Thursday, December 20, 2007
Thursday, August 9, 2007
IN SYNC
The Star – Wednesday 8 August 2007
By NASA MARIA ENTABAN
They lead hectic lives, but the Lee sisters are single-minded in their devotion towards doing well in synchronised swimming.
The sisters are very little alike in looks; the older one is tanned and has cute freckles all over her nose, while the younger one is fairer and slightly taller. Zyanne Lee Zhien Huey, 18, and her sister Zylane Lee Yhing Huey, 15, are in the national synchronised swimming team, but they do not partner each other due to their age difference.
The sisters have been active in synchronised swimming for almost nine years; juggling their intensive training schedule, lessons and social lives.
National athletes and sisters Zylane (left) and Zyanne are committed to synchronised swimming. – Pics by Chua Kok Hwa/ The Star
Initially, they keep throwing quick glances at the swimming pool where their coach is instructing the rest of the national synchronised swimming team, but pretty soon Zyanne and Zylane shifted their attention to the interview.
Their schedule may sound gruelling to the non-athlete – training from Mondays to Fridays is from 3-7pm, while formal classes are from 9.30am to 2.30pm and from 8.30pm to 10pm daily.
They train on Saturdays too, and Zylane attends tuition classes on Sundays.
Although they admit that their schedule is tough and tiring, Zyanne and Zylane say they are used to the hectic pace.
“The training sessions – which involve hours in the pool and sessions in the gym, can be tiring but it’s the stress of performing well that is hardest to cope with,” says Zyanne, 18, adding, “But going to competitions is a lot of fun, so the stress isn’t really there anymore during the actual event.”
“When I first started training it was tiring and I used to wish I had more time to myself, but it’s normal for me now. This is my life,” says Zylane, the 15-year-old younger sister, who gives out a slightly cheeky vibe.
Being an athlete is tough, and a social life outside her circle of classmates at the Bukit Jalil Sports School is next to impossible, but Zylane knows she is different and special.
“I feel like I have something to do, that’s different from anyone else,” she says, adding, “Most people my age lead a normal life – school, studying, and so on, but I feel like I’m a bit special in a way, doing something different with my life.”
Zylane knows a lot about perseverance and determination. She had to work harder than others in school as a child because she had dyslexia, but she has managed to overcome her learning difficulty with her family’s help and encouragement.
Their schedule may sound gruelling to the non-athlete – training from Mondays to Fridays is from 3-7pm, while formal classes are from 9.30am to 2.30pm and from 8.30pm to 10pm daily.
They train on Saturdays too, and Zylane attends tuition classes on Sundays.
Although they admit that their schedule is tough and tiring, Zyanne and Zylane say they are used to the hectic pace.
“The training sessions – which involve hours in the pool and sessions in the gym, can be tiring but it’s the stress of performing well that is hardest to cope with,” says Zyanne, 18, adding, “But going to competitions is a lot of fun, so the stress isn’t really there anymore during the actual event.”
“When I first started training it was tiring and I used to wish I had more time to myself, but it’s normal for me now. This is my life,” says Zylane, the 15-year-old younger sister, who gives out a slightly cheeky vibe.
Being an athlete is tough, and a social life outside her circle of classmates at the Bukit Jalil Sports School is next to impossible, but Zylane knows she is different and special.
“I feel like I have something to do, that’s different from anyone else,” she says, adding, “Most people my age lead a normal life – school, studying, and so on, but I feel like I’m a bit special in a way, doing something different with my life.”
Zylane knows a lot about perseverance and determination. She had to work harder than others in school as a child because she had dyslexia, but she has managed to overcome her learning difficulty with her family’s help and encouragement.
Their training schedule is tough but sisters Zyanne (left) and Zylane Lee think it’s all worth it when they get to show their stuff during competitions.
“When she was a child she couldn’t even finish a single book in a year, but now she is doing well in school and this has boosted her confidence and self-assurance as well,” says the girls’ mother Goh Bee Yuen.
Their mother is the ever-watchful teacher, team manager and coach. Goh, who used to teach sports science in BJSS, knows the ropes of the industry.
“I’m very proud of them. They have sacrificed so much of their childhood for the sport,” says Goh.
Zyanne, apart from doing well in sports(she and her partner are national champions for the duet event) was in the top three in her school for the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia examinations and has always been good at juggling her studies and training.
She is currently in a pre-university programme, steering herself towards realising her ambition of becoming a veterinarian.
“I love sports, but I also have a soft spot for animals, especially dogs,” says Zyanne.
Zylane knows she wants a career in sports – “even if she won’t always be an athlete, she would like to be a masseur or physiotherapist,” says Goh.
They are currently working towards the Beijing Olympics next year, and Zylane will be old enough to participate in the next Asian games.
During their free time the girls escape the water – they kick back and loosen up by doing Aikido.
But the best part of being athletes to the girls is going for competitions – away from the stress of training.
“When you have trained so hard and you finally get to show what you’ve been working at for so long, it’s just a relief,” says Zyanne, who competed in last year’s Commonwealth Games and the recent Asian Games.
Zylane is fiercely-competitive, but enjoys making new friends and travelling the world for competitions.
Their mother, however, jokes that they enjoy getting away from her.
“I miss them a lot when they are away, but it’s good for them to be on their own and away from me once in a while,” says Goh.
The girls insist this isn’t true, and enjoy having their mother around for encouragement – and when they’re away they know their mum and dad (who coaches swimming as well) are watching.
A few more quick smiles, praises for their teammates and coach Marietta Chen Mong, and the girls are eager to get back to training.
Skipping towards the pool, they let out a few self-conscious giggles as the photographer snaps their photographs. However, the second they fall in line and their coach starts speaking, their focus is completely on the task at hand.
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