Unfinished Assignment
when david Calder and Scott Frandsen crossed the line to grab silver at the 2008 olympic
rowing regatta, it put the heartbreak of athens into the past – at the 2004 olympic
rowing regatta, Frandsen had rowed in the ill-fated eight and Calder had been
disqualified in the pair for a lane violation.
Brian Carr is the current head coach at Brentwood
College, the alma mater where Calder and
Frandsen studied and rowed. Tony Carr, Brian’s
father, coached the future Olympic medallists
during their time at Brentwood. According
to both coaches, the two Olympians, along
with 23 other alumnae who have rowed at the
Olympics since 1976, serve as inspiring role
models for the current class of young rowers.
Take a flashback to the mid-1990s when
both Calder and Frandsen began rowing at
Brentwood under the senior Carr’s tutelage.
Ironically, neither teenager ever rowed with
each other at the waterside Canadian west-coast school where their dorm rooms were a
mere 50 metres from the dock.
the world junior title (1996)
in Scotland with Kevin White.
Scott on the other hand did
not demonstrate incredible
size or physiology but became
a fast single sculler from the
very beginning. But we did not
find a partner to launch him onto
the world stage. Malcolm Howard,
Beijing gold medallist in the men’s
eight, came to Brentwood after
Scott had graduated.”
“Scott and David are two very classy guys. It’s
really important for the kids to see their (Scott
and David’s) roots in rowing tied to Brentwood,”
says Brian Carr, who will be flying Frandsen
back to the school from his current residence
in San Francisco to make a presentation in April.
“David and Scott are so willing to give back.
Coming to the school to make a presentation
is important for our students. The kids get to
understand that they’re not any different with
what they are doing or feeling.”
Calder graduated in June 1996 after winning
the Royal Henley Regatta Princess Elizabeth
Challenge Cup for junior boys, while Frandsen
arrived at the school in the fall of the same
year. Tony Carr, the school’s coach of 40 years,
remembers their early days.
The two did not come
together as a crew
until late in
2008. >
“Dave came to the school after having had the
experience of rowing and sculling at his home
club. He had the size and physiology of a world
champion but sadly had performed well
below that. We found a pair partner for him
and at the end of his school career he won
Dave Calder
