Wodapalooza Explained

Wodapalooza Miami
Sport:CrossFit
Number:10
Format:Multi-event competition
Website:Wodapalooza
Purse:$500,000 (2023)[1]

Wodapalooza Fitness Festival (WZA) is an annual four-day functional fitness festival held in Miami centered on a CrossFit competition. The event was first established in 2012 and has since developed into one of the largest fitness festival in the world and a major CrossFit competition with thousands of athletes from around the world competing.

History

Wodapalooza was founded in 2012 by Guido Trinidad and Steve Suarez.[2] They were originally intended to run CrossFit classes at Bayfront Park in the summer of 2011, but were offered the possibility of turning it into a competition event by the park manager.[3] The first competition of "Wodapalooza Miami – A Fitness Festival" was a single-day competition held on Saturday, February 4, 2012, with some preliminary events the previous day.[4] [5] The competition is named after "WOD" or CrossFit's "Workout of the Day",[6] while "" denotes a festival or large-scale event.[7] The first Wodapalooza had 145 participating athletes and 500 spectators.[8]

The event proved highly popular and it quickly expanded in the following years. The number of athletes competing increased to 507 the second year, over 1,300 in 2016,[9] around 2,000 by 2019, and over 3,000 by 2022.[10] Due to increasing participation, the number of competing athletes at the competition had to be limited and an online qualification stage was introduced starting in 2014 for those who did not receive an invitation to compete.[11] [12] The number of days of competition increased to two in 2013 (Saturday and Sunday), and eventually to four (Thursday to Sunday) by 2017, and the number of competition stages at the venue also increased to four. The number of attendees rose to 7,000 in 2015, 30,000 in 2017,[13] and up to 40,000 by 2022.[14] The prize purse also experienced similar growth; the total prize purse increased from $5,000 in the first year, $10,000 in 2014,[15] to $500,000 in 2022.[16] The 2022 event featured the biggest prize purse yet with the elite individual winners receiving $100,000, up from $50,000 the previous competition.[17]

Although the competition events for elite athletes are the main focus, Wodapalooza also provides fitness competitions for athletes of different age range and abilities from the early days.[18] In 2015, Wodapalooza became the first major functional fitness competition to offer an adaptive division for athletes with disabilities and impairement.[19] There were 50 divisions by 2022.

Trinidad and Suarez partnered with Loud and Live in 2017 to run the Wodapalooza event in 2018. Loud and Live then acquired Wodapalooza in the months following the event.[20]

In October 2018, Wodapalooza was announced as a sanctioned event for the 2019 CrossFit Games where the winner can earn qualification for the Games.[21] Its name was changed from Wodapalooza Fitness Festival Miami (used since 2014) to Wodapalooza CrossFit Festival for the next two seasons.[22] To comply with the format for teams at the CrossFit Games, a mixed teams of four was added in addition to its usual teams of three separated by gender in 2019. In 2020, the event was moved from January of previous years to February, and there was no competition for elite teams of three.

The 2021 event was cancelled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The organizer of the event also opted not to be part of the CrossFit Games season in the following year, and moved the event back to January.[23] The 2022 event was streamed live free for the first time in 2022.[24]

Wodapalooza announced a change to its format for the 2023 event, with elite individual athletes competing over two days on Thursday and Friday, and the elite teams competing over the final two days on Saturday and Sunday.[25] Cuts in the number of competitors during the competition were also introduced this year.[26] This year is the first to have a title sponsor, TYR, with the festival branded TYR Wodapalooza Fitness Festival.[27]

For 2024, Wodapalooza partnered with seven Latin American competitions and created a separate division for Latin American athletes, the LatAm Cup.[28] [29] Wodapalooza also announced that a second competition would be added on the west coast, to be held September 20–22, 2024 in Huntington Beach in California.[30] The TYR Wodapalooza SoCal competition introduces the TYR Cup, to be contested by two teams (North America vs the World), each with four men and four women competing in a head-to-head format.[31] The competition will have a prize purse of $250,000, with the winning team receiving $160,000.[32]

Venue

Wodapalooza is held at the Bayfront Park fronting Biscayne Bay in Miami. It features four stages for competition: Flagler; Bayside; The Deck; and Tina Hill. The Flagler stage is the biggest with a seating capacity of 5,000. The Gauntlet is held at the Deck.

Competitions

There 48 divisions in the CrossFit competition, ranging from the elite men and women to various age and adaptive divisions.[33] The team competitions feature three-member teams of men and women.

