The foundation of fair competition is that everyone who competes be held to the same rigorous standards. Consistency in this is of the utmost importance to us at the East Grid League. It is because of this, we are excited to announce that Janice McClean is joining the EGL team as our Chief Referee to establish a culture of clear, decisive, and accurate refereeing within our sport. She will be working GRID 6 Philadelphia on October 20th as her first event, and will be tackling future GRID 6 events and The Season next year.
McClean comes to us with a wealth of experience. She was a referee for two years with the National Pro GRID League, and immersed herself in the sport for an extended period of time in Utah for the month straight in the 2016 season. McClean was also the director of the Mid-Atlantic GRID League. Fun fact: Our Commissioner Micah Macbeth’s GRID team won their first match!
“I really valued my time with NPGL & MAGL and I still love and believe in the sport of GRID,” she says of her experience. “The role of a GRID Referee is no easy task. We definitely put a ton of time and training into it as it is an integral role to the sport! It was definitely challenging but I loved every second of it!”
McClean currently co-owns CrossFit Loudoun & NoVa Ninja in Sterling, Virginia where she (as a course tester) and her business partner (as a competitor) have been to American Ninja Warrior Seasons 8 & 9. She actively competes in local weightlifting competitions, and she competed at the American Open Series 2 in Valley Forge and will compete in the Series 3 in Las Vegas this year. She has a full time job as a Marketing and Sales Manager at Baker’s Crust Artisan Kitchen and is a proud single mom to 4 kids ages 14, 11, 9, and 8.
McClean will be working with the rest of the management team to create training systems and protocols for long term success of the East Grid League referee staff. Our goal is to retain the best, most knowledgeable Referees not just for GRID 6 Philadelphia, but the future of the EGL in coming years.
“I’m honored and excited to be Chief Referee for the EGL,” McClean says about this opportunity, and we look forward to building this role and partnership as the EGL grows.
The upcoming GRID 6 event is a great opportunity to learn more about the sport and see if a future as an EGL Referee is a good opportunity for you. If you are interested in being involved please email us.