Lynette Fischer: “Being Passionate About What You Do is Essential”

Fitness and Performance Manager at Toyota Cheetahs, Lynette Fischer, will be heading up the new professional women’s rugby team this year.

Hailing from Nelson Mandela Bay, Fischer will be part of the first-ever Toyota Cheetahs professional women’s rugby team, as the South African Rugby Union aims to professionalise the women’s side of the game.

From a young age, Fischer has always had a passion for sport, which saw her obtain provincial colours in five sporting codes in school.

Since then, she has competed in various sporting codes and shares winning the Biathle World Championship title on the same day with her daughter, Carlyn, as one of her highlights.

Having worked in a male-dominated spaces for a major part of her life, Fischer believes that if you’re knowledgeable in your specific field, it gives you the confidence to step into any role.

Speaking with Tlamelo Kganakga, Fischer chats more about her journey and shares advice to women in leadership roles.

Lynette, thank you for chatting to us. Please tell us about yourself and where you are from.

I was born in Nelson Mandela Bay and from there moved to Bloemfontein. Here, I started my school career at Willem Postma Primary school and matriculated at Dan Pienaar High, now known as Sentraal High School, in Bloemfontein.

After matriculating, I studied BA Human Movement Science and later BA Communications at the University of Free State. After graduating, I first ventured into the corporate world of advertising and public relations. I always had the dream of starting my own Advertising and Media consultancy and so in 1983 I took the step to start my own business, called Fischer & Associates. I successfully managed this business for 28 years and employed a number of people in the industry.

Many years later, I decided to retire from the advertising and media environment and put my focus towards my other passion, sport.

When and where did your love for sport begin and did you play?

I always loved sport and from the day I started school I wanted to run, swim, play netball, touch rugby and cycle.  I was fortunate to be blessed with an ability to excel at any sport I tried out. Much to my parent’s dismay who always asked me to slow down. At school I was an all-rounder and I won the Victor Ludorm for Athletics, played 1st team Netball, and had provincial colours in 5 sports. After my school career I became more focused and was SA Champion in my age category in Triathlon, Cycling, Biathle & Triathle, Modern Pentathlon, and Masters Athletics.

You are a Fitness and Performance Manager at Toyota Cheetahs. Can you please tell us more about your role?

As the Fitness and Performance Manager of Toyota Cheetahs my role is to analyse the fitness and performance of the Cheetah senior team from the data that is downloaded from the pods that are connected to the rugby players during training sessions and matches. The data that is collected assists the coaches in their planning of the Cheetahs’ training program and accessing the fitness and performance of each individual rugby player.

I will also be heading up the new professional women’s rugby team at Toyoya Cheetahs in 2023. It will be the first time that Toyota Cheetahs will have a professional women’s rugby team. Women’s rugby and women’s sevens rugby have become a huge focus for SARU. SARU expects the 5 main franchises: Bulls, Sharks, Stormers, Lions and the Cheetahs to have fully fledged women’s rugby teams by end of 2023. From 2024 there will be a women’s Varsity Cup as well.

Besides being a Fitness and Performance Manager, what else are you doing and how do you manage your time?

I also love to keep fit and healthy and I still participate in athletics, triathlon, modern pentathlon and cycling. I also coach a few multisport athletes in my free time.

What challenges have you faced and how did you overcome them?

I studied sport science but still found it hard to be taken seriously in the coaching world due to the fact that I started my career in the corporate world and only later in life started coaching my daughter Carlyn (Fischer) Coertzen who is a professional athlete. I decided to qualify as a national coach in every sport she participated in. She was the SA Champion for Athletics in 1500m and 3000m’s u/18; Multiple Biathle World Champion; three-time SA Elite Triathlon Champion; African Games Champion in Triathlon; African Champion in Duathlon, qualifying for Protea Colours in Triathlon and Duathlon by representing SA several times overseas.

What are some of your career highlights?

The first sporting highlight for me was the day my daughter Carlyn and I both won the Biathle World Championship titles on the same day. Since then, there have been many highlights. One of the hardest races I ever did and felt honoured to win, was the Ironman SA Championships in PE where I qualified for Ironman World Championships in Hawaii, USA. Another highlight for me was improving the SA Steeplechase record in my age group that stood for 13 years.

Who are some of the sportswomen you admire and why?

I once had the opportunity to share a hotel room with Gerda Steyn at the SA 21,1km championships in PE. She was so friendly and invited me to supper with her coach. This was shortly after she won the Comrades Marathon in a new record-breaking time. Everybody wanted to speak to her and she patiently made time to answer questions and give advice wherever she went. She is an amazing athlete and humble person. I also respect and admire my daughter Carlyn, who has raced as a professional Elite triathlete in more than 38 countries around the world but still remained humble and made friends all over the world.

Taking up leadership roles in a male-dominated set up can be tough. How do you handle it on a daily?

If you’re knowledgeable in your specific field, that gives you the confidence to step into any role. Knowledge is power. I competed in a male-dominated corporate environment for nearly 30 years and never doubted myself. If you are good at what you do, you will be in demand.

Why is it important for women to take up space in leadership roles, especially in sport?

In sport the playing field was not always even for women.  It took many years for women to be allowed to race a marathon for instance, or to receive equal prize money. Women had to fight for equal rights in sport.

Therefore, I am so excited for this renewed focus from SARU on Women’s rugby and I look forward to the challenge to promote and improve Women’s professional rugby players at Toyota Cheetahs.

What are you looking forward to in 2023?

In 2023, I am looking forward to putting together an excellent women’s rugby team for Toyota Cheetahs!  On a personal level I agree with Gary Player who also believes you are never too old to learn, I am forever evolving and improving myself to reach my full potential.

A lot of athletes will be looking to get fit with the start of the new year. Any tips you can share with them?

Many people start out the new year with new resolutions, but they don’t follow through. With some personal guidance, encouragement and structured planning, I find it’s more realistic and achievable to reach your goals. Being a coach, I take up that. We’re each uniquely individual, so what works for one might not work for another. That’s where a coach plays an important role. I would recommend finding a qualified coach or trainer to encourage and guide you on your fitness and health.

What’s your greatest career ambition?

I have a desire to make a difference, to be ahead of the rest in training methods and performance and in 2023 my main focus will be the Cheetah Women’s rugby team.

What’s your advice for women who want to get into sports leadership?

Being passionate about what you do is essential, have a vision of what your wish to achieve, set goals for yourself and plan for the future to reach your dream.