Raymond Fleser

CROSSFIT CHAMPION TURNED UTILITY PLAYER: RAYMOND FLESER BRINGS COMPETITIVE FIRE TO THE WOLVES

Raymond Fleser qualified for the 2017 CrossFit Games as team captain of Ocean State’s Finest, placing 5th at the East Regional. That pedigree alone distinguishes the new utility player arriving at the New York Wolves. But his path to the Grid tells a different story, one rooted in multi-sport excellence and a career spent elevating others at the highest competitive levels.

The Smithfield, Rhode Island native was a varsity football captain in high school and played college rugby at the University of Rhode Island while studying kinesiology. He competed for Boston Rugby Football Club in the USA Division 1 league, Maccabia USA Rugby internationally, and Newport RFC in Division 2. His rugby coach at URI, Nate Godfrey, introduced him to CrossFit. In 2015, Fleser was named “Fittest in Rhode Island” at the Reebok CrossFit Games Open, a rare distinction that reflected his dominance in the regional competition landscape. He’d go on to earn four Regional athlete placements, cementing his status among the sport’s elite.

Off the competition floor, Fleser built something lasting. In 2012, he became Head Coach at Ocean State CrossFit in Cranston, Rhode Island. Four years later, he became co-owner. By 2020, he’d partnered to purchase and rebrand NoRisk CrossFit in his hometown as Ocean State CrossFit North. As a CrossFit Level 3 coach, one of the sport’s highest certifications, he’s programmed strength and conditioning for URI’s women’s and men’s rugby teams, Providence Women’s Rugby, and Providence College Men’s Rugby. He didn’t simply train athletes. He shaped them.

The Grid demands athletes who excel across modalities, who understand competition’s nuances, and who know how to perform when stakes are highest. Fleser has done all three. At 6’0″ and 230 pounds, he brings athleticism honed through decades of contact sports and the world’s most demanding fitness competition. The New York Wolves are getting a utility player with Games-level credentials and the coaching acumen to understand what winning demands.