Competition

Breaking Down the Team Events for TYR Wodapalooza

January 11, 2023 by
Photo Credit: Wodapalooza (@ wodapalooza)
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All of the team events have been released for the 2023 TYR Wodapalooza and there’s a mix of classic synchro teamwork, along with work-to-rest ratios that will force athletes to move at extremely high intensities. Both the men’s and women’s team divisions are bringing some of the biggest names in the sport to the competition floor this weekend, today we’re breaking down each event and giving you teams to watch based on the programming. 

Event 1: Start Fast, Finish Faster 

Complete for time, in relay style:

Round 1

Athlete 1 – 42 HSPU/420ft Shuttle Run

Athlete 2 – 42 Pistols/420ft Shuttle Run

Athlete 3 – 42 C2B/420ft Shuttle Run

Round 2

Athlete 1 – 42 HSPU/240m Row

Athlete 2 – 42 Pistols/240m Row

Athlete 3 – 42 C2B/240m Row

Time Cap: 13 Minutes

What to expect: It appears that this workout will allow teams to play to their strengths, with each individual being assigned a gymnastics movement followed by a shuttle run in round one and a row in round two. This workout will be an all-out sprint, with the top teams doing their gymnastics movement unbroken and then getting through the monostructural movement as quickly as possible. Expect to see some exciting races with “Start Fast, Finish Faster.” 

Women’s teams to watch:

  • A.K.A Humble Killers (Alex Gazan, Kari Pearce, Arielle Lowen)
  • The Dottirs ft. MOB (Annie Thorisdottir, Mallory O’Brien, Katrin Davidsdottir) 
  • The Girls (Alexis Raptis, Feeroozeh Saghafi, Christine Kolenbrander) 

Men’s teams to watch: 

  • The Boyz (Chandler Smith, Noah Ohlsen, Travis Mayer) 
  • King B.K & Friends (Tola Morakinyo, Bjorgvin Karl Gudmundsson, Khan Porter)
  • Team GOWOD (Willy Georges, Roman Khrennikov, Jay Crouch) 

Event 2: Chasing Waterfalls

A) Complete for time

“5K Run”

Relay Style

B) Complete for time

3 Rounds, Each Athlete completes 1 Round at a time

15 DBall Cleans

Open Water Swim

21 DBall Squats

M: 150lb

F: 100lb

Time Cap: 25 Minutes Total

What to expect: “Chasing Waterfalls” is the team endurance event of the weekend that will reward the athletes who have been putting time into their running and swimming this offseason. Some of the specifics have yet to be briefed in terms of the exact flow and formatting of this event, but the concept is to complete a team 5K run, followed by a rotating triplet of DBall cleans, swimming and DBall squats. If the “relay” run is performed on a runner and allows athletes to work/rest, the running paces will be at a much higher intensity than a traditional 5K. Since only one person will be working at a time during part “B” of this workout, expect to see athletes going at a near sprint pace to keep things moving. Cycle speed on the DBall cleans and squats will have a major impact on the outcome between the top of the field, as most of them will most likely be within striking distance for the run and swim. 

Women’s teams to watch:

  • All American Girls (Brooke Wells, Amanda Barnhart, Kristi Eramo O’Connell)
  • Team BPN (Laura Horvath, Jamie Simmonds, Gabriela Migala)
  • GOWOD Girls (Jacqueline Dahlstrom, Sola Sigurdardottir, Emma McQuaid)

Men’s teams to watch: 

  • Team GOWOD (Willy Georges, Roman Khrennikov, Jay Crouch) 
  • CrossFit Mayhem (Rich Froning, Tyler Christophel, Samuel Cournoyer)
  • The Boyz (Chandler Smith, Noah Ohlsen, Travis Mayer)  

Event 3: Sync Up Synch Up & Squat

Complete for time:

30-20-10

Synchro Ring & Bar Muscle-Ups

Synchro Squat Cleans & Squat Snatches

Snatch (165, 115)

Clean (205, 145)

Time Cap: 12 Minutes

What to expect: This is a muscle-up workout. The loading for the snatches and cleans are not heavy enough to be a major limiting factor, but the volume of muscle ups will definitely be a roadblock for some teams. Rotation strategy and communication are going to be the key to success in this workout.  

Women’s teams to watch:

  • Team BPN (Laura Horvath, Jamie Simmonds, Gabriela Migala)
  • The Dottirs ft. MOB (Annie Thorisdottir, Mallory O’Brien, Katrin Davidsdottir) 
  • The Girls (Alexis Raptis, Feeroozeh Saghafi, Christine Kolenbrander) 

Men’s teams to watch: 

  • CrossFit Mayhem (Rich Froning, Tyler Christophel, Samuel Cournoyer) 
  • The Boyz (Chandler Smith, Noah Ohlsen, Travis Mayer) 
  • Smith Bros (Alec Smith, Ben Smith, Dane Smith)

Event 4: Holds & Climbs

Complete for time:

One Athlete completes: 12/10 Rope Climbs*

48 Synchro Hang Cleans**

One Athlete completes: 12/10 Rope Climbs*

48 Synchro Shoulder-to-Overhead**

One Athlete completes: 12/10 Rope Climbs*

48 Synchro Thrusters**

*2 hold, 1 climbs at a time (any 2 implements), every time the hold is broken, athletes must perform 6 Front Squats.

