A trio of Mandurah mums – all with children aged five and under – will push their bodies to the limit when they represent Western Australia at the State of Origin Masters League CrossFit Cup in Queensland at the end of September.
Michelle Wong, Orla Brennan and Skye Pember all made the cut for the WA team, and will join another 60 athletes to take on the rest of Australia.
Wong, who owns local gym Family First Fitness (specialising in mums training with their children), could not be prouder of her non-CrossFit gym girls qualifying for the major event.
“I am so proud of these amazing women,” she said.
“They are real life ‘super-mums’, getting it done with the kids, leading by example, and inspiring many other women on their journey.”
The games will put the trio’s fitness to the ultimate test, putting them through a range of different workout disciplines as they look to spur WA to a victory over its rival states.
Brennan, still a breastfeeding mum, got through the tough online qualifier and then finished top two in the all-day invitational competition to make the team, all the while looking after and feeding her daughter between workouts.
“I exercised throughout my pregnancy, and once I got the all clear after recovering from a caesarean, I was straight back at Family First Fitness,” she said.
Pember, also member of the team, is waving the banner high for single working mothers.
She is the primary carer of her two boys, and runs her own business while studying to be a personal trainer, a workload she admits can be a bit much but is determined to push through.
“Yes, some days it is hard to juggle work with my boys, but training is made easier because I can always take the boys along with me,” she said.
“Michelle and the gym girls keep me focused, and now I’m proving that single mums can dream big and make it happen.”
The three mums are currently fundraising for their flights and accommodation, with the strong support of the other gym members.
To help them make it to Queensland, visit the Family First Fitness website.
