Palms news · Match
Grid League 2025 – Palms vs Wild
In a dramatic conclusion to the regular season, the Atlanta Wild and South Beach Palms delivered an intense back-and-forth battle that kept fans on the edge of their seats until the final race. The match at Grid League headquarters featured remarkable comebacks, technical brilliance, and crushing mistakes that shifted momentum throughout the evening.
The Palms dominated early, showcasing their coordination and strength in the opening races. In Race 1, despite multiple faults on both sides, South Beach secured a win in the Partner Forward event, where athletes tackled overhead squats paired with burpee box jumpovers of increasing difficulty.
South Beach continued their strong start in Race 2’s Mirror event, maintaining a slight lead throughout the 40 shoulder-to-overhead movements spread across four quadrants. While the Wild managed to finish within the time cap, the Palms claimed another victory to extend their advantage.
The gap widened further when Bryleigh Hansen delivered a flawless performance in the Ringer Point back handspring event, completing her routine with precision while Wild’s last-minute substitute Carrie Billington struggled with line placement.
By the midpoint of the match, South Beach had built what appeared to be an insurmountable 11-2 lead after sweeping both Echo races despite valiant efforts from the Wild.
“We’ve been emphasizing consistency in our transitions,” a Grid League analyst noted during the broadcast. “South Beach executed their game plan perfectly in the first half.”
The momentum began to shift dramatically in Race 6, where Atlanta’s athletes showcased exceptional technique in the Snatch Ladder. David McKellar displayed beautiful form as he cleared all four progressively heavier bars, while Sidney Wilson powered through the women’s ladder with impressive efficiency. The Wild edged the Palms 67-62 in points to claim their first race victory.
With renewed energy, Atlanta continued their comeback in Race 7’s Triple Unders Ringer Point. Despite an unnecessary four-point touch that could have cost precious seconds, Wild’s athlete completed the routine well ahead of Brandon Schipper, who struggled with the complex jump rope technique.
The Wild’s surge continued in Race 8’s Jack and Jill event. Despite falling behind early during the chest-to-bar pull-ups, Atlanta capitalized on costly no-reps assessed to the Palms during the triple touches segment. With perfect execution down the stretch, the Wild crossed the finish line first, narrowing the overall match score to 13-11.
The comeback appeared complete when Atlanta’s female triad of Amanda Fischer, Carrie Billington, and Sidney Wilson established an early lead in Race 9 and maintained it through a grueling sequence of devil’s presses, handstand push-ups, D-ball squats, ring muscle-ups, and heavy deadlifts.
With the Palms leading 16-12 overall, South Beach responded with urgency in the Male Triad. Brandon Schipper, Artur Cabral, and their teammates established an early advantage that Atlanta couldn’t overcome despite a strong push from David McKellar and Tyler Billington on the closing deadlifts.
With the match tied heading into the final Sprint Relay, both teams emptied their benches with their seasons on the line. The race remained close through the opening thrusters and pull-ups, but Atlanta built a decisive lead during Vilma Rosario’s bar-facing burpees. Carrie Billington extended the advantage with flawless deficit handstand push-ups, allowing David McKellar to close out the race with a comfortable margin.
Despite Atlanta’s impressive 17-15 comeback victory in the match, it was South Beach who earned enough points throughout the season to advance in the Grid League standings. Both teams demonstrated remarkable resilience and athletic ability in their final appearance of the regular season, giving fans a memorable conclusion to what had been challenging campaigns for both squads.
The Palms are the official South Beach team of the United Grid League.
Grid League is the future of team sports. It features men and women together in an intense and exciting race based game on strategy and athleticism.