Teaganne Takes on TYR Wodapalooza: Five Lessons from the Miami Fitness Festival

My muscles have slowly started to calm down after the 2024 TYR Wodapalooza Fitness Festival. (I wonder how the elite individuals who also competed on teams feel). 

• My team qualified for the Intermediate Team division this year and endured seven workouts over three days. 

This was my second time competing at TYR WZA, but it was my first time doing the event on a team of three women. I’m a CrossFit coach and have been in the sport for 10 years now, and I came out of this competition learning so much about myself and about competing as an athlete in general.

Here are my five biggest lessons: 

1. Be Open to Change 

Most CrossFitters dream of competing at TYR WZA, and I am so grateful that I could do so. The event was run extremely well and executed smoothly despite the rainy weather. Most of us who come to compete at WZA know the risk that workouts could change because of the Miami weather. 

This occurred on the final event on Sunday, causing my team to scramble to execute a new plan in a matter of minutes. As athletes, we must adapt and accept change instead of wondering why it happened. The final event was supposed to include progressive pull-up variations, but that changed to strict pull-ups due to the rain. This is a major shakeup from an execution standpoint, but we were able to talk over an order and work out a new plan. We ended up executing well, making some mistakes, but overall running our race. 

2. Stay Calm

The competition started off a bit bumpy as I felt a cold coming as I flew into “The Sunshine State.” I was trying to fight back all the negative thoughts and tell myself I wasn’t actually sick when in reality, I felt pretty crappy. The normal first workout nerves were on overdrive, knowing I didn’t feel that well. Truthfully, the entire workout didn’t go as planned, and it was by far my team’s worst performance of the weekend. But I tried to keep my composure and do what I had to do for my team. 

I was not proud of that performance, but I managed to stay calm, which made a world of difference. The nerves come to the surface during a competition, forcing you to either sink or swim (literally). No one else on the field cares if you’re sick. And while your teammates do care, there’s nothing they can do. It’s on you to show up, do the work, and push through the difficult moments. 

3. Lean on Your Teammates 

I’d argue I had the best teammates of anyone at TYR WZA, but who’s to say? I often find myself loving the team competition because of the planning and team building that takes place. But often, I’d be hard on myself for not doing something exactly how I said I would and instead leaving more work for my teammates. 

The amazing thing is, if you have a good team, they’ll pick you up through those moments, and it’s very likely you’ll do it in return. The ability to lean on your teammates and trust that they have your back is key. You can’t run your own race in a team event; you have to be open to being vulnerable and asking for help. 

4. Push Harder Than You Think

While many of the workouts involved synchronicity and movements that included all team members (like the worm), some were just about you as an individual athlete. I can point to one workout this weekend that was singularly focused. It was a waterfall-style workout, so one teammate would not be able to be released unless you finished. This was one of the weekend’s hardest workouts for me but also one of the most educational. 

I went into it knowing the Echo Bike was the dreaded part of the workout I had to face. I typically go into it feeling quite low and just doing what I could. Instead, I knew I had teammates relying on my performance this time, and I pushed harder than I wanted to throughout the entire event. I wasn’t the fastest or smoothest at transitions, but I pushed past that mental block so many of us face. 

5. Soak It In 

The competition came and went just as fast as “The Sandbag Send.” The weekend begins, and before you know it, it’s all over. I will say that finishing seven workouts was extremely taxing on someone like me who is not at the elite level, but it still felt like it was over in a flash. It was such a privilege to be at WZA and to be able to compete alongside some of the best CrossFitters in the world. I think I often got caught up in the workout and thinking about the next event rather than soaking in the moment. 

No matter what competition it is, I think it’s worth taking a moment to let it all sink in and remember what it’s like to be on that stage or on that competition floor. You earned your right to be there and no one can take that away.