Behind the (sports) scene

By Natalie Choy

The sports industry is fronted by globally recognised athletes. But they only make up a part of the population, with many non-athletes needed to keep the industry going. Nanyang Chronicle Sports speaks to two NTU graduates to find out what they do to bring out the best in these sportsmen.

A touch of rehabilitation

Ms Janice Lim enjoys going the extra mile as a sports massage therapist to help patients with their treatment. PHOTO: JANICE LIM

As a sports massage therapist, Ms Janice Lim’s duty extends beyond the four walls of her clinic, bringing her to places like the National Stadium and Marina Bay.

The 40-year-old was assigned to the Canadian rugby team during the 2016 Singapore Sevens — the Singapore leg of the 2015–16 World Rugby Sevens Series hosted at the National Stadium in April.

Ms Lim worked tirelessly to give the 14 players on-site massages to keep them in their best shape throughout the tournament.

“It was interesting to meet and work with international sporting athletes and get to know how they take care of their bodies with rehabilitation and other preventive measures,” said Ms Lim, who graduated from NTU with a Bachelor of Arts with Diploma in Education in 2001. “(As athletes), they put their bodies in greater physical stress compared to the rest of us.”

Sports massages are crucial as they can speed up muscle recovery, she added.

As a canoeist and dragon boater with the Singapore Paddle Club, Ms Lim also doubles as an unofficial sports massage therapist for her teammates, who competed at the DBS Marina Regatta and the Singapore Ocean Cup in May and October respectively this year.

When she is not doing on-site massages at sporting events, Ms Lim can be found at City Osteopathy & Physiotherapy located at Robinson Road, where she works alongside osteopaths, physiotherapists and naturopaths, who are general practitioners specialising in natural medicine, to get her patients into “as pain-free a state as can be”.

This includes working out tense muscles and assisting them with stretching, she said.
Ms Lim also advises her patients on proper self-rehabilitation. “I believe in educating my patients in daily self-care to help with their muscular well-being and posture and pain management,” she said.

Ms Lim had been a spa therapist since 2007 but made the career switch three years ago. She felt that being a spa therapist did not provide “enough job satisfaction” and believed that she could use her skill set and experience to help injured athletes instead.

Said Ms Lim: “I was getting bored working in the spa environment. Guests mainly come in for relaxation and sleep. They expect a full body massage in about an hour and if there were areas that were more problematic, I (would be) frustrated that I didn’t have the time to fully address it.”

But being a sports massage therapist now gives Ms Lim the opportunity to meet patients with varying problems.

“Every patient I see presents different problems or different responses to treatments,” she said. “I derive a lot more satisfaction and joy giving a more remedial and therapeutic treatment (compared to a spa massage).”

“I feel there’s so much more about the human body I can learn and be of more use to help.”

Nurturing the next generation

Mr Gavin Lee has coached players who have gone on to join or train with some of Europe’s top football clubs. PHOTO: GAVIN LEE

For Mr Gavin Lee, even 12-hour work days do not dull his greatest passion — coaching.

A typical day begins at 9am for Mr Lee, who is currently a football coach and the general manager of Junior Soccer School & League (JSSL) Singapore — a private football school affiliated to English Premier League giants Arsenal.

The 26-year-old, who graduated from NTU with a degree in Sports Science and Management in 2015, usually leaves the office at 9.30pm.

As general manager, Mr Lee oversees the administrative work within various departments. This includes the coaching programmes, training schedules, players’ development as well as local and international football events.

On the coaching front, he facilitates daily training sessions in accordance to the Elite programme, a curriculum tailored to meet the needs of players in the top teams.

He also prepares weekly handouts, filled with technical and tactical information, for the players.

These handouts are further supplemented with video examples to help players better understand the various skills involved.

The JSSL Elite Academy — pioneered by Lee in 2014 — constitutes the top teams in each age category — from Under-8 to U-16 for boys, and from U-9 to U-13 for girls.

“I started the JSSL Elite Academy to provide a more conducive environment where players can grow and develop more quickly, basically taking football to another level,” said Mr Lee.

He is currently the coach of three boys teams in the Elite Academy — U-10s, U-12s and U-14s.

“(Coaching) takes up a lot of time, but it is totally necessary to ensure that the players are receiving the best coaching and continue learning and developing under the (Elite) programme,” said Mr Lee.

Mr Lee discovered his passion for coaching eight years ago, sparked by his interest in football.

“I really love football and thoroughly enjoy watching and analysing a match,” said Mr Lee, who was part of the NTU football team throughout his four years in University. “The intricacies of tactics have always intrigued me.”

He kick-started his coaching career as a junior assistant coach with JSSL in 2009 and was tasked to spearhead the girls’ soccer programme three years later.

“We started with 10 girls in my first class and I am very proud to say that we have over 200 girls playing the sport here now,” said Mr Lee.

He added: “I have always enjoyed working with players, in an attempt to make them better and to go through each season (with them) — it is a journey that is never straightforward.”

In 2014, Mr Lee secured an internship with Warriors Football Club — a professional football club in Singapore. He assumed the role of assistant coach of the first team shortly after his internship.

“The experience that I got from that couple of seasons was priceless, as I was working with senior players on a daily basis and was really out of my comfort zone,” he explained.

Despite the long working hours, Mr Lee remains unfazed by the demands of his job. He feels most satisfied when he sees progress in his players — in both football skills and character.

One of Mr Lee’s U-14 players has been signed by Portuguese side Sporting Lisbon — Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo’s former club, while others under his charge were also invited to train with English clubs Arsenal, Fulham, and Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Mr Lee expressed his delight at the opportunities that his players have gotten.

“This news is the best recognition of my work from the last few years and that is the nature of my role — preparing for success that might only arrive years later,” Mr Lee added.