It all started when a hurricane derailed the Las Vegas event of the 2024 season. Both the Lions and the Aces (along with the Brigade) were left very short-handed in Las Vegas due to canceled flights and players needing to stay with family or property during the storm. The teams combined to create what was called the “Super Team” in Vegas, allowing a modified form of play to continue amidst the massive disruption caused by the hurricane. The Super Team, created in adversity, formed bonds that would become very relevant to this whole story. More on that later.
Taylar Stallings Retires from the Aces
The next piece of the puzzle fell into place when Taylar Stallings announced her retirement at the end of the 2024 season. She said of the situation: “For the type of competitor I am, it’s all or nothing for me. I’ve tried modifying my involvement to meet where I am in life, but it doesn’t seem to work. I can’t just coach or just be an athlete…if I am involved, I am REALLY involved, and it has become too much for other goals in my life. I am ready for what is next for me. I will stay involved in the sport in other roles and support my team (as a fan) from the sidelines moving forward.”
Commissioner Mather Wiswall stated of her retirement from the Aces: “This sport would not be what it is without Taylar Stallings. We are beyond lucky for the influence she has had in helping shape this sport and this League. She has stamped her place in Grid League history, and we are forever grateful for her involvement.”
Taylar is leading the new Grid Training program, which began taking shape in 2024. Learn more about that here. More announcements about Taylar’s involvement moving forward are coming soon.
One thing that was very important to Taylar was setting up her Aces to be in a good situation moving forward without her. This is where what happened in Vegas comes into the picture.
Davis, and Taylar Stallings executed smoother transitions and better technique to claim back-to-back victories.
What Happens in Vegas
The events in Vegas led longtime Aces Megan Medeiros and Alex Velez to form friendships with longtime Lions Eric Cardona and Paula Leyes. In addition, things seemed to gel with the leadership style of Lions head coach Jaime Gold and all the Aces on the Super Team. This sparked discussions about merging the two teams in the absence of Taylar moving forward. Both teams had multiple players who had reached the end of their competitive careers, leaving voids that were complemented by each other’s remaining players. Additionally, Aces co-head coach Terry Howard felt he was not in a position to lead the team by himself, making the joining of the teams’ leadership welcomed support.
The Merger Structure
As the teams explored options for naming the merged team, several ideas were considered, including creating a whole new name. That said, both the Lions and Aces have important brands in the United Grid League, as both have won championships. In fact, the Lions are the winningest team in the League with three championships, and the Aces have a recent championship from 2023. Ultimately, the decision was made to retain the Lions brand and move forward with the merged teams as the new and improved Fort Lauderdale Lions.
View what players are signed to the new team here!
Don’t miss this new take on the Lions hitting the GRID starting on May 24th in Miami. Click here to learn more!
The Lions are the official Fort Lauderdale team of the United Grid League.
Grid League is the future of team sports. It features men and women together in an intense and exciting race based game on strategy and athleticism.
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