H E A D L I N E R

    A CHAT with PJ - Sportsman Extraordinaire

PJ is a true blue ACSian. He has represented Singapore in swimming at every level up to and including the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. At the age of 16, he entered Harvard University where he wrote his thesis on Singapore’s racial policy and graduated with a B.A. cum Laude in East Asian Studies. A Rhodes Scholar, he also read for a second B.A. in Modern History and Politics at Oxford University. In September, he will return to Oxford to read for a Doctorate of Philosophy in Modern History.

What is it that drives the talented PJ to accomplish such a daunting mission to swim across the English Channel, knowing very well that he has to face the icy cold water, strong currents, sea creatures such as jellyfish, and shipping traffic in the open ocean?  We chatted with PJ via email before his solo attempt, and here’s what he shared with us:

Echo: Can you share with our readers the reasons why you are doing the Cross-English Channel swim?

PJFirstly, I want to remind Singaporeans that great things can be achieved by anyone, regardless of who or where they are. Our Prime Minister has encouraged us young Singaporeans to stand up and be counted to achieve our dreams for Singapore. I am excited to respond to that call.

Secondly, as an ACSian, Rhodes Scholar and Singaporean, I am living up to the social responsibility of raising funds for the Methodist Schools Foundation (MSF) and Action for Aids (AfA). I am a firm believer in the power of education to enhance and elevate the well being of society. Specifically, I have benefited greatly from the Methodist education I received in ACS. It made me what I am today and I wish to help to ensure the propagation of its educational mission and help more children to have access to it.

With the AfA, I feel that we are not doing enough in Singapore to recognize and combat the spread of HIV and AIDS. The AfA is a volunteer-run organization that gets minimal support; it is entirely self-funded but continues to do extremely important work. It is the scrappy underdog of local charities and I am proud to be in its corner.

Echo: Being a Rhodes Scholar and having represented Singapore at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, how did you manage to excel academically and in sports at the same time? Can you share with our readers your success formula?

PJ:  I think it’s misleading to divide the two. I would say I succeeded academically because of sports, and vice-versa. Sports taught me discipline, perseverance, gave me health and energy; my studies taught me to think critically and to approach problems logically. You need both to do well in life. And the top universities know this – I couldn’t have gotten into Harvard without an excellent CCA record, neither could I have gotten the Rhodes scholarship. I am not particularly talented, but I was lucky enough to have a father who understood the importance of having this balance in life.

In terms of strategies, the first is focus: I did what I had to do, when I had to do it, and didn’t get distracted. The second is ambition: I thought big, and never let my limitations get in the way of what I wanted. Thirdly, perseverance: success is what you get after you’ve failed enough. You cannot succeed without failing a lot first, and you just have to keep going until everything works out.

Echo: What is involved in your training for the Cross-English Channel swim?

PJThe training for the crossing is arduous. Besides training in swimming pools to work on endurance, I have to acclimatise to the cold water in Dover to build up resistance and increase stamina. Then before I am allowed to make the Channel attempt, I have to provide evidence of a continuous six-hour swim in water below 60°F or 16°C.

Swimming in cold water can affect swimmers adversely. The first time I trained in water that was 14°C, one of my teammates suffered memory loss by the end of an hour-long session, another shivered uncontrollably for two hours after, and I myself suffered from a loss of equilibrium.  During a relay swim across the Channel in the inter-varsity games between Oxford and Cambridge universities which I took part in, one of our swimmers became delirious and incoherent after her one-hour leg in the sea. The danger from hypothermia is very real.

Echo: What normally goes through your mind during exhausting swims such as the Crossing?

PJ:  I try to focus on keeping a regular rhythm. Often I sing to myself, which also helps with the rhythm. I break down my swim into short, manageable chunks: one stroke at a time, and I don’t think any further than the next break that I get to pause and have a drink.

Echo: Can you tell us about your school days and how ACS has helped shape your life?

PJ: ACS imparted me many things, but there are three in particular I would like to highlight. First and most important is the balance in life. I cannot stress how important it is to have both a sport and to study hard. You cannot live a complete life without having both. No other school understands that as well as ACS. The school bent backwards to help me accommodate my swimming with my studies. They understood that a strong mind in a weak body is crippled as surely as a weak mind in a strong body.

Secondly, the moral education at ACS infused in me the responsibility of setting a positive example for others to follow, to be mindful of our actions and make the world a better place.

Thirdly is critical thinking. I was always encouraged to think for myself, and always reminded that knowledge is useless without the ability to understand it and use it.

I am proud to be an ACSian. I’ve been all over the world, lived in four continents, and studied at the two greatest and most famous universities in the world (Harvard and Oxford).  Having met many brilliant and intelligent people from all over the world, I can testify that having been to ACS puts me right on par with any of them. An ACS education is, without a doubt, the best in the world, and anyone who has been to ACS has nothing to fear from anyone, anywhere. We tend to elevate the unknown precisely because it is unknown, but let me make it clear: the best education anyone can have, the best education that any parent can give their children anywhere in the world … is an ACS education.

Echo: What advice can you offer to our students on how they too can make use of their talents for the benefit of the community in general?

PJ:  Just to get up and do it!  The most important thing is to get started. Think about ways in which you can utilize your talents, or what you enjoy, for the greater good.  Let your imagination flow. Also remember that every little bit counts, so don’t worry about how big your impact is. Just get going.

 

  Back to contents