Powerlifter Rogan is top of the world with second family

Rogan, who only started the sport a number of months ago, has already secured a best overall lightweight female trophy with another incredible performance at the WPU World Championships in Limerick.

She believes that anyone who has an interest in powerlifting should join the club, which trains at FF Fitness on a Tuesday and Thursday night starting at 7pm and every Saturday morning at 9.30am under the watchful eye of coach Billy Hutchison.

“I love it, it’s most girls in our club and I have a wee two-year-old son, so this is my time away from him,” she said.

“I started last year when Billy came here and I haven’t looked back since. I just throw myself into it and Billy is a fantastic coach.

“Everyone in the club gets on with each other we all encourage each other and if you had have told me when I started last year that I would be lifting half the weights that I’m lifting now and I would be a world champion, I wouldn’t have believd you.

“It just shows you what you can do when you put your heart and soul into anything.”

Emma, who use to do bodybuilding, feels she now has a second family at the club.

“Before I was pregnant I use to do bodybuilding but when I had Anthony I just didn’t think it was right to be going through the extreme diet, but Billy saw me at the gym and took me under his wing and I’m really grateful,” she added.

“I have a new wee passion and a new wee family, the club is fantastic and I would encourage anybody that is thinking about doing powerlifting to come here, because you never know you could be the next world champion.”

Coach Hutchison believes the club can only get bigger and better and 2016 is going to be an exciting year for the club but also for the sport in the city.

“We set competing in the World’s in Limerick as our goal,” he said.

“We went from having a few members to taking 15 lifters to compete at the championships and everyone was placed.

“We have 8 or 9 first places, 2 or 3 seconds and a few third places, so everyone came away with a top three finish, which was great.

“Due to the success of our lifters which has put the city on the map in terms of powerlifting, we have managed to get a big event coming to the Waterfoot Hotel, on Saturday September 3rd, it’s the first time anything like that has really come here.

“We are hoping to bring over 100 lifters from across the country and probably from further afield and although it’s still quite a few months away there’s a great buzz already started.

“The Irish Powerlifting National Championship competition is coming up in less than ten weeks time and we are expecting to put on another strong show with quite a few lifters taking part.

“The same weekend there’s an invite to the only Professional Show and we are delighted that Emma and myself have been invited to take part.

“Some of the best lifters in the world will be competing, so even to be on the same stage as them is a big achievement and big honour and hopefully we can do ourselves proud.”

Hutchinson also concedes that although he’s the coach he maintains that everyone continues to learn at the sport.

“We are based in FF Fitness and we have all our own equipment and beginners are always welcome.

“I think people can be sometimes put off when they see some of the lifts, especially when they see what the girls are lifting, but whenever they started they were lifting small weights.

“I’m only doing it two years myself, there’s no powerlifting back-round from any of us, we are all beginners here and we’re always learning.”