“The best stuff comes out of affiliates,” General Manager of Sport Justin Bergh said regarding the 2022 Wodapalooza Fitness Festival.

Wodapalooza (WZA), co-founded by Peak 360 CrossFit owner Guido Trinidad, began as a one-day fitness competition in Miami in 2012. Since then, the competition has evolved into a four-day fitness festival, uniting the local Florida community and athletes from around the world in celebration.

This year marks Wodapalooza’s 10th anniversary. For Bergh, watching the competition’s growth over the years and its impact on CrossFit as a result of the continued commitment of its creators is extra special.

“I think what it speaks to is the independent spirit of affiliates,” Bergh says. “(CrossFit) didn’t create this event. This came out of an affiliate. It was their idea, their concept. … And I think there are a lot of things that have happened at this event that have bled into our competitions, like the adaptive division. … They, in a lot of ways, innovated and tried things on a smaller stage that then ended up really full-fledged coming into our sport.”

Watch Wodapalooza live on the CrossFit Games YouTube channel.