Competition

2023 TYR Wodapalooza: Men’s Team Division Preview

December 23, 2022 by
Photo Credit: (L-R) CrossFit, Travis Mayer, Noah Ohlsen
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The top athletes in CrossFit return to Miami on January 12-15 for TYR Wodapalooza 2023. The team division, in particular, will feature numerous groups of males attempting to dethrone The Boys. The full list is available on our regularly-updated roster, but here are a few teams we are excited to watch. 

Remind me: The Boys is the super team featuring Travis Mayer, Noah Ohlsen, and Chandler Smith. The members of this trio have extensive experience competing at the CrossFit Games in the individual division, and they have the chemistry that helps them work well together. When they come together, they form a CrossFit Megazord.  

  • The Boys racked up 770 points during the 2022 competition on the strength of four event wins, a runner-up, and two third-place finishes. 
  • The Boys ended the weekend ahead of Thunder From Down Under, which featured Khan Porter, James Newbury, and Jay Crouch. Team Hercules – Travis Williams, Roy Gamboa, and Logan Collins – finished the weekend third. 

The Boys will now have an opportunity to defend their title as they return to Miami’s Bayfront Park. However, they will face some stiff competition from new and returning athletes alike. 

A sample of the elite men’s teams:

  • The Boys: Travis Mayer, Noah Ohlsen, Chandler Smith 
  • Good Dudes: Cole Sager, Jayson Hopper, James Sprague 
  • Zeus & The Dogs: Ricky Garard, Matt Dlugos, Tim Paulson
  • Canadian PB&J: Brent Fikowski, Pat Vellner, Jeffrey Adler
  • Smith Bros: Ben Smith, Alec Smith, Dane Smith
  • CrossFit Mayhem: Rich Froning, Tyler Christophel, Samuel Cournoyer
  • Saxon Panchik, Scott Panchik, Spencer Panchik
  • Invictus Tiny Dancers: Sam Dancer, Jorge Fernandez, Joshua Al-chamma
  • Le Boiz: Nick Mathew, Jonne Koski, James Newbury
  • Training Culture: Aniol Ekai, Alexander Anasagasti, Pablo Cazalis
  • Invictus Dudes: Lalo Torres, Nick Thomas, Mitch Wagner 
  • Mexico: Carlos Labarthe, Luis Oscar Mora, Roldan Goldbaum
  • Team Conquer / Lift Heavy Often: Devin O’Neill, Tony Facchini, Elijah Muhammad 
  • Underdoggy Style: Raphael Durand, Ethan Helbig, Mitch McClune
  • Tall, Dark & Handsome: Hans Koellnberger, Rafael Sancen, Malachi Bennett 
  • Guys Gone Wild South: Nate Scola, Ean Phillips, Robbie Rodriguez 

The brothers will compete: One of the main teams to watch will be the one featuring the three Smith Bros – Ben, Dane, and Alec. The three CrossFitters were supposed to form a team in 2022, but two of them had to step away. 

  • Sam Dancer and Streat Hoerner replaced Ben and Dane while joining forces with Alec. They had some solid performances while battling a large number of veteran athletes. 
  • Ben and Dane will now head to Miami while joining their brother on the competition floor. The Smith brothers will use the opportunity – and their years training together – to fight for a spot on the podium.

Dancer will return to Bayfront Park, but he will do so with a different team. He will join Jorge Fernandez and Joshua Al-chamma as he tries to secure at least a spot on the WZA podium.

Another set of brothers: The TYR Wodapalooza will feature more than one set of brothers, which comes as exciting news for longtime CrossFit enthusiasts. The Panchik brothers – Scott, Saxon, and Spencer – will also hit the competition floor. They will put their skills on display once again while trying to surpass a third-place finish. They will also give fans the opportunity to watch the Smith and Panchik families go toe-to-toe. 

More challengers: Naming all of the teams that could realistically win TYR Wodapalooza would create an article the length of Tolstoy’s “War and Peace” (1,225 pages). However, there are some that require mentioning. 

  • Brent Fikowski, Pat Vellner, and Jeffrey Adler have come together to represent Canada. The three athletes have all turned in standout performances at CrossFit competitions as individuals, but they will now join forces while bringing a variety of skill sets to South Beach. 
  • Similarly, Ricky Garard will take on WZA for the first time in his career. He will form a team with Tim Paulson and Matt Dlugos while representing Underdog Athletics. If there is an event that requires going full send, this team will be the one to watch. 

Don’t count out the champ: If there is one thing that bears mentioning heading toward TYR Wodapalooza, it’s that the champ is back for more. Rich Froning will try to add another WZA win to his resume after most recently conquering the competition in 2020.

  • Froning was active on the competition floor for the 2022 iteration. He formed a team with Luke Parker and Angelo DiCicco. However, Parker is competing as an individual this year.
  • Froning’s team for 2023 features two new names – Tyler Christophel and Samuel Cournoyer. Christophel has experience training at CrossFit Mayhem while Cournoyer helped Froning capture yet another CrossFit Games title in 2022. 

One big thing: TYR Wodapalooza is supposed to be the annual celebration of fitness. The workouts provide entertainment while the competitors and fans create a party atmosphere in South Florida. The team events will only further prove this to be true as the heavy hitters from CrossFit take the floor together and serve different roles. Think of it as CrossFit’s answer to the NBA All-Star Weekend.

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