CrossFit rising star off to the United States
A member of Cross Fit Alberton, Brogan Borrill, has been invited to take part in the Pit Teen Throwdown in Southwest Michigan (USA) next month and needs your help to compete there.
Rising star Brogan Borrill, 17, has progressively risen through the ranks and has proved to be a force to be reckoned with.
The CrossFit champ recently finished second in Africa in the CrossFit Games semi-finals for the 16 to 17-year-old age group. He has now been invited to participate in the Pit Teen Throwdown that runs alongside the CrossFit Games finals in Southwest Michigan, USA.
With the tournament expected to take place later in August, his family has started raising funds for Brogan as he intends to leave on August 21. He needs at least R120 000 for his trip towards travel costs and other expenses.
After having done CrossFit for just over three years, the highest level he has competed in was the age-group semi-finals. As he continues to rise, Brogan remains humble and true to his sport.
“It was quite a tough run for me over that weekend of the age-group semi-finals. A lot didn’t go to plan in terms of repeating workouts and getting the recovery I needed, however, I gave it everything I had,” Brogan said.
CrossFit has impacted his life beyond just physical fitness. It has brought him to a new level of discipline.
Soaring to success
During a CrossFit competition in Gqeberha, which took place last year, Brogan took first place in his teen division.
Early in the year, he competed in an international competition, the Age Group Open and took 50th place worldwide, and in the Age Group quarterfinals scooped 58th place worldwide.
In the Age Group semi-finals, he took 75th place worldwide and finished second in Africa.
“It was in the middle of Covid and I was quite overweight. I hadn’t played tennis in a while and I needed to get active, and we happened to have a family friend who owned a ‘box’, so I started. They were the real heroes in my journey – coach Cameron and Angelique.
“Not only are they some of my closest companions, but they are the people who believed in me and didn’t allow me to settle with being average,” Brogan explained.
Coach Cameron Mitchell, owner of CrossFit Alberton, has been with Brogan every step of his journey.
“I’m most passionate about God; He would be the main reason why I give the best in any aspect of my life. My favourite movement would be a heavy clean and jerk or snatch. The shorter the workout the better,” he said.
Yielding significant results
Brogan said knowing where his priorities lie helps in prioritising what to do and when.
“And also knowing when enough is enough. My mental attitude is that I can’t expect to have a healthy overall life if I’m not present and giving my best to each person and in each moment. For someone who just started out with CrossFit, they should know that there are going to be exceptionally tough days, even just to rock up to training, but just do it,” he said.
He advised that they should ‘eat the frog’ and over time, they will look back and thank themselves.
Should you wish to assist Brogan towards his trip, contact his father Sean Borrill on 076 404 5563 or via email at sean.borrill@gmail.com