**all 3 perform weighted reps

KB – 53, 35lb

DB – 50, 35lb

BB – 115, 75lb

Time Cap: 20 Minutes

What to expect: The front squat penalty will make this one of the more strategic events of the weekend. The teams that have the most proficient rope climbers will quickly separate themselves from the rest of the pack. The loaded implements are relatively light for these athletes, so expect to see teams have a break-up strategy heading into the event. No reps may also be a factor in this event if teams are not accustomed to maintaining synchro standards with faster cycled movements like hang cleans and shoulder-to-overhead.  

Women’s teams to watch:

  • Team BPN (Laura Horvath, Jamie Simmonds, Gabriela Migala)
  • A.K.A Humble Killers (Alex Gazan, Kari Pearce, Arielle Lowen)
  • The Dottirs ft. MOB (Annie Thorisdottir, Mallory O’Brien, Katrin Davidsdottir) 

Men’s teams to watch: 

  • Canadian PB&J (Patrick Vellner, Brent Fikowski, Jeffrey Adler)
  • CrossFit Mayhem (Rich Froning, Tyler Christophel, Samuel Cournoyer) 
  • King B.K & Friends (Tola Morakinyo, Bjorgvin Karl Gudmundsson, Khan Porter)

Event 5: 3, 2, 1 Lift Off

For Total Cumulative Load: 

Athlete 1 – 3RM Overhead Squat

Athlete 2 – 2RM Front Squat

Athlete 3 – 1RM Shoulder-to-Overhead

:30 On | :45 Transition

2 attempts per athlete

What to expect: Aside from deciding who performs each lift, there’s very little strategy for this event. The strongest teams are going to shine and you can expect to see some big numbers put up with the depth in both the men’s and women’s team divisions. The transitions between lifts will be an adjustment, but the experience and caliber of athletes will be able to communicate and adjust as needed. 

Women’s teams to watch:

  • All American Girls (Brooke Wells, Amanda Barnhart, Kristi Eramo O’Connell)
  • The Dottirs ft. MOB (Annie Thorisdottir, Mallory O’Brien, Katrin Davidsdottir) 
  • P10 Performance (Andrea Nisler, Sydney Michalyshen, Tori Dyson)

Men’s teams to watch: 

  • Canadian PB&J (Patrick Vellner, Brent Fikowski, Jeffrey Adler)
  • Team SmartWOD (Moritz Fiebig, Fabian Beneito Selles, Tristan Leclerc) 
  • King B.K & Friends (Tola Morakinyo, Bjorgvin Karl Gudmundsson, Khan Porter)

Event 6: Kitchen Sync

A) Complete for time

Athletes 1 and 2

60 Synchro T2B

50 Box Jump Overs

Athletes 2 and 3

60m Synchro SA DB OH Walking Lunge

50 DB Bench Press

Athletes 1 and 3

60 Synchro Heavy Wall Balls

50m Handstand Walk (50ft/50ft, 25ft/25ft)

Rest until 16 min

B) Complete for time

33 Synchro SA DB Snatches

22/15 Cal Bike – waterfall

33 Synchro Lateral Burpees OTDB

DB (80, 50lb)

Box (30, 24)

MB (30, 20lb)

HS UB 25ft Sections

Time Cap: 22 Minutes Total

What to expect: Each couplet in the first portion of this event starts with a synchro movement and finishes with work being divided by the pair. This workout also allows teams to play to their strengths (similar to Start Fast, Finish Faster), since athletes get to decide which segment they will skip. This will mean faster racing and individuals being able to hide their weaknesses to a certain extent. In the second part of this workout, there will be nowhere to hide, as the athletes will need to work together to finish a grinding chipper of synchro dumbbell snatches, bike and synchro burpees over a dumbbell. Expect to see composure and steadiness in the first part of this workout, followed by grind to the finish in those final 33 synchro burpees. 

Women’s teams to watch:

  • The Dottirs ft. MOB (Annie Thorisdottir, Mallory O’Brien, Katrin Davidsdottir) 
  • GOWOD Girls (Jacqueline Dahlstrom, Sola Sigurdardottir, Emma McQuaid)
  • All American Girls (Brooke Wells, Amanda Barnhart, Kristi Eramo O’Connell)

Men’s teams to watch: 

  • The Boyz (Chandler Smith, Noah Ohlsen, Travis Mayer) 
  • Team GOWOD (Willy Georges, Roman Khrennikov, Jay Crouch) 
  • CrossFit Mayhem (Rich Froning, Tyler Christophel, Samuel Cournoyer) 

The bottom line: Most of these big name athletes compete individually during the CrossFit Games season and Wodapalooza is a fun way for them to throw down and have fun at one of the world’s biggest fitness events. The new format that is allowing several athletes to compete in both the individual and team divisions is a new twist we have not yet seen within our sport. Will the previous two days of individual competition have a dramatic effect on the performance of the athletes who chose to compete for four days straight? Either way, things are lining up for an exciting four days of fitness entertainment! 

And, check back to our 2023 TYR Wodapalooza competition hub, and on Instagram, for more updates on programming as workouts are announced.

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