Alex Alvarez

I’ve been playing sports since I was very young. Up until high school I was always a part of some after school or summer team. I was always active but never pursued anything as I got older.

My favorite part of GRID is just the sheer excitement of it. Running through eleven races in such a short amount of time leaves a lot of room for error. Any Team on any given day can come out on top and you never know until the final race.

Our first season was definitely not something we expected. Even though it was a tough first season, one of the main reasons I decided to re-sign is because of our coach/gm [Jaime Gold]. Jamie’s experience with the pro Grid league and the way she interacts with everyone and knows how to utilize each individual’s strengths made it an easy choice for me.

While I was signed as a gymnastics specialist, I did anything and everything Jamie asked of me from the rings to even being one of the legs in the mirror races. I was also there to help keep everyone calm and relaxed, especially during close races and tough situations. Sometimes things didn’t turn out in our favor and I had to make sure that myself and my Team stayed level-headed so we could move forward and have our eyes set on the next race.

Our Team’s biggest advantage to me has to be the coaching. Jamie’s knowledge and experience really helps to put the right Players in the right races. She knows the importance of each race and always knows where we can make up ground or where we might need to pick it up.

One thing I feel needs to change, honestly, would have to be my role as captain. Last year I didn’t really get as involved as I should of with the Team. I think I need to voice myself more and try to bring everyone together more often during days we don’t schedule practice so we can really grow together as a group.

While GRID and Crossfit share movements, the experience in GRID is hands down something you can’t get from a local Crossfit competition. You don’t see a lot of these movements anywhere else and when you do, you’re kind of in awe. I never thought I could do half the things I do now when I first saw GRID. I have grown as an athlete because of the demand of GRID.

Anyone and everyone! I have already told a bunch of people at my gym that I think they should try out. A lot of people are afraid cause they think they have to be good at CrossFit to do it but that’s not the case. I almost didn’t do it because I was afraid I wouldn’t make a Team. If you don’t try you’ll never know!