GRIGULL FOLLOWS IN BROTHER’S FOOTSTEPS

Age: 18

High school: Douglas

College: Iona (N.Y.) College

WRITTEN BY SHARON ROBB

When he was little, Justin Grigull would always tag along with his older brother Rory to watch him swim with his Coral Springs Swim Club teammates at the Coral Springs Aquatic Complex.

It looked like fun so Grigull, a tennis and soccer player, decided to try it.

“I was always at the pool with him so I decided to see what it was like,” Grigull said. “I liked it. I got along with the coaches and it was fun.

“I was good when I started out, then had a few down years and picked it back up. It helped having my brother there. He always encouraged me. I always wanted to follow in his footsteps.”

Rory Grigull is 20 and swims at South Carolina. He is home for the summer to train at Coral Springs. Justin is excited about swimming at college.

“We finally get to be even,” Grigull said. “Maybe in college I will get to race him. It will be fun competing with him. We haven’t raced head-to-head but our times are getting close. I keep comparing them.”

Justin admits his older brother is “better than me.

“He pushed me a lot,” Grigull said. “I wouldn’t be where I am without him.”

Grigull has been swimming for 10 years. He swims the 50, 100, 200 and 500 freestyle events.

“Swimming helped me a lot,” Grigull said. “It made me realize a lot of things about myself that I didn’t know. It really worked out for the best me choosing swimming. I got the opportunity to swim in college. I was always hoping for it and I worked towards it the whole time.”

Morning workouts took a little getting used to, Grigull admits.

“Thankfully I didn’t start those until I got older,” he said with a laugh. “I got used to it pretty fast.”

Grigull qualified for the state high school meet four consecutive years.

His freshman and sophomore year Douglas won the team title. His junior year he won an individual state title as a member of the 400-yard freestyle relay. His best individual state finish was fourth in the 100 freestyle.

“I think there are always going to be those hard workouts where you have a low moment,” Grigull said. “Right before my last summer I hurt my shoulder. I was wondering what I was going to do and whether college coaches would still talk with me.

“There was no way I was going to quit. I stuck with it and I am glad I did. College coaches did talk with me. It was cool being recruited and nice knowing that people want you.”

Grigull plans to major in business administration in college.

Sharon Robb can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it