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<\/p>\nSt. Petersburg resident Sedona Townsend has had a passion for sports since she was a child. A physical therapist by trade, she\u2019s also a professional athlete.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Townsend, 27, helped make history last month when she competed in the United Grid League championship match in Lakeland. Her team, the Southwest (SW) Florida Sharks, has become the organization\u2019s first back-to-back champion.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The most recent season marked Townsend\u2019s fourth in the sport.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The United Grid League features coed teams. Men and women compete head-to-head in functional fitness and weightlifting races. Activities include deadlifts, bench presses, handstand walking and backflips.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For Townsend, it all started with soccer. Originally from Fort Myers, she played the sport at Southeastern University in Lakeland and Evangel University in Springfield, Missouri.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Eventually, she would explore CrossFit fitness training, which focuses on\u00a0strength, conditioning and functional movements. This experience would ultimately lead her to the United Grid League.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI did CrossFit for a while before I was, what we call, recruited into the Grid League,\u201d she explained. \u201cThe Grid League itself is definitely a team sport whereas CrossFit is definitely more individualized. You can kind of find a gym, work out for 60 minutes a day and leave.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Townsend is a utility player. She focuses on functional activities such as box jumps, burpees and pull-ups.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have local competitions that you can sign up for and compete in,\u201d she continued. \u201cSo, I was competing in a local competition and that\u2019s when my coach found me and recruited me just based off of my athletic capabilities, and kind of saw something that I had that the team needed. So, it wasn\u2019t necessarily like I was even seeking it out. It kind of found me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
To explain exactly what the sport is, Townsend compared it to football.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe team has a coach, manager and a full roster,\u201d she said. \u201cEach person on the roster holds a different position.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The athletes are placed into three main categories: utility, bodyweight and strength. Each team in the United Grid League competes in a series of matches during a season. Every match has 11 different races.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Townsend is a utility player. She focuses on functional activities such as box jumps, burpees (according to Nike, the exercise combines bodyweight planks, push-ups and squats) and pull-ups.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For Townsend, the back-to-back championships demonstrate team consistency. She said that the victories \u201cmean a lot.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have a group chat,\u201d Townsend explained. \u201cWe have meetings and we hop on Zoom calls. It\u2019s like, even outside of your daily life, you\u2019re committing to this one thing for the people around you, which is really cool.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her dream is a three-peat.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMy goal for life in general is to have fun,\u201d Townsend added. \u201cAs long as I\u2019m having fun doing it, I\u2019m going to stick with it. This past year was a lot of fun. Obviously, you make a lot of new friends and make memories when you\u2019re traveling.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n