Wodapalooza may also feature various events, such as Weightlifting Faceoff, a one-day Olympic lifting competition; WZA Strong, a competition that mixes strongman and functional fitness movements; and the Gauntlet.[34]

Events

Eight or nine scored events may be held at Wodapalooza for the individual and team CrossFit competition. The events are typically combinations of various CrossFit-type movements in weightlifting, gymnastics and monostructural workouts.[35] Wodapalooza always features an event that features swimming.[36]

Winners

YearElite individualsElite teams
MenWomenMenWomen
2012
2013
2014Samantha Briggs
2015[37] [38] [39] Noah Ohlsen Samantha Briggs
2016[40] Noah Ohlsen Brooke WellsCo-Champs
2017[41] Noah Ohlsen Camille Leblanc-Bazinet
2018[42] [43] Streat HoernerKatrín Davíðsdóttir
2019[44] [45] Patrick VellnerTia-Clair Toomey
2020[46] Patrick Vellner Tia-Clair Toomey
2022[47] [48] Patrick VellnerEmma McQuaid
2023[49] [50] [51] Ricky GarardPaige Powers
2024[52] [53] [54] [55] Ricky GarardEmma Cary

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 2023 Wodapalooza Announces $500,000 Prize Purse. Joey. Adduci. September 26, 2022 . BarBend.
  2. Web site: Thousands of fitness fanatics descend on Miami for Wodapalooza . Local10.com . Michael. Seiden.
  3. L&L Sports Podcast- Ep 8 Guido Trinidad Founder & Creator of WZA . YouTube . Loud And Live Sports .
  4. Web site: Wodapalooza Miami – A Fitness Festival – Miami, Florida . Facebook .
  5. News: Focus on South Florida – Wodapalooza CrossFit Festival and Competition . CBS Local . January 31, 2012 .
  6. Web site: Among the Zealots . Men's Health . Tyler . Daswick.
  7. Web site: -palooza . https://web.archive.org/web/20220720214606/https://www.lexico.com/definition/-palooza . dead . July 20, 2022 . Lexico .
  8. Web site: About Wodapalooza . Wodapalooza .
  9. Web site: About Wodapalooza > History of Wodapalooza .
  10. Web site: How to Watch the Wodapalooza CrossFit Festival . January 8, 2019 . Tommy . Marquez . Morning Chalk Up .
  11. Web site: Wodapalooza – Video Qualifier Introduction. November 4, 2013 . YouTube.
  12. Web site: Wodapalooza Fitness Festival – WZA 2018. Boxletes.
  13. Daswick. Tyler. Welcome to the Sufferfest. Men's Health. 32. 4. May 2017. 10 . January 18, 2022 .
  14. Web site: Fun and Fitness in the Sun, Wodapalooza Draws Big Crowds . February 20, 2020 . Joe. Genetin-Pilawa. Morning Chalk Up .
  15. Web site: Wodapalooza Fitness Competition to Bring Hardbodied Bros to Bayfront Park. Hannah . Sentenac . January 15, 2014. Miami New Times .
  16. Web site: Find out How Much Wodapalooza Prize Money Athletes Will Win . BoxRox . September 24, 2021.
  17. Web site: Wodapalooza Gathers the Best CrossFitters for Annual Miami Festival . February 19, 2020 . Patrick . Clark . Morning Chalk Up .
  18. Web site: Wodapalooza. Past. Present. Future. . December 29, 2014. Lauryn . Lax . FloElite .
  19. Web site: Wodapalooza Leads the Way for Inclusive Competitions . February 18, 2020 . Alec . Zirkenbach . Morning Chalk Up .
  20. Guido Trinidad: Creating Wodapalooza And Building A World Class Gym With Only $3,000 – Barbell Shrugged #378 . Anders . Varner. February 20, 2019. Shrugged Collective. 1:12:40–1:21:40.
  21. Web site: CrossFit HQ confirms Wodapalooza as the 7th Sanctioned event . Boxlife Magazine . Audrey . Carson.
  22. Web site: How to Watch the Wodapalooza CrossFit Festival . January 8, 2019 . Tommy . Marquez. Morning Chalk Up .
  23. Web site: Wodapalooza 2021 Canceled, Will Be Back In 2022 . BarBend . Andrew . Gutman. January 14, 2021 .
  24. Web site: 2022 Wodapalooza Online Challenge & Qualifier Begins. Phil . Blechman. September 23, 2021 . BarBend.
  25. Web site: Wodapalooza Makes Splash With Format Change: “We did some soul searching”. September 8, 2022 . Joe . Genetin-Pilawa . Morning Chalk Up .
  26. Web site: 2023 Wodapalooza Guide: Livestream, Athletes Competing, Cuts, Prize Purse, Who Might Win. January 11, 2023. Robert . Born . BoxRox.
  27. Web site: TYR Becomes Title Sponsor of the Wodapalooza Fitness Festival . PR Newswire . July 7, 2022 .
  28. Web site: Wodapalooza Introduces New LatAm Cup for 2024 Season. June 22, 2023 . Andie . Gonzalez . Morning Chalk Up .
  29. Web site: LatAm Cup at 2024 TYR WZA Crowns Its Inaugural Champions. January 18, 2024 . Andie . Gonzalez . Morning Chalk Up .
  30. Web site: From Coast to Coast: TYR Wodapalooza Adds Second Event in California . Brian . Spin . July 12, 2023.
  31. Web site: TYR Wodapalooza SoCal Introduces 'North America vs. The World' Format . Brian . Spin . The Barbell Spin . May 3, 2024 .
  32. Web site: TYR Wodapalooza SoCal Puts Up $250,000 Prize Purse . Brian . Spin . May 9, 2024. The Barbell Spin .
  33. News: Wodapalooza CrossFit Festival returns to Miami following COVID pause . Mike . Dipasquale . January 16, 2022 . 7 News Miami .
  34. Web site: How to Watch WODAPALOOZA 2022 (+ Livestream) . January 10, 2022. BoxRox.
  35. Web site: 2023 TYR Wodapalooza Programming Analysis: Individual Division . January 12, 2023 . Joey. Adduci . Morning Chalk Up .
  36. Web site: 2023 Wodapalooza Individual Event Preview: "Double Shot With A Splash" . Brian . Friend. January 5, 2023 . BarBend.
  37. Web site: Samantha Briggs Defends Her 2015 Title . January 22, 2015 . Lauryn. Lax. FloElite .
  38. Web site: Games Preview: What Can Wodapalooza & the ECC Tell Us About the 2015 CrossFit Games. Damect . Dominguez. January 28, 2015. Boxlife Magazine .
  39. Web site: CrossFit athletes Piatt and Co. take 1st in Miami. February 5, 2015 . Gilroy Dispatch .
  40. Web site: And your 2016 Wodapalooza Champion is… . Brian. Pyfferoen . January 18, 2016 . The Barbell Spin.
  41. Web site: Noah Ohslen and Camille Leblanc Bazinet Win WZA 2017 . Arman . Hammer . January 16, 2017 . FloElite.
  42. Web site: Davidsdottir, Hoerner Win 2018 Wodapalooza . Brian. Pyfferoen . January 15, 2018. The Barbell Spin .
  43. Web site: 2018 Wodapalooza Final Results. January 14, 2018 . Jessie . Jaime . Barbell Central blog .
  44. Web site: Wodapalooza leaderboard, results: Tia-Clair Toomey, Patrick Vellner qualify for 2019 CrossFit Games . Nicholas . Atkin. January 21, 2019 . South China Morning Post.
  45. Web site: Team Romwod/WIT Beat Rich Froning and CrossFit Mayhem at WODAPALOOZA . January 21, 2019. Robbie Wild . Hudson . Box Rox.
  46. Web site: Vellner and Toomey Repeat as Wodapalooza Champions, Mayhem Freedom Wins Team Title . Patrick . Clark. February 23, 2020 . Morning Chalk Up.
  47. Web site: 2022 Podium Finishers . January 25, 2022. Wodapalooza.
  48. News: Wodapalooza Miami CrossFit competition won by Patrick Vellner and Emma McQuaid despite storm disruption . Mark . Agnew . South China Morning Post.
  49. Web site: 2023 TYR Wodapalooza Individual Event 6 Results – Paige Powers And Ricky Garard Claim First Career Major Competition Titles. Patrick . Clark. January 14, 2023 . BarBend.
  50. Web site: Canadian PB&J Reigns Supreme With 2023 TYR Wodapalooza Title. John . Newby. January 15, 2023 . Morning Chalk Up.
  51. Web site: Team BPN Edge out The Dottirs and Mal O’Brien in Tie-Break Win at TYR Wodapalooza. Emily. Beers. January 15, 2023 . Morning Chalk Up.
  52. Web site: Ricky Garard Repeats, Fikowski and Kwant Round Out Podium on Men’s Side . January 12, 2024 . Austin . Heaton . Morning Chalk Up .
  53. Web site: Emma Cary Comes From Behind, Wins Wodapalooza . January 12, 2024 . Emily . Beers . Morning Chalk Up .
  54. Web site: Team GOWOD Secures Victory, Earns Back-to-Back Years on the Podium . January 14, 2024 . Austin . Heaton . Morning Chalk Up.
  55. Web site: Stronger Than a 90s Trend Comes From Behind, Wins Wodapalooza in Down-to-the-Wire Women’s Team Competition. January 14, 2024 . Emily . Beers . Morning Chalk Up.