He had "sullied" the name and reputation of Rowing NZ nationally and perhaps internationally, said Judge Thomas Ingram, who declined a detailed and lengthy submission by lawyer Paul Mabey QC to discharge Ross without conviction.
"There was obviously a substantial abuse of trust here."
Ross' deceit had had a considerable effect on the integrity of the sporting grants process, said the judge.
"When it comes to winning at all costs there are many in society - and I share that view - who think that is not worth anything."
Ross' offending was not a victimless crime and it struck at the very heart of sports funding.
The 52-year-old, who will lose his present job as manager of Tauranga's Baypark Stadium as a result of his conviction, was fined $5000 in Tauranga District Court on each of two counts which involved preparing false invoices.
He used old letterheads from boat builder Kiwi International Rowing Skiffs, which Judge Ingram said put those charges in a different category to the remainder of his offending.
Ross was convicted and discharged without financial penalty on seven further counts.
They involved using other people's signatures and creating false minutes of meetings that were never held, in order to speed up funding applications to the New Zealand Community Trust, Southern Trust, Pub Charity and The Community First Foundation between November 2004 and March 2007.
Judge Ingram accepted that the funding would have been provided in each case "without demur" even had the documents been authentic.
The court heard that Ross did not benefit personally from the offending. The money was used for travel, clothing, boats and oars for Rowing NZ.
No reparation has been sought from any of the funding organisations.
Ross repeatedly wiped perspiration from his face with a handkerchief as he stood in the dock while the judge handed down his sentence. He looked shocked when he joined tearful family members in the public gallery later.
Mr Mabey compared the case to the recent court sentencing of a Whitianga teenager, Owen Walker, who was discharged without conviction on international computer crimes.
True criminal intent was absent in Ross' offending also, and the consequences of conviction would be significantly disproportionate to the gravity of the crime, he said.
Ross was under pressure, put in long hours and did not delegate the paperwork.
"But bad management does not relate to bad character," said Mr Mabey.
"If he has a conviction, the doors will be forever closed to his career."
Sports management was "the only thing he knows", the judge was told.
But Judge Ingram said Ross had simply lost any sense of judgment over what he could and should not do.
Over his four years with Rowing NZ he had raised more than $3 million, and had overseen a period of significant success for the sport. Yet in the instances for which he was charged, he had used criminal means to get the money.
He claimed he was under pressure to raise funds for both Rowing NZ and the 2010 World Championships once they were awarded to New Zealand.
The judge conceded that Ross was remorseful, had co-operated fully with police, had faced up to the wide publicity the case had attracted due to his high prominence in rowing and that there was absolutely no personal gain and no reparation sought.
He accepted that the consequences for Ross were "devastating".
