Pauline Frasca (born 1 July 1980 in

Sale, Victoria Sale is a city situated in the Gippsland region of the Australian state of Victoria (Australia), Victoria and the council seat of the Shire of Wellington. It had an estimated urban population of 15,682 according to the 2021 census. The total pop ...

) is an Australian former rower – a national champion, two-time world champion and a dual Olympian. She has represented at the elite world level as both a sculler and a sweep-oar rower.

Club and state rowing

Frasca's senior rowing commenced from the Mercantile Rowing Club in Melbourne in 2001. She was the club captain in 2010 and 2011. She was first selected to the Victorian state representative senior women's eight in 2003 to compete for the Queen Elizabeth Cup at the Interstate Regatta within the

Australian Rowing Championships Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Aus ...

. She made six successive appearances for Victoria in that eight from 2003 to 2008 and saw consecutive victories from 2005 to 2008. She was back in the Victorian representative senior eight in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013 and 2014 and saw further victories in each of those years. Eleven total appearances for nine victories. She contested and won national titles at the

in Mercantile club colours. From 2005 to 2010 she raced in all Victorian composite club crews for the W2-, the W4- and the eight, winning the Australian title in the pair in 2009, in the four in 2005 and 2009 and in the eight in 2005, 2006 and 2010 (in all- Mercantile crews in 2006 and 2010).

International representative rowing

Frasca was first selected to Australian representative crews for the 2005 World Rowing Cups I and II in Europe where she raced in the Australian women's senior eight and in a

coxless pair A coxless pair is a rowing boat used in the sport of competitive rowing. It is designed for two rowers, who propel the boat with sweep oars. The crew consists of a pair of rowers, each having one oar, one on the stroke side (rower's right ...

. The eight took gold and the pair silver at the second regatta in Munich. These performances secured Frasca's seven seat in the eight and in the Australian women's coxless four for the

2005 World Rowing Championships The 2005 World Rowing Championships were World Rowing Championships that were held from 29 August to 4 September 2005 at the Nagaragawa International Regatta Course in Kaizu, Gifu Prefecture, Japan. The international rowing season usually ends ...

Gifu, Japan is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Gifu Prefecture has a population of 1,991,390 () and has a geographic area of . Gifu Prefecture borders Toyama Prefecture to the north; Ishikawa Prefecture to the northwest, Fuku ...

. Both crews were victorious and Frasca finished 2005 – her debut representative year – as a dual World Champion. Frasca was rowing consistently at the Australian national level in 2006 and 2007 but wasn't called back into national selection contention until the Olympic year 2008. She was picked for the eight for the World Rowing Cup II of 2008 at Lucerne and then was in the bow seat of the eight

women's eight An eight is a rowing boat used in the sport of competitive rowing (crew). It is designed for eight rowers, who propel the boat with sweep oars, and is steered by a coxswain, or "cox". Each of the eight rowers has one oar. The rowers, who sit ...

for

Beijing 2008 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 Nat ...

. They placed sixth.Frasca at World Rowing
/ref> She was back in representative crews in 2010 rowing in a pair at the World Rowing Cup III in Lucerne before being selected in the W4- for Lake Karapiro 2010. In that four with Sarah Heard, Sarah Cook and

Kate Hornsey Kate Hornsey (born 19 October 1981, in Hobart) is an Australian former three-time world champion, dual Olympian and Olympic silver medal-winning rower. Club and national rowing Hornsey took up rowing when she was 12 years old in New Norfolk, ...

, Frasca placed second in the final and took the silver World Championship medal. With Heard and Cook changed out for Peta White and Renee Chatterton, Frasca and Hornsey were in that four again for Bled 2011 and again they brought home a silver medal. Frasca took to sculling in the Olympic year 2012 and raced in Australian representative quad sculls in the European lead-up World Cups. At

London 2012 The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

she rowed in the women's quadruple sculls with Dana Faletic, Kerry Hore and Amy Clay to a fourth placing. She still figured in representative crews in 2014 rowing at both World Rowing Cups in sweep-oared boats and then in her final Australian appearance in the women's eight who placed fourth at the

2014 World Rowing Championships The 2014 World Rowing Championships were the 44th edition of the World Rowing Championships and were held from 24 to 31 August 2014 at Bosbaan, Amsterdam in the Netherlands, the second occasion on which the event had been held in Amsterdam, or ...

in Amsterdam.

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Frasca, Pauline 1980 births Living people Australian female rowers Rowers at the 2008 Summer Olympics Rowers at the 2012 Summer Olympics Olympic rowers for Australia World Rowing Championships medalists for Australia Sportspeople from Sale, Victoria 21st-century Australian women Sportswomen from Victoria (state)