New York Gridlock

The New York Gridlock is a professional women's ultimate team based in New York City which competes in the Premier Ultimate League (PUL). The team joined the PUL for the league's inaugural 2019 season.[1] Their stated mission is "to achieve competitive excellence on the field and equity in the sport of ultimate by increasing accessibility to and visibility of womxn [sic] ultimate players."[2]

NY Gridlock
SportUltimate
Founded2019
LeaguePremier Ultimate League
Based inNew York City
Head coachesEileen Murray and Ryan Thompson
Websitenygridlockultimate.com

Franchise history

The New York Gridlock formed in early 2019, and is one of the original eight teams in the Premier Ultimate League.[3] Their name likely references New York's common rush-hour gridlock traffic.[4]

The team would have played its second season in 2020, but the PUL cancelled the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[5][6]

Record

In their 2019 season, the Gridlock defeated the Indianapolis Red 14–9, the Columbus Pride 17–10, the Austin Torch 14–12, and the Atlanta Soul 21–17. They fell to the Raleigh Radiance 20–11. This record gave them a third-place finish in the league.[7] In the league semifinals, they again lost to the Raleigh Radiance, 19–18.[7]

Year Reg. Season Playoffs Finish
2019 4-1 (3rd) 0-1[7] Lost in Semifinals
2020 Season Cancelled 0-0 Season Cancelled
Total 4-1 0-1

Current coaching staff
  • Coach - Ryan Thompson (he/him/his)
  • Coach - Eileen Murray (she/her/hers)
  • Coach - Martha Gregory (she/her/hers)

Roster

The team's 2020 roster was as follows:[8][9]

2020 New York Gridlock
# Name Pronouns College Most Recent Club Team
00 Genny De Jesus She/Her NJ Jughandle
2 Brittany "Bkap" Kaplan She/Her New York BENT
4 Nastasia "Stazi" Tangherlini She/Her New York BENT
5 Lindsay McKenna She/Her West Chester University West Chester Loco
6 Janine Hlavaty She/Her New York BENT
7 Luisa Neves She/Her University of Rochester New York BENT
8 Kelly "Beezus" Hyland She/Her Washington DC Space Heater
9 Sarah Johnson She/Her Philadelphia AMP
10 Natalie Bova Philadelphia AMP
11 Danielle Walsh Philadelphia AMP
12 Amy Zhou She/Her Rutgers University Washington DC Scandal
13 Becca Tucker She/Her Albany Rebel Rebel
14 Tulsa Douglas She/Her St. Olaf College Boston Brute Squad
16 Jessica Shatkin New York BENT
17 Margo Cody New York BENT
18 Wei Gao She/Her New York BENT
20 Karen Chalif She/Her New York XIST
21 Linda Morse She/Her Philadelphia AMP
22 Lauren Woods She/Her New York BENT
23 Andrea DeSabato She/Her Philadelphia AMP
24 Casey Gorman Washington DC Scandal
33 Lauren Piontek She/Her New York XIST
41 Martha Gregory New York BENT
44 Raha Mozaffari She/Her Philadelphia AMP
71 Cassie Wong She/Her Boston Brute Squad
88 Nikki Hair She/Her NJ Jughandle
99 Veronica Kolegue-Spalaris She/Her Albany Rebel Rebel
PP Abbey Stolowski NJ Pine Baroness
PP Caroline Turner Hudson Valley Funk
PP Kyla Dayer She/Her University of Rochester Brooklyn Grand Army
PP Tricia Smit She/Her New York XIST

Social justice and equity

In 2020, the Gridlock raised over $10,000[10] for the National Bail Out collective, a Black-led and Black-centered collective of abolitionist organizers, lawyers and activists building a community-based movement to end systems of pretrial detention and ultimately mass incarceration.[11] Social justice and equity are built into their mission statement,[12] with text that centers gender and racial equity and accountability in community partnerships. These were elaborated further by Eileen Murray, owner and General Manager, and Khunsa Amin, Director of Community, Outreach, and Operations in an interview with Still Out of Your League.[13]

References
  1. Eisenhood, Charlie (January 22, 2019). "New Women's & Non-Binary Semi-Pro League Set To Launch In April". Ultiworld. Archived from the original on April 7, 2023. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  2. "Mission Statement". New York Gridlock Ultimate. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  3. Zagoria, Adam (June 28, 2019). "Born of a Boycott, a Women's Ultimate Frisbee League Charts Its Own Path". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  4. Mather, Victor (July 30, 2019). "Let's Hear It for Your Hometown Shortcomings!". The New York Times. Archived from the original on August 1, 2019. Retrieved May 14, 2023.
  5. Eisenhood, Charlie (March 12, 2020). "Western Ultimate League Postpones Start of Season Due to Coronavirus Outbreak". Ultiworld. Archived from the original on April 7, 2023. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  6. Eisenhood, Charlie (April 14, 2020). "Premier Ultimate League 2020 Season Has Been Canceled". Ultiworld. Archived from the original on April 6, 2023. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  7. "Results". Premier Ultimate League. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  8. Prentice, Daniel (March 5, 2020). "PUL 2020: A Look At The New Rosters". Ultiworld. Archived from the original on April 6, 2023. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  9. "2020 Roster". New York Gridlock Ultimate. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  10. Ultimate, New York Gridlock (May 10, 2020). "To all who donated, to all who amplified this campaign: THANK YOU. Without each & every one of you, this would not have been possible. We are feeling very energized and grateful after seeing how this community has responded to help free Black mothers in pre-trial detention.pic.twitter.com/wtaG0LJNGR". @ny_gridlock. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
  11. McHarris, Philip V. (December 6, 2020). "Amid COVID-19 Pandemic, National Bail Out Is Freeing Black Mothers From Jail". Essence. Archived from the original on May 13, 2023. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
  12. "Mission Statement". New York Gridlock Ultimate. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
  13. Cretaz, Britni de la. "this professional sports team is trying to dismantle white supremacy culture in their sport". britnidlc.substack.com. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
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