Ben Bergeron, a household name in the world of CrossFit®, is about to close an important chapter in his career.
After dedicating 15 years to helping athletes unlock their potential in the world of CrossFit, Bergeron announced that he will retire from his role as coach of elite athletes at the CrossFit® Games after this season.
Bergeron is the founder of CompTraina training program that has helped numerous athletes achieve success in CrossFit®.
His philosophy is based onidea of combining intelligent programming with the right mindset to achieve extraordinary results. Over the years, Bergeron has worked with some of the best CrossFit® athletes (such as Fraser, Katrin Davidsdottir and Brooke Wells), bringing them to levels of performance never achieved before.
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Ben Bergeron's motivations
Bergeron's decision to leave his role as coach of elite athletes at the CrossFit® Games was driven by a desire to focus on a new ambitious project: CompTrain 3.0. This new app is the result of the experience and knowledge Bergeron has acquired over the years.
The main focus of CompTrain 3.0 will be to continue to provide athletes of all levels with the tools and resources they need to achieve their goals in CrossFit®: it will offer broader programming and a free 30-minute timed course.
For those who want more, there will be paid versions of 1 or 2 hours of daily programming and the complete version for competitors, with three hours of programming.
CompTrain 3.0 will include detailed and personalized coaching videos for all sessions, as well as a strategic plan for tackling each workout. There will be a global leaderboard and the ability to log all times, weights and scores with PR tracking.
Who will replace Ben Bergeron as coach?
Despite Bergeron's retirement, his athletes will not be abandoned. Cole Sager will take his place, a veteran of the CrossFit® Games and an athlete who has proven his skill and dedication over the years.
Sager is also a leading athlete in the world of CrossFit®, participating in all editions since 2014 (this year will be his 10th consecutive participation)!
His best finish was in 2016, when he finished 5th overall.
Ben Bergeron's letter
“To the CrossFit®* community,
I thought a lot about what it would be like to write this letter. The words came easier than I imagined. They come from my heart.
After dedicating my life to this profession (for a decade and a half), I decided that 2023 would be my last year as a coach at the CrossFit ® Games.
This sport has given me much more satisfaction and passion than I expected. There have been hard-won victories and heartbreaking defeats, moments of confidence and moments of utter uncertainty. I believe the CrossFit® Games are one of the best sporting events in the world, supported by the best community in the world, and I am very grateful that I have been able to spend most of my adult life preparing athletes to compete.
In my coaching career I have had the good fortune and honor to work with extraordinary human beings. These people, as great as they are in sports, are even more exceptional human beings.
To Becca Voigt Miller, Rachel Martinez, Michelle Letendre, Mat Fraser, Brooke Wells, Amanda Barnhart, Sam Kwant, Chandler Smith, Sydney Michalyshen and all the athletes and age teams who have entrusted me with the task of accompanying them on their journey, in different times and ways: the honor of being called a "coach" and of being part of your journey is one of the greatest successes of my life.
There will be many things I will miss, but it's the relationships that will be the hardest to leave. In all honesty, the experience of coaching athletes at the Games has exceeded my expectations and I am extremely grateful to everyone in this community who have given me the best 15 years of my life.
While this decision is bittersweet, it feels right to me for many reasons. First, I'm sure I've found the right successor to take over CompTrain Elite Coaching.
Cole Sager represents CompTrain's ethos and purpose better than anyone I've ever met…probably myself included. He is an incredible communicator who cares deeply about others.
A few weeks ago he qualified for his tenth consecutive CrossFit® Games. To say he understands the triumphs and tribulations of life would be an understatement. So if there's anyone I could leave as head coach, it's Cole.
Even as I step away from the sport, my work in CrossFit® is far from done. The reason I founded CrossFit ® New England, CompTrain, and train elite athletes was to make as much positive impact as possible.
Until now, this has meant helping a very small group of elite athletes. Today, the greatest impact I can have is to bring these lessons learned to a wider audience.
In the upcoming season, I'm very excited to work on building the CompTrain platform and to share this knowledge with all who believe that intense physical training is a necessary ingredient to become the best version of yourself.
The last 15 years of training have exceeded all my expectations and 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 welcoming me as one of you.
And to the athletes, thank you for showing us what's possible. Thanks to you, my life is infinitely better.
With much gratitude and appreciation,
Ben Bergeron"