Rowing Tasmania was left bitterly disappointed at the dwindling numbers of its competitors heading to this year’s Olympic Games.
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Kerry Hore not only became the first Australian female rower to attend four consecutive Olympics, but the only Tasmanian at Rio.
After seven, seven and six Tasmanian rowers respectively attending the past three Games, the sport in Australia could forgive the island state that delivers arguably the best rowing course in the land to drain the water out of Lake Barrington for good.
But Tasmanian Phil Fraser’s appointment to the Rio jury of international rowing officials has gone some way to stopping such moves.
Fraser worked his way up the rowing umpiring ranks after first volunteering one day on the Derwent. When he earned an international umpiring licence, he joined 360 others in the world in contention for Rio 2016.
Unlike dedicated Olympian hopefuls, Fraser never dreamt of standing behind decisions that determined lucky Olympic medalists.
“It was really just one of those things that you put your hand up to volunteer once and you go through that phase and all those steps, and that opportunity has now just arisen,” Fraser said.
“So I can’t say I have ever stepped back and necessarily aspired to it all.”
The 61-year-old will appear at his first Olympics, standing as Australia’s sole rowing umpire in Brazil.
Not bad for the former Burnie man, whose first toe in the water started with a paddle rather than an oar.
He was a surf boat rower off the North West coast before years later turning his attention to rowing coaching when his daughter raced for St Michael’s Collegiate. His job now is just not as easy as it is challenging, he explains.
“You are expected to rotate through the various roles – so you tend to be a jack of all trades,” Fraser said.
The rowing jury demands officials take on umpiring, head judge, finish-line judge, official starter and in control commission roles.
Fraser will stand over Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas, the venue that created headlines last year after tonnes of dead fish were removed over health concerns for the river.
Not that he’ll be distracted.
“It’s the pinnacle, so you do need to be on-song,” Fraser said. “It’s starting to get to that realisation that I’m on the jury and on my way.”