Thomas Bennett "Benn" Fraker (born February 23, 1989, in
Rome, Georgia
Rome is the largest city in and the county seat of Floyd County, Georgia, United States. Located in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, it is the principal city of the Rome, Georgia metropolitan area, Rome, Georgia, metropolitan statisti ...
) is an American
slalom canoeist who competed at the international level from 2004 to 2014. He finished sixth in the
C1 event at the
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Na ...
in
Beijing
}
Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
.
Early life
Fraker was born in
Rome, Georgia
Rome is the largest city in and the county seat of Floyd County, Georgia, United States. Located in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, it is the principal city of the Rome, Georgia metropolitan area, Rome, Georgia, metropolitan statisti ...
, on February 23, 1989. He soon moved to
Peachtree City, Georgia
Peachtree City is the largest city in Fayette County, Georgia, Fayette County, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, it had a population of 34,364. Peachtree City is located in South Metro Atlanta.
P ...
, where his family resides today. His parents, Tom and Marsha Fraker, supported him by driving him to different parts of the country to paddle more challenging rivers. He has a younger brother, Davis, and a younger sister, Addie, who are involved in different athletic sports. Davis is a 4A state record holder in track and field events discus, shot put, and hammer throw. Benn had been training for over ten years in
kayaking
Kayaking is the use of a kayak for moving over water. It is distinguished from canoeing by the sitting position of the paddler and the number of blades on the paddle. A kayak is a low-to-the-water, canoe-like boat in which the paddler sits fac ...
and
canoeing
Canoeing is an activity which involves paddling a canoe with a single-bladed paddle. Common meanings of the term are limited to when the canoeing is the central purpose of the activity. Broader meanings include when it is combined with other acti ...
. Initially he started by watching his father, Tom Fraker, paddle recreationally. He began playing with his dad's kayaking equipment in the pool and later attempted to paddle down rivers. He was a soccer player until he developed
Sever's disease
Sever's disease, also known as calcaneus apophysitis, is an inflammation at the back of the heel (or calcaneus) growth plate in growing children. The condition is thought to be caused by repetitive stress at the heel. This condition is benign and ...
in his heel, which is caused by overuse and small injuries to the growth plates. The disease required Fraker to stay off his feet. Kayaking and canoeing allowed him to recover from the disease and still stay active in sports. He started to get involved in the sport around the age of eleven or twelve.
Career
Fraker competed in many events since he was in middle school, but his first major accomplishment that set the stage for the
Olympics
The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...
was the Junior Pre-World Championships in 2005. He was coached by Cathy Hearn (the USACK canoe coach and multi-time world champion) and her brother Davey Hearn (three-time Olympian, and two-time World Champion) Since the
World Junior Championships occurred only every other year, the major event for 2005 was the Junior Pre-World Championships. He had major competition in the C1 event and struggled with a gate penalty on the first run, but finished the event with a 192.19 total time to win the event. The Pre-Worlds allowed Fraker to compete against the best juniors in the world. Proceeding to the
2006 World Junior Championships, Fraker finished fifth setting the stage for senior level competition. Although it's a difficult task to transfer from junior to senior level competition, Fraker proceeded to win the US Team Trials in 2007 and become first boat on the senior national teams. He also finished 13th in
2007 World Cup rankings. Fraker's accomplishments led him to the
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Na ...
in
Beijing
}
Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
. He was one of the youngest competitors in his division. He had struggles in the beginning from the pressures of his first Olympics, but he finished first in the first heat of twenty-three paddlers and finished 6th overall in the
C1 event with a total time of 183.14.
[Branco, Olivia. "Car or kayak, Fraker logs miles; U.S. paddler, dad will drive far to find whitewater." USA Today 2008. 12c. Galileo. Web. 16 Sep 2010. .]
World Cup individual podiums
:
1 Pan American Championship counting for World Cup points
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fraker, Benn
1989 births
Living people
American male canoeists
Canoeists at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Olympic canoeists for the United States
People from Rome, Georgia
People from Peachtree City, Georgia
Sportspeople from the Atlanta metropolitan area