Our Favorite Community Moments from 2025 TYR Wodapalooza SoCal
While much of the focus was on the elites competing in the TYR Cup at TYR Wodapalooza SoCal, hundreds of athletes in other divisions were throwing down on the same stages.
From three-person teams and adaptive pairs to RX and Intermediate solo athletes, countless moments helped make TYR WZA SoCal one of the greatest — if not the greatest — events of the year.
Here are some highlights that stood out to us during our weekend on-site.
Buttery Bros Throw Down
The Buttery Bros always bring the vibes to any event, but this time they hit TYR WZA SoCal with some major main character energy, as they competed on a team of three in the Men’s Intermediate Team Division.
Marston Sawyers, Heber Cannon, and Julian Marquez teamed up and completed six workouts over three days. They successfully balanced competing in the event, creating TYR Cup content, and engaging in community outreach.
290-Pound Snatch for JT Mahon
It was a weekend filled with heavy lifting, between the TYR Cup and the community divisions. A heavy snatch, along with Isabel, was programmed for everyone. The third heaviest lifter of the weekend (behind Ricky Garard and Dallin Pepper) was CrossFit Canvas’s JT Mahon, who snatched 290 pounds for a one-rep max.
Mahon was competing in the three-person RX team division along with teammates Cullen Bland and CrossFit Canvas’s owner, Jon Williams.
Another TYR WZA, Another Gauntlet
The Gauntlet workouts have become a staple at each TYR Wodapalooza event, offering a way to engage spectators and those who want to hit a workout but can’t commit to a whole weekend of competition. The intense 2025 TYR WZA SoCal Gauntlet was divided into three parts, one of which was DT.
The workout could be done solo or with a partner and offered different variations, such as RX and “light.” Anikha Greer and Brent Fikowski took it on as partners, as well as In the Box Office’s Maysa Hannawi and Cait Lawrence. Brian Friend and I worked on the floor beside them, doing our best to keep up.
Adaptive Divisions, the Heart of TYR WZA
The adaptive divisions have been part of TYR Wodapalooza’s history for over a decade, and this year was no different. Alex Kotoulas took first place in the Adaptive Seated Division while competing alongside friend and fellow CrossFit Comradery adaptive athlete Nina Alexandridou.
Competition veterans Khan Porter and Jordy Cabrita also competed in the Adaptive Pairs Division under the team name “The Boo Bees,” finishing in second place.
Saving Lives: One of the booths in Vendor Village was not there to sell products or promote a brand but to educate and raise awareness about kidney donation and transplantation. The Alliance for Paired Kidney Donation (APKD) is an organization that helps people in need find living kidney donors for transplants.
So what does this have to do with CrossFit?
At the competition, both a living donor, Joe Folles, and a recipient, Andres Falco, participated. Falco competed on a team with Deanna Bauanm, the Director of Fitness at Health to Hope (an APKD program). They competed to raise awareness about kidney donation and to demonstrate how our sport and community can help save lives.
Featured image: Scott Freymond
