The men’s and women’s elite Team divisions are a major focus of the 2023 TYR Wodapalooza (WZA), taking place Jan. 12-15 in Miami, FL. These three-person squads will compete in several workouts over the weekend, with the first event — “3, 2, 1, Lift Off” — concentrating on lifting. Check out all the details below:
Editor’s Note: This article is an op-ed. The views expressed herein and in the video are the author’s and don’t necessarily reflect the views of BarBend. Claims, assertions, opinions, and quotes have been sourced exclusively by the author.
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Wodapalooza Team Workout: 3,2,1, Lift Off
Here’s a breakdown of what the teams will face during the 3, 2, 1, Lift Off event.
- Athlete One: Three-Rep-Max Overhead Squat
- Athlete Two: Two-Rep-Max Front Squat
- Athlete Three: One-Rep-Max Shoulder to Overhead
* 30 seconds to lift; 45 seconds for transitions
** Two attempts per athlete
Picks to Win
Below are the teams in both divisions who stand the best chance to win the opening 2023 WZA event:
*Note: The rosters for Wodapalooza are not finalized; these picks are based on what’s been published on the Wodapalooza Instagram and the online qualifiers. BarBend will update this article if there are any changes.
Invictus Tiny Dancers: Joshua Al-chamaa, Jorge Fernandez, Sam Dancer
There’s no secret here: These boys are strong. Not entirely sure how they’ll divvy it up, but both Sam Dancer and Jorge Fernandez can put up a strong score on the front squat that will be difficult to contend with. Joshua Al-chamaa has great overhead power and will be competitive with either the overhead squat or shoulder-to-overhead. All told, this team is set up for a top-three finish on this one.
Team P10 Performance: Andrea Nisler, Taylor Williamson, Sydney Michalyshen
Fans know that Andrea Nisler and Taylor Williamson work well in a team environment — they also both possess great strength. Their team took third in the “Strong” event at the CrossFit Games this past summer. During the event, Williamson hit 250 pounds on the one-rep-max jerk; Nisler hit 290 on the one-rep-max front squat.
If they go for the same lifts here, that leaves Sydney Michalyshen for the overhead squats. She had a fairly competitive total with 695 pounds cumulatively at “Strong,” so she should be able to hit an impressive weight here.
https://www.instagram.com/p/ClJaQawu8Ev/?hl=en
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Dark Horses
Here are two teams that came through the online qualifier and could be dangerous in this particular event.
Mexico: Luis Oscar Mora, Roldan Goldbaum, Carlos Labarthe
Roldan Goldbaum got to 340 pounds for the barbell complex at the 2022 Syndicate Crown Semifinals, while Luis Oscar Mora hit 335 the next week. That leaves Carlos Labarthe, who did not make Semifinals and therefore didn’t do the complex. But his best finish during the 2022 Quarterfinals was on “The Other Total,” which included max lifts on the clean, bench press, and overhead squat. This team will be fun throughout the weekend, especially at this lifting event.
Milford Monsters: Brynn Kurlan, Sierra Cameron, Nicolette Torreggiani
Occasionally, something jumps off the page when sorting through data for a major competition like this. In this case, Brynn Kurlan and Sierra Cameron posted a four-rep-max front squat of at least 265 pounds during the Quarterfinals in 2021. There’s no guarantee that will translate to a live competition — and they can’t both do the front squats — but if you’re looking for a sleeper team, this could be a worthy one.
Damage Control
Here are two podium-contending teams that can pull out a solid performance if they can just mitigate some of the damage from their weak points.
Good Dudes: Jayson Hopper, Cole Sager, James Sprague
A great blend of experience and energy should help keep this team in contention at many events at this year’s WZA. The big question here is how James Sprague’s strength numbers are coming along. He only has to do one of these three lifts, and if he’s able to do enough, Jayson Hopper and Cole Sager can bolster their totals to keep them in the top 10. Anything worse than that will see them lose valuable points to the other podium threats.
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Invictus: Devyn Kim, Brittany Weiss, Jessi Smith
Both Brittany Weiss and Jessi Smith posted four-rep-max front squats of 217 pounds or less during quarters at the CrossFit Games in 2021. This team will likely be competitive on many of the other metcon-style events, but when it comes to the lifting, they’ll need to do their best and hope not to fall too far behind.
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Featured Image: @spraguerrrr on Instagram
