2025 TYR Wodapalooza SoCal — TYR Cup: Roster Breakdown
Although TYR Wodapalooza has a long history in Miami, FL, the team expanded its reach last fall with the launch of a new competition and pro athlete exhibition in Huntington Beach, CA, called TYR Wodapalooza SoCal.
- Back by popular demand, this exciting event is back for a second year, packed with trash talk, team bonding, and drama.
The three-day competition/exhibition takes place September 19-21, against the beautiful Pacific Ocean backdrop.
Remind me: In 2024, Team North America narrowly defeated Team World 7-6 to win the first TYR Cup trophy.
- During a weekend that includes multiple community divisions, the TYR Cup takes center stage, featuring a distinctive team format with rosters that include many of the world’s top fitness athletes.
How it works: The TYR Cup is a head-to-head competition between two teams: “World” and “North America.”
Each team has eight members, split evenly between men and women. Each team is “anchored by one male and one female captain,” and the community was encouraged to vote for the captains of each team.
Three of the four captains are returning from last year: Patrick Vellner and Danielle Brandon for Team North America, and Tia-Clair Toomey-Orr for Team World.
- Scoring: Think Ryder Cup in golf. For each high-stakes workout, the team earns either a win or a loss. It doesn’t matter if they win by five minutes or a tenth of a second. The team with the most event wins at the end of the competition is the TYR Cup champion.
The format: The competition features a variety of workouts, each with its own unique setup.
- Individual – For the “Individual” workout, all eight athletes on each team compete, and their scores are combined. The team with the highest total wins.
- All Hands – For this workout, all eight team members will work together. Think synchronized movements or a worm.
- Spotlight – One man and one woman will be nominated by their teammates based on their expertise in weightlifting, gymnastics, and mono-structural movements.
- Miami Team – Teams select three athletes of each gender to compete in a team-of-three workout at TYR Wodapalooza.
- CFG Team – Teams select two men and two women, CrossFit Games style, to perform the workout.
- Captains – Each team’s male and female captains will compete to secure the win for their team.
Teams will decide which athletes will do each workout and are allowed one audible during the weekend, adding an extra layer of strategy.
2025 TYR Cup Rosters
Team North America
- Pat Vellner (captain)
- Danielle Brandon (captain)
- Jayson Hopper
- Emma Lawson
- Dallin Pepper
- Olivia Kerstetter (Last-minute substitute for Alex Gazan due to ongoing injury recovery.)
- Justin Medeiros
- Alexis Raptis
Team World
- Tia-Clair Toomey-Orr (captain)
- Ricky Garard (captain)
- Roman Khrennikov
- Jay Crouch
- Aimee Cringle
- Gracie Walton
- Emma Tall
- Gui Malheiros
The prize purse: The total prize pool is an impressive $210,000, with the TYR Cup champion team winning $160,000, and each athlete receiving an equal $20,000 share.
- The runner-up team will receive $40,000 total.
One athlete will receive the “Lazar Ðukić MVP Award,” along with an additional $10,000 in prize money. This award honors the spirit, heart, and legacy of Lazar Ðukić. Last year, it was awarded to Patrick Vellner, who accepted it with gratitude and paid tribute to his friend and the influence Lazar had on the community.
In Unbroken: The Story of the 2024 TYR Cup, Vellner describes the honor through tears:
- “It means a lot to think that other people think that I was like him in some way.”
Credit: Scott Freymond
