything life throws at you and still finding time to work hard for your team.”
The Sharks had a perfect season, going undefeated across 24 races. “Something about this season and everyone’s efforts told me this was our year,” team co-captain Sam Martin told the Morning Chalk Up.
- CrossFit Games veteran and Sharks off-season pick-up, Kelsey Kiel, summed it up, “I’ve been on a lot of teams, but the closeness with this team is something different. We’ve all seen each other through real-life stuff with our jobs, families, moves, struggles, and triumphs…That’s what made this championship so dang special!”
One last thing: The United Grid League is growing, adding a new team from New York, the New York Wolves, next season.
Wiswall says he and his team are already working on plans for 2026, and fans can expect more teams, more events, and an even better production.
Credit: @_haleysphotographs_ / Instagram
