Coaches
All of our trainers are CrossFit certified and hold multiple specialty certifications in weightlifting, gymnastics, running, kettlebells and mobility. Three of our trainers hold the highest qualification offered by CrossFit. They are dediciated to helping you reach your fitness goals.
Sarah Pope, Director of Operations
Certifications
- Head of Operations
- CrossFit Level 2 Trainer
- CrossFit Mobility Trainer
- USA Weightlifting Sport Performance Coach
- Active Life Trainer
Sarah grew up playing Ice Hockey and Lacrosse as a kid. Since she has been very active with traveling, hiking, and even climbed Mount Kilimanjaro this winter!
Sarah feels that it is important to guide athletes to acknowledge their strengths and build the idea of empowerment with-in. She became a coach as a way to help others. For her it is those special moments when the light bulb clicks for the athlete on a particular lift or gymnastics movements. It is an awesome moment.
When Sarah is not at the gym coaching, she may be found underwater scuba diving! Come say hi when Sarah is coaching!
Kurt Roderick, Owner
Certifications
- CrossFit Level 3 Trainer
- CrossFit Competitor Course
- CrossFit Advanced Gymnastics
- CrossFit Advanced Weightlifting
- CrossFit Kettlebell Workshop
- CrossFit Running Workshop
- CrossFit Mobility Trainer
- Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS)
- USA Weightlifting Advanced Sport Performance
- USA Weightlifting National Referee
- Pendlay Level 2
- Totten Advanced Olympic Lifting
- Ma Strength
A former academic couch potato, Kurt had an athletic background as a kid that was abandoned for over a decade. Kurt eventually found himself overweight and embarrassed by his lack of physical ability and deteriorating health. Luckily he had a life changing moment when he was encouraged to attend the grand opening of Pioneer Valley CrossFit and met Coach Sean Manseau in 2008. That day gave Kurt a new passion and appreciation for health and fitness.
Jes Conger
Certifications
- CrossFit Level 2 Trainer
- USA Weightlifting (USAW) Sport’s Performance Coach
- Freestyle Connection Movement Attendee
A former college soccer player, I moved to Brooklyn in 2009 to get my Master’s at Pratt Institute. After dedicating the first 20 years or so of my life to athletics the 5 or so years after college became more about becoming an architect, deciding who I was, and finding my place in the world. While beginning to answer some of these questions I also put on about 15 lbs and was just disappointed in how I felt.
Luckily I found CrossFit through some friends – who never stopped talking about it. Thanks to them I feel better than I’ve ever felt. I got certified to be a coach in the Summer of 2011 and can’t get enough. I love the ongoing challenge, the comradery, and the results.
When I’m not at the gym, I love to cook, be outside, and play with my amazing dog Cash.
Robin Wellington
Certifications
- CrossFit Level 2 Trainer
- Totten Advanced/Basic Olympic Lifting Certification
- USA Powerlifting Club Coach
- USA Weightlifting Advanced Sport Performance Coach
Originally from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Robin spent most of her teenage years in a barn, doing everything from showing horses, to hauling hay bales and coaching young riders. She also spent a lot of time falling off and accumulating injuries, so by the time she went to college, she decided it was time to hang up her spurs.
After a difficult recovery from shoulder surgery, she proceeded to do absolutely nothing athletic for several years. Seeking to improve her health, Robin started to try out different approaches to nutrition. Eventually, this led her to paleo – and the realization that she should probably try this whole “moving around and lifting things” idea while she was at it.
As a visually impaired athlete, she almost walked out the door the first time that Coach Dan suggested she jump on a box, but decided that anything featuring deadlifts (like hay bales, but bigger!), goal setting, and a supportive community was a good place to be. She vividly remembers how intimidating it was to start CrossFit, and works hard to cultivate a welcoming and challenging atmosphere for all of the athletes at Crow Hill.
In her spare time, Robin works in marketing and loves to take on big cooking projects.
Omar Seleiman
Certifications
- CrossFit Level 2 Trainer
A little over 6 years ago, I was in a rut. I was not happy with how I looked and felt. Like so many others, I used to play sports in high school, but as an adult I had become very sedentary and out of shape. So I hired a personal trainer. The work outs my personal trainer put me through were like nothing I ever had done before in my life.
They challenged me and I made unbelievable gains in the my overall strength and the way I felt. One day I asked him about the work outs and he told me that he was a certified CrossFit instructor. He directed me to crossfit.com and I was immediately hooked. I decided right there that I need to teach others about this transformative program of constantly varied, functional movement at high intensity.
Previous to coming to Brooklyn I taught at a CrossFit box in Florida for two years. I enjoyed helping people meet their goals and help push them harder than they ever knew possible. My hope is that each one of the athletes I coach will have that same eye awakening moment that I did when I first started.