Frazer Tavener: diving into sport and academic goals

Engineering (Hons) student Frazer Tavener is an elite diver training to qualify for the 2028 Olympics in synchronised diving. After the spotlight was put on him at the opening of Hiwa Recreation Centre, he answered a few questions.

Was there pressure when you had to dive in front of VIPs at the Hiwa opening?
Absolutely! I may have dived at some very big competitions, but wanting to perform well and impress someone with such status as a Minister or Vice-Chancellor of the University definitely piles on the pressure. I had to make sure to remember to focus on my training when diving in front of important people so as not to get wrapped up in the pressure and mess up my dives.

You’re used to performing in front of people in competition though, was it easier or harder?
Easier than and less pressure than some of the bigger competitions I have competed in (such as the Commonwealth Games). However it was still difficult to focus properly and not let the pressure get to me. I remember slightly messing up one of my dives in front of Chris Bishop (who probably didn't notice too much) and was mortified.

What did Minister Chris Bishop talk to you about?
We started by talking about my goals and aspirations for my career both in diving and outside of diving. I talked about my journey to the next Olympics (Los Angeles 2028) and about my engineering degree and where I wanted that to take me after sport. We also discussed my training and funding situation and how the minister plans to make sport better for us competitors.

What are your diving goals for this year and next?
The main goal for this year is to come fifth place or better at the World Championships in synchronised diving with my diving partner Liam Stone. This will put us well on track for making the Olympics in 2028.

When did you get into diving and what category do you compete in?
I started diving quite late for a sport like this. I was 12 years old but most people start at seven or eight, so I have had to do some catching up to get where I am today. I compete in both the 3m springboard and 3m synchronised springboard events (one by myself and one with a partner).

How has the opening of Hiwa helped you, or how do you think it will? A few dives between lectures?
I usually train at another pool in Auckland but Hiwa will allow me to catch up with training sessions that I miss due to classes, labs, tutorials, etc which is extremely useful and will help me balance training and uni even better. It also means that if our pool that we usually train at happens to close down for any reason, we have a back-up which is unbelievably useful.

We hear you practise for more than six hours a day, is that right?
I train about 25 hours a week across six days. This includes up to six hours of training a day (a few days a week) so time management is a big part of my life.

If you were doing a dive at Hiwa, and someone came up to you and wanted some tips, what would you say?
If you try and jump on the diving board as you would on the ground, it's going to be very difficult for you! You need to do longer slower jumps to get the height you want!

What are your academic goals?
I'm studying a Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) and I'm in my third year. I'm specialising in mechatronics and am hoping to use my qualification to work in sustainability or climate change.

Anything else you’d like to add?
A massive thank you to Toby Batchelor and Holly Gray from the High Performance Support Programme at the University of Auckland for all their help and support over the years. They have helped me with funding opportunities and helped me fit in training around university.