I have been talking a lot lately about the National Pro Grid League. A few of my friends especially the guys at Barbell Shrugged have filled me in on what they believe is the next big thing in competitive fitness. Last week, I was invited to a special lunch with the owners of Charlotte, NC’s own Carolina Crush, the first expansion team for 2015. During that lunch, any doubts that I had were erased.
The first guy to talk was Jim Kean, President and COO of the NPGL. This guy blew me away with the plan that they have formed to spread this sport to the masses. The technology that they are using to give stats and feedback is second to none. Here are some of the points that I love:
1. Finish Line- this makes total sense. Now the crowd can have an idea of who is winning.
2. Shorter race times! It’s important in today’s world of short attention times to accommodate.
3. Having each team compiled of men and women, and someone over 40 in each gender is brilliant. Yah, I am a little biased on this one, but now you have gathered the interest of several different markets.
4. They are willing to adapt based on the feedback of the public. The Grid League wants to give the greatest show to the people watching. It’s not about the “suits” of the Grid League. It’s about taking care of the athletes, and the people watching.
5. Finally, men and women in a sport are considered equals. Both are subject to the minimum pay for athletes, so finally women will not be getting taken advantage of.
After listening to Mr. Kean, the owners of the Carolina Crush spoke to us. The owners are Ken Crowder, Andy Hendel, and Paul Klein. Each of them spoke a few words to the group, and I must say that I was blown away. The passion that these gentlemen have for this new sport leads me to believe that their success will simply be a by-product of that passion. Paul Klein comes to the NPGL from the sport of racing which is where I see the Grid League going. Men with passion took the sport of back roads auto racing, and brought it to the world. Coach Klein understands that process, and I am confident that he will use this knowledge to do the same thing with the Grid.
As you can tell, I am super excited about the League. Now that I work with Muscle Driver USA in Charlotte, you can bet that I will be the Carolina Crush’s biggest fan. I hope to work closely with them in any way that I can.