Hal Frigaard

South Australian Sports Institute (SA) and Oxford University Boat Club (UK)

Hal is a dual citizen of Australia and the United Kingdom who has raced in both countries. He known racing in Australia includes appearances at the National Championships in both 2016 and 2017 before taking up undergraduate studies at Oxford University and specifically Oriel College in 2017. So most of his rowing has been done at Oxford University when he was an undergraduate studying Mathematics and Computer Science.

Hal describes how he started rowing in the first edition of an e-magazine, The Boat Race, produced by Row360 for the Boat Race Company in December 2020 -

I started in 2014 with the South Australian Sports Institute. They were running a dev squad and it sounded quite fun. I played a few sports - basketball, athletics, soccer - but I wanted to pick just one and really work at it. SASI wanted to push me and see what I could do which I really enjoyed. First club? South Australian Sports Institute.

The e magazine provides further insights -

What is your favourite part of rowing for Oxford? I enjoy the people mainly. It’s just a lot of fun going to Wallingford and rowing. Half the time is spent rigging, de-rigging, warming up where we just hang around talking.

What’s your rowing history, and what has been your biggest achievement so far? I started in 2014 mainly in a single. I rowed for Oriel in 2017-18, and bumped to Headship in torpids and eights (in 2019). I started OUBC in my second year and rowed for Isis. I was in the Blue boat in my third year.

Have you raced in the Boat Race before? If yes, when? No, only Isis 2019. I was going to race in 2020 but it got cancelled.

Your favourite race so far? Brookes vs Blue boat 2020. The conditions were described as biblical and it certainly was the worst I’ve ever rowed in. But we managed to pull away at the end of the first piece. I think pulling away from someone in a race is the best feeling you can get.

2019 Trial eights for Oxford University with Hal in six seat

2020 Oxford Blue Crew with Hal second from lef

Known rowing record

2016 - National Championships, Schoolboy Scull - 22nd

2017 - National Championships, Under 21 Quad Scull - Seventh

2017-18 - Raced for Oriel College

2019 - The Boat Race, Isis crew (reserve boat), four seat

2020 - The Boat Race, Blue boat, two seat - race cancelled due to pandemic

Flynn Snowden and Andrew Guerin
May 2023

Sources

e-magazine, The Boat Race, produced by Row360 for the Boat Race Company in December 2020 Boat Race Boat Race | Powered by Pocketmags for quotes and images
https://danielwspring.wordpress.com/2019/04/02/the-oxford-cambridge-reserves-isis-v-goldie/
https://allmark.one/blogs/uk-circuit/the-boat-race-2019-reserve-crews-announced
Author's records

Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information provided, errors may exist. Please send advice of any errors or inaccuracies by email to:

Also your comments, suggestions and photos are sought to enhance this site.

The idea for this history originated from the Olympic Rowing and World Senior Rowing Championship histories written by Andrew Guerin and Margot Foster in 1991, 1992 & 1993 for the Australian team handbooks. Andrew Guerin developed and extended these histories to the current format in 2004 for publication in 2004 and then expanded the site.

Steve Roll has been an invaluable contributor to the website in locating errors and finding Christian names of rowers. His superb work is acknowledged.

© Andrew Guerin – 2004
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