Sharks make history | SWFL United Grid League team first back-to-back champs
A growing sport that pushes the mental and physical limits of the body has seen a team from Southwest Florida win back-to-back championships for the first time in league history.
The SW Florida Sharks once again captured the United Grid League Championship last month, repeating as the top team in the professional co-ed fitness racing sport.
This is the first time in Grid League history a team has won two-straight titles, as the Sharks won three matches in one weekend, making history with a win over the Fort Lauderdale Lions.
While players that represent the Sharks come from all over the state and beyond, one player, Valerie Cintron, calls Cape Coral home.
Cintron is the co-owner, general manager, and main coach at Shark Bite Fitness in the Cape and also competes as a professional Grid League athlete.
It’s been difficult to wrap her head around being the first back-to-back champs.
“It feels kind of surreal. I don’t think I’ve processed it yet. It kind of felt impossible until we got our redemption in the postseason, because we finished the regular season in not the best spot,” Cintron said. “When we found out that we were in the playoffs, I knew we could do it if everyone came in prepared. I think it was a big weight off our shoulders once we got through that weekend. Expectations and pressure weighed heavily on everyone.”
Entering the 2026 season, the Sharks were coming off an undefeated 2025 campaign.
“We were pretty much unstoppable in 2025, and we had a really strong roster,” Cintron said. “This season just presented us with different life circumstances…everyone was just facing their own adversities, which made it a little bit more of a bumpy road. We had to work harder this year for it.
“It was an insane weekend. I’m really thankful for a deep roster and a talented team so that we can pick up and help each other as far as our assignments go.”
Other than dealing with intersquad obstacles, the competition in the growing Grid League also brought more competitors to the table.
A Grid League contest is a race-based game requiring intense teamwork, high-skill athleticism, and detailed strategy. It is also the world’s first spectator team sport featuring men and women competing alongside and against one another.
So, how does it work? The Grid is an 80-foot playing surface with two parallel lanes, one for each team. Both lanes run the same direction: from a start zone, through quadrants 1 to 4, to a finish zone. According to a description from the league, men and women compete on the same team (nine of each gender), and each match is a series of short, high-skill races that include strength and bodyweight movements, gymnastics, and sprints. Players specialize as strength specialists, bodyweight specialists, or utility players, so a player is not penalized for having a particular weakness.
Teams are awarded points based on their performance, and whichever team has the most points at the end of the match are declared the winners. Winning a race (11 total) earns two points, with one point awarded if a team finishes inside the time cap. Zero points are given if a team finishes outside of the time cap. Three points are awarded for the sprint relay winners, which is the final race, and one point of the second-place team finishes inside the time cap.
Players, throughout varying disciplines, perform actions such as overhead squats, burpees, snatch, handstand push-ups, varying muscle-ups, deadlifts, farmers carry, and many more.
Grid League is now nationwide after starting as the Florida Grid League in 2017.
Cintron got involved in Grid League in 2021 thanks to her business partner, Nick Havich. He was the original owner of the Sharks (still a part-owner), and through their relationship, Cintron was asked to be part of the roster.
Cintron was a gymnast growing up, played competitive soccer, and was a collegiate diver.
“I’ve always loved having something to work towards and to push myself to be better at, and this is something where when I was asked to be on the team, I didn’t think I was at the level or good enough to do it yet,” she said. “But then I got into the sport, and I saw all the other amazing athletes and it pushed me to be better and gave me new goals to strive towards.
“I kind of started at the bottom and was able to work my way up to try and get really good at the specific things that I was responsible for.”
Cintron is what’s called a utility player — a jack of all trades if you will.
She said her specialties include handstand walking, as well as dumbbell and kettlebell movements.
“But I’m kind of just thrown in wherever is needed,” Cintron said. “I don’t have one thing that I’m the best in the world at, but I can do most things pretty well.”
Competing in such a high-energy, high-stakes environment naturally builds camaraderie and bonds between the team.
Cintron said she’s met some of her best friends through Grid League, including the coach and owner of the SW Florida Sharks, Francisco “Fico” Gomez.
“Being on a team helps you create bonds with people because you’re putting yourself through these really hard things that nobody else can understand or relate to,” she said. “I’ve had a lot of fun creating those relationships and memories with people on our team, because we’re all in the thick of it together and working towards a common goal.”
Grid League athletes go through a grueling season that runs nearly half of the year. Cintron said since teammates are spread out, they communicate via group messaging and are expected to work on their disciplines as part of their individual daily workouts before coming together for competitions.
“The training is constant,” she said. “And throughout a six-month-long season, when you’re trying to move weights as heavy and as fast as possible, it definitely takes a toll.”
From when she started in 2021 until now, Cintron said the sport and athletes are evolving, forcing everyone to level up.
“I think it’s a reflection of the work the athletes are doing, as well as the growth of the league itself,” she said. “Team owners and coaches are recruiting higher level athletes to perform and compete against each other.”
So, why should a high-level athlete get into Grid League?
“It’s special because it gives you an opportunity to shine at the things you’re really good at,” Cintron said. “If there’s something you’re really passionate about or really excel at, it’s an opportunity to highlight that on a team and play an important role.”
Most of all, the sport is really fun to watch.
“That’s kind of the whole point,” Cintron said. “It was created to be a spectator sport. You don’t have to necessarily know what’s going on to understand if somebody is winning or losing in a race. Watch a match, see what it’s all about.”
For more information on the SW Florida Sharks and the United Grid League, visit unitedgridleague.com/sharks/.