“Battle of the Camps” – Brute, PRVN, TTT, and the Outcasts Set to Collide at Gymreapers WZA SoCal
After two years of WZA Sport’s annual TYR Cup, the event’s format has shifted for 2026, as Gymreapers has taken over as the title sponsor for the overall event. To replace the TYR Cup, this season Gymreapers Wodapalooza SoCal will host “Battle of the Camps.”
- Instead of two competing teams, there will be four. Instead of members chosen based on their nationality, members will represent their training camps.
The weekend’s intention will remain the same – a festival celebrating both elite and community athletes over the course of one weekend – a perfect counterpoint to the Miami Beach edition.
Remind Me
In 2024, the TYR Cup debuted, featuring athletes competing in two teams: North America and the World. We cheered as athletes such as Tia-Clair Toomey and Aimee Cringle went head-to-head against Arielle Loewen and Danielle Brandon. Iceland’s BKG and Spain’s Aniol Ekai battled Americans Justin Medeiros and Dallin Pepper.
Some of our favorite moments from the past two years were Brent Fikowski and Dallin Pepper’s all-out echo bike sprint in 2024. Tasked with completing 50 calories for time, the two tied at 38 seconds. When speaking to Pepper after the event, he shared that it was quite possibly the most grueling workout he had ever completed.
That same year, Team North America’s worm-carrying technique on Workout 8 had the crowd on its feet. It was something we hadn’t seen before and was key to their event win.
Battle of the Camps
Only the teams have been announced (and we’ve only seen hints here and there about the participating athletes). While it will still be at least a month before we see the full rosters, here are the training camps that will be throwing down, along with a little speculation on our part about who will be part of them.
Brute: Brute has grown over the years as a home for the best of the best, including 2026 CrossFit Games champions James Sprague and Aimee Cringle. Other Brute athletes (who also have Gymreapers WZA SoCal experience) are Dallin Pepper, Jayson Hopper, Aniol Ekai, and Emma Lawson. Newer additions to the training camp include Luka Ðukič and 2026 CrossFit Games rookie Ella Wilkinson, who could be in contention for a roster spot. We could also see Nick Mathew and Fee Saghafi join the ranks.
Training Think Tank: Training Think Tank is tied to a few legends in our sport, including Chandler Smith, Noah Ohlsen, and Travis Mayer – three men who have experience not only on a team but also on this exact team of three. For the women, we could see Anikha Greer, Hannah Black, and Lydia Fish in the mix.
PRVN: The PRVN athletes are no strangers to Gymreapers WZA SoCal, as Tia-Clair Toomey has competed there for the past two years. In addition to her, last year’s World team featured Ricky Gerard, Jay Crouch, and Grace Walton, all PRVN athletes. We can expect to see them all return, as well as possible non-Aussies like Colten Mertens, Sydney Wells, and Kyra Milligan.
Olivia Kerstetter could be headed back (she competed for Team North America last year) and squared off against Toomey in Workout 7. The two went head-to-head in a heavy dumbbell snatch battle, with Kerstetter eking out the win.
Outcasts: Lastly, we have our non-training camp team – athletes who follow their own programming. While the possibilities are vast, we could narrow it down to a few. Justin Medeiros has competed in Huntington Beach for the past two years and even won the Lazar Ðukič Memorial Award in 2025.
Danielle Brandon, Arielle Loewen, and Emily Rolfe also have Gymreapers WZA SoCal experience and could add expertise to the team. Other athletes who could make the cut include Ellie Turner, Bill Leahy, and another SoCal vet, Jeff Adler.
Full rosters and workouts will begin rolling out soon, and we’ll be sure to share them. Keep up with @morningchalkup on the social channels. And if you haven’t yet bought your tickets, grab them here – this is not an event you’ll want to miss. (It’s our favorite weekend of the year.)
