Why I’m Retiring: Ben Bergeron
To the CrossFit Community,
I’ve thought a lot about what it would feel like to write this letter. The words have come easier than I imagined. This is from my heart.
After a decade and a half of dedicating my life to this craft, I have decided that 2023 will be my last year coaching at the CrossFit Games.
This sport has brought more purpose, fulfillment and passion to my life than I ever thought possible. There have been hard-earned wins and heartbreaking losses, times of confidence and times of complete uncertainty. I believe the CrossFit Games is one of the best sporting events in the world, supported by the best community in the world, and I am filled with gratitude that most of my adult life has been spent preparing athletes to compete in it.
CrossFit brought me some of my most cherished memories. From sharing the struggles of affiliate ownership with Chris Spealler, and becoming fathers at the same time, to proposing to my wife the day after the 2009 Games in Aromas, to having James Hobart live with our family for a season and take our son to “The Lego Movie” three times in a row, to navigating births, deaths and everything in between with Katrin Davidsdottir, who became a sister to our kids and a true part of our family, and Cole Sager, who I now consider one of my closest friends.
I believe the CrossFit Games is one of the best sporting events in the world, supported by the best community in the world, and I am filled with gratitude that most of my adult life has been spent preparing athletes to compete in it.
These people, exceptional as they are in the sport of fitness, are even more exceptional human beings. I’ve been lucky and honored to work with so many amazing human beings in my coaching career.
To Becca Voigt Miller, Rachel Martinez, Michelle Letendre, Mat Fraser, Brooke Wells, Amanda Barnhart, Sam Kwant, Chandler Smith, Sydney Michalyshen and all of the age group athletes and teams who have entrusted me with coaching them through their own journey at different points and in different ways: The honor of being called “coach,” and to be a part of your journeys, is one of the greatest achievements of my life.
There will be a lot to miss in the years ahead, but building these relationships is the hardest part to walk away from.
The last 15 years of coaching have exceeded my every expectation, and have given me the best years of my life.
Though the decision is bittersweet, for so many reasons, it feels right.
For starters, I am confident that I have the right successor in place to take over CompTrain Elite Coaching.
Cole Sager represents the ethos and what CompTrain is about as well as anybody I’ve ever met…probably me included. He is an incredible communicator, cares deeply for other people, and can nerd-out on our sport with the best of them. As of a few weeks ago, he qualified for his tenth consecutive CrossFit Games. To say he understands the triumphs and tribulations of this life would be an understatement. So, if there was anybody that I could leave the role of Head Coach to, it is Cole.
Though I am stepping away from the sport, my work in CrossFit is far from complete.
From day one, the reason I started CrossFit New England, CompTrain, and elite athlete coaching was to have as much positive impact as I possibly could. To date, that has taken the form of pouring everything I could into a very small group of very elite athletes. Now, the greatest impact I can have is to bring these lessons learned to a wider audience. In this next season, I’m incredibly excited to work on building the CompTrain platform, and to share this knowledge with anyone who believes that hard physical training is a necessary ingredient to becoming the best versions of themselves.
The last 15 years of coaching have exceeded my every expectation, and have given me the best years of my life.
To CrossFit, thank you for giving me the career of my dreams.
To the community, thank you for embracing me as one of your own.
And to the athletes, thank you for showing us all what is possible. My life is immeasurably better because of you.
With much gratitude and appreciation,
Ben Bergeron
Visit the CompTrain website now to register for access to the free public beta test and experience first-hand CompTrain 3.0.
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