HIGH ON SPORTS

- by Lo Tien Yen

New year... New choices. But for some, choices are made in heaven and here to stay. Knowledge Enterprise profiles three who have found their passion in sports and are living each day experiencing a rush of adrenalin...

Victoria Ya Mei Wendy Cambell
NUS President Sports Award for Individual Sports (teamNUS Sports Award 2005)

What’s good for the sole... is good for the soul. Her forte is triathlon and so far, it has given her friendship; an arena for releasing tension and mental training.

“Triathlon has taught me what determination, commitment and hard work is. It has also provided me an excellent hobby which is healthy and good for the sole and soul. Some people take up kick-boxing, I rather hit the road,” said Vicky who has just graduated from the Faculty of Science, majoring in Computational Science.

“One thing I love about my sport is that I honestly believe that anyone can do a triathlon. As long as you can swim, ride a bike, you can do it. You just need some encouragement. I have seen many who just needed that little nudge to do a triathlon and now love it to bits!”

But she admits that breaking down the mental barrier is a hard process. She remembers a coach who trained her body... and mind, the most important part of the athlete. “His coaching as well as NUS had provided an entry point for me to pick up again what I love most, after I had stopped swimming due to my family relocating,” recalled Vicky.

Kenneth Khoo Kian Seong
Sportsman of the Year for Individual Sports (teamNUS Sports Award 2005)

He’s always running on the track – has been running for the past six years. Track and Field is his event. To him, it’s about guts, determination and focus. His friends used to ask him: “Why are you always doing this? Will running help you make money?” He also faced opposition from his parents. “But eventually, they realised how committed I was and they have grown to accept it,” said Kenneth.

Balancing studies and sports was a challenge. “During my first year in NUS, I didn’t do very well as I was training actively through my exams, for the SEA Games. But now, as I settle into a routine, things have become more stable and I’m more adept at maintaining this balancing act,” he said.

“I guess there will be a huge void in my life once I stop running. I’ll most probably get a job which allows me to continue my involvement in sports, be it coaching, sports management or whatever. I just can’t see myself doing anything which is not sports-related,” said this third-year Arts and Social Sciences student who is majoring in History.

Ho New Fei
Sportswoman of the Year for Individual Sports (teamNUS Sports Award 2005)

Her greatest hurdle in her pursuit of excellence in sports is loneliness. Said New Fei who is pursuing her postgraduate studies in Pharmacology: “I have no personal coach nor training partners. All my friends have moved on to advancing their careers. Yet here I am, still devoting long hours to training. In order to be productive in my studies, research and training, I can’t afford to socialise too much. This is very difficult for a gregarious person like me!”

New Fei excels in athletics. Three Cs sum up what the sport means to her: Commitment, Confidence and Courage. One philosophy has taken her quite far: “Never give up. Just to paraphase the founder of modern Olympic movement, Pierre de Coubertin. He said the most important thing in life is not the triumph, but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered, but to have fought well,” said New Fei.

“I’ve always been very injury-prone, more so than other athletes and these injuries can painfully rob me of improvement, but each time I’ve rebounded, a stronger person.”

Pictures by Sean Tan, Sports Development, Office of Student Affairs

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