Help Barni Not Freeze to Death

As a general rule, I am not big on charity. However, every now and then, someone unusual comes along who deserves our help. That’s why I would like to help my young friend, Barni Böjte, to make it to Hungary this winter to train with his coach.

The Crossfitters among you probably remember Barni from his videos during the 2016 Crossfit Open that were all over social media back then. The videos featured Barni doing the open workouts in his barn in Romania using homemade equipment and grinding it out in the cold.

For those who don't know Barni, let me share with you why he deserves our help.

Only 20 years old, Barni lives in a small town in Romania. In 2014, he started Crossfit by watching videos of how to train. With no access to a gym, he started his training alone by making his own equipment, including a homemade bar, iron plates, rings, and a pull up and squat rack from wood. How many of us can say we started with absolutely zero normal equipment or even smooth earth to stand on?

Although Barni has better equipment now, the biggest challenge he faces is the extreme cold during the winters in Romania, where Barni must train sometimes in -20-degree Celsius weather. When training cannot be performed using gloves, Barni warms up the bar, dumbbells, kettlebells, etc. with a flame thrower. Shockingly, Barni does not complain about this, even when he runs out of gas for the flame thrower and has to do without it. Nothing stands in his way.

Unfortunately, Barni has had some injuries relating to training in such severe conditions. This winter, he has the opportunity to train in Hungary with his coach, Lacee Kovacs. It would be a great chance for Barni to work towards his goals under normal conditions and to train with others.

Barni works exceptionally hard, no matter the conditions. Let’s help him avoid the -20-degree cold and flame thrower this year.

I am personally going to donate 500 euros to the cause, and while I don't expect any one person to match that, I hope it will set an example for other people to follow.

ANY amount is much appreciated!