Rudy Berger had one wish on his 40th birthday: “I (want) to do something fitness-related.” That wish would soon grant him two invitations to the CrossFit Games.
Seven years before making that birthday wish, Berger joined ChalkDust CrossFit, no vision of the CrossFit Games in mind. Like most CrossFit athletes, he started CrossFit to stay active in his busy life. In fact, he and his wife, Lynette, joined the first week the affiliate opened in 2014.
And Rudy began to progress quickly.
At his first CrossFit Open in 2015, Rudy remembers receiving just a few minutes of instruction on how to do a muscle-up before starting Open Workout 15.3 — which began with 7 of them. He proceeded to pull himself up above the rings easily. In 15.5 — a 27-21-15-9 rep scheme of rowing and thrusters — Rudy finished in 8:14, ranking within the top 5,000 men in the world.
“My coaches and peers would compliment my fitness and ask if I would ever consider trying to qualify for the CrossFit Games ... to which I would smile and humbly shake my head, thinking they were overly biased because I was their friend,” he said.
So, for the next seven years, Rudy would take his one-hour CrossFit class four to five times a week and return home. He just wanted to stay healthy while balancing work and his family life.
Photo courtesy of Rudy Berger
In October 2021, when Rudy asked his wife to plan something “fitness-related” for his birthday in January, she didn’t take it lightly.
“I was trying to think of the unexpected,” Lynette said. “And I was like, ‘Huh, I wonder now that Scott (Panchik) is retired if he would have free time to take on a private training session.’”
So Lynette called up Panchik’s affiliate — CrossFit Mentality. The woman who answered said Panchik — a nine-time CrossFit Games veteran — was standing beside her and passed him the phone. After Lynette explained her birthday gift idea, Panchik responded, “We could make something work.”
On Christmas morning, she surprised Rudy with a card that read, “Zoom call with Scott Panchik.”
“When we started chatting, I realized it was more than that. I was going to train with him at CrossFit Mentality for the weekend,” Rudy said.
The Zoom call was just the intro session, so Panchik could learn more about Rudy’s goals in order to curate the perfect training session for him. When Panchik asked him for a few of his benchmark stats, Rudy listed off a 295-lb clean and jerk, 390-lb back squat, 260-lb snatch, a 480-lb deadlift, and a 6:40 2K row.
“Rudy, you are going to win the CrossFit Games!” Panchik responded with a smile.
A few weeks later, Rudy and Lynette drove the two-and-a-half hours to CrossFit Mentality. He was supposed to work with Panchik for around four hours over two days, but Rudy said Panchik spent over 12 hours that weekend training him.
Photo courtesy of Rudy Berger
Panchik coached Rudy through 20 to 30 CrossFit movements, critiquing his form and technique. He shared his experiences from competing at the CrossFit Games and even worked on increasing Rudy’s mental strength, making him repeat “I’m going to the CrossFit Games” out loud to prove his commitment to the goal.
“I think, as a coach, there isn't anything more rewarding than somebody willing to soak in your knowledge,” Lynette said. “So I think that the connection was just really immediate … we both walked away with pages’ worth of notes.”
The 2022 CrossFit Open was approaching just six weeks later, so Lynette took on the role of Rudy’s coach, planning his workouts, meals, and schedule, with the guidance of Panchik and the notes she took from the weekend.
Rudy took second worldwide in the Men’s 40-44 division in the Open and went on to take 10th in the Age-Group Quarterfinal.
“It felt like I had a chance, but my confidence wasn't all there, I wasn't sure I truly belonged,” Rudy said.
In the Age-Group Semifinal, Rudy finished in sixth place, securing his first Games ticket in a weekend he said he would never forget. His family and community at ChalkDust CrossFit cheered him on through every test, giving him the confidence needed to give it his all. That community — totaling around 40 — followed him to Madison to support him in the stands at the 2022 NOBULL CrossFit Games.
Photo by Johany Jutras
By the end of the week, Rudy stood atop the podium for the Men’s 40-44, proudly wearing the gold medal around his neck. Not only did he qualify for his first CrossFit Games, he won it, too.
The confidence Rudy built from his success last year has carried over to the 2023 season, guiding him to his second invitation to the CrossFit Games. Rudy will be stepping onto the competition floor in Madison, Wisconsin, in just a few weeks in hopes of continuing his division reign.
Competing alongside him (in the 35-39 division) will be none other than birthday-wish grantor Scott Panchik.
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Cover photo by Johany Jutras