General News
2 December, 2025
HCF CrossFit to celebrate three years
Horsham CrossFit will mark three years since its opening with its annual Horsham CrossFit Games this Saturday December 6.
Gym co-owner and trainer Ravi Araujo said the event would serve as the third iteration of its in-house competition, allowing members to push themselves in a competitive setting.
“We’ve been doing this competition for three years, and it’s open for members of our gym to sign up,” Araujo said.
“It allows them to put their fitness to the test and also have some fun with their friends.
“Members can sign up and compete in the pairs' competition or as individuals.
“Kids will also be able to compete and showcase their fitness and what they’ve learnt throughout the year.”
Co-owner of HCF CrossFit with Maddie Iredell, Araujo said he was pleased that the Horsham community had embraced CrossFit over the past three years.
“It’s been very good – we’ve had a lot of support in the community," Araujo said.
“We didn't know how people would take to it, being a town that is so focused on football and netball, and whether they were going to embrace another kind of sport or lifestyle.
“But people just jumped in and they weren’t scared of trying something new, because the majority of our membership is based on people who had never done CrossFit before.
“One of our challenges was to show people that CrossFit is not only about the competitive side of things, it's also actually a way of exercising, enjoying yourself and having fun.
“That's what we've been doing since then: just showing that it's a safe way to exercise, to meet people and do something different.”
Asked whether they expected Horsham CrossFit to grow into what it is today, Araujo admitted the initial concerns were quickly quashed as people embraced the gym.
“No, definitely not,” Araujo said.
“We sometimes don’t realise how much we’ve grown in the short time that we’ve been operating here in Horsham.
“I think the town just loved it, and I think we’re pretty lucky with the fact we don’t have too many other places offering functional fitness as we do.
“At first we were pretty scared as we didn’t know how many people we would be attracting, but then we hit our six-month target in the first month so that was really good.”
“It’s kept us driving forward and helped us try to bring new things to those people who trusted and believed in us from the beginning.
“From the 60 foundation memberships we began with, we’ve still got 27 of them with us.”
HCF CrossFit’s passion is demonstrated by its commitment to greater inclusivity, which Iredell has driven, according to Araujo.
“Maddie loves CrossFit and she keeps finding more and more ways to attract different demographics,” Araujo said.
“She’s now doing postpartum classes and wants to invest big in the kids’ classes.
“We want to be known for being a CrossFit not only for adults and everyday people but for those who need to exercise but don’t get much of an opportunity to do anything else in other places.”
People are welcome to watch the Horsham CrossFit Games, taking place between 7am and 3pm on Saturday.
Anyone interested in trying or joining HCF CrossFit can visit hcfcrossfit.com.au or contact the team via social media.
Read More: Horsham