PTC's Fraker sets sights on a gold medal at Beijing Olympic Games

Benn Fraker has been paddling in the water for a very long time. There were the trips on Lake Peachtree early on, and these were soon followed by more arduous adventures, and then races around the region, the nation and the world on the junior circuit.

Now, the 19-year-old Peachtree City resident takes his skills and his C1 canoe to the largest stage, Beijing for the 2008 Olympic Games.

“It has been pretty crazy since qualifying,” said Fraker, who added he has been inundated with emails since he captured the C1 spot for the U.S.’s Canoe/Kayak Olympic team.

Fraker entered the final race of a three race series, the World Cup final in Augsburg, Germany, with the knowledge that a good finish could help him reach the Olympics. Fraker finished in fifth place, good enough to qualify for the team’s C1 spot.

C1 is a classification that requires the racers to paddle a canoe that looks like a kayak. The paddler guides the enclosed canoe while on his knees with a paddle with one blade.

Fraker is back in Peachtree City for a brief period before heading to a training camp in Maryland. He is using the time to decompress from what has been a whirlwind of activity and excitement. A student at Georgia State University, Fraker, a McIntosh graduate, took the year off to train. He worked on a daily basis with the coach of the U.S. national team and his overall goal was to compete consistently.

“The Olympics wasn’t my main goal,” said Fraker. “I just wanted to enjoy paddling and get as good as I could.”

Obviously, Fraker was getting very good. Entering the final race of the series, he didn’t let the pressure of knowing that an Olympic spot was his with a good finish get to him.

“I kept my head and raced well,” said Fraker. “It was the only thing I could control.”

Fraker knows his competition very well and has raced against the other competitors in other races throughout his career. The four days of slalom racing in Beijing will be just like any other race, except the eyes of the world be watching.

“There’s only one boat per category at the Olympics, while there are three per category in the World Championships,” Fraker explained. “Although the World Championships may have more competition, the Olympics is obviously the biggest stage I will have ever competed in. It will be an interesting challenge.”

The slalom portion of the Canoe/Kayak races will take place Aug. 11-14 and the Olympics will be broadcast on MSNBC.

After the Olympics, Fraker plans to use the fall to weigh where he goes next. He may go back to school next spring, but he knows that he will still compete in canoeing and kayaking.

“I enjoy racing too much to let it go,” Fraker said.

He’ll be back in the water soon enough and the next race he competes in could earn him a medal and a spot on the world stage.

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