At the tender age of 8 years, Jim’s parents bought him a beautiful kids’ swimming pool. However, his love for swimming was cut short because the interesting pool that Jim had become fond of was spoilt. At this point, his father thought it wise to take him swimming at an outside swimming pool. Jim’s adventure to a bigger swimming pool with his father was the first and the last.
Jim’s attraction to the swimming pool soon became uncontrollable. He would follow his aunt to bigger swimming pools. By then, he was still a noob, and only ended up playing by the poolside. Gradually, he became familiar with the water and loved it too. He yearned to learn