By Kyle Coppola
CrossFit Journey Leads to Gym Ownership for Clermont’s Franky Ortega
In March 2022, Franky Ortega walked through the doors of Sweat Factory Clermont not with a desire to break personal records, but to find a lifeline. Drowning in stress from a high-pressure job and battling frequent panic attacks, Ortega wasn’t chasing fitness he was chasing relief.
“I was buried in a high-stress job, overwhelmed by anxiety, and struggling with panic attacks that seemed to come out of nowhere,” Franky recalled. “CrossFit wasn’t about reps or records for me. It was about survival.”
What he found inside that gym changed his life.
Initially overwhelmed by the loud music, clanging barbells, and confident athletes, Franky kept returning. Day after day, the structure and intensity of the workouts became a source of stability when everything else felt uncertain.
“The gym became the one place I felt strong. Capable. In control,” he said. “CrossFit gave me more than physical strength. It gave me the confidence to rewrite my story.”
(For Franky CrossFit was about so much more than just personal wellness. It gave him an escape from his toxic work life.)
In November 2022, Franky made a bold move, he left his toxic job, stepping into an unknown future. Within six months, he earned his CrossFit Level 1 Trainer (CF-L1) certification and began coaching youth classes in Clermont. Soon after, he joined the coaching staff in Groveland. By October 2023, he was named General Manager of Sweat Factory Afterburn in Davenport.
Coaching ignited something deeper: “It combined my passion for movement with my lifelong love for helping others succeed.”
Driven by that passion, Franky pursued further education and earned an impressive list of certifications:
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CrossFit Level 2 Trainer (CF-L2)
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USA Weightlifting Level 1 Coach (USAW L1)
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Precision Nutrition Level 1 Coach
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CrossFit Gymnastics Course (L1)
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CrossFit Coaching Fundamentals
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CrossFit Scaling
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CrossFit Spot the Flaw
“Every part of my journey has been shaped by one simple truth: when people are supported, seen, and challenged, they rise,” Frankey says. “Now, I get to spend every day helping others discover that for themselves.”
Franky emphasizes that the power of CrossFit lies beyond the physical. “It’s the transformation that happens when someone does something they never thought possible. It’s watching a first-timer pick up a barbell or a seasoned athlete break through a mental barrier.”
(Clermont CrossFit is hosting its first-ever Bring-A-Friend Week, June 16–19.)
Now, Franky’s journey has come full circle. He is the new owner of Clermont CrossFit, located at 407-D Old Hwy 50 West in Minneola’s TrailSide Industrial Park. To celebrate, the gym is launching its first-ever Bring-A-Friend Week, June 16–19, culminating in an Outdoor WOD + Water Day at Waterfront Park on Saturday, June 21.
“This isn’t just a promo,” Ortega says. “It’s a celebration. A chance to share something that’s changed your life or maybe even start changing someone else’s.”
He invites the public, seasoned athletes and beginners to experience the magic of the CrossFit community. The Bring-A-Friend Week will feature fun, scalable workouts for all fitness levels, designed to welcome new faces into a supportive environment.
“As a coach, I don’t just teach movement, I try to lead with empathy. I want every person who walks through our doors to know that they matter. That they belong here,” says Franky.
“CrossFit gave me my life back. Now, I want to open the doors for others to step into their own turning point. So bring your people. Bring your energy. Bring your belief that growth is possible because it is.”
Interested participants can register at https://go.streamfit.com/embed/memberships/742/11968
Kyle Coppola was born in Newton, Massachusetts and received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communications from Curry College in 2016. After traveling to Florida on a family vacation, he decided he could not get enough of the warm weather and made the move from snowy Massachusetts to central Florida 8 years ago.
For the last decade Kyle has gained valuable experience in social media content creation, marketing and sales, writing, video production, sports announcing and even broadcasting for local radio stations, such as FM 102.9 in The Villages and FM 91.5 in Massachusetts. Every year he volunteers at The Villages Charter High School as a play-by-play sports announcer for the football games as well as a public address announcer for the basketball games, including the annual Battle at The Villages Tournament.
Outside the office Kyle is a husband and father to two beautiful girls along with their cat. In his spare time he likes to spend time with his family, travel, play golf and swim. He is also a huge sports junkie and even bigger motorsports fan and loves to attend racing events when he can.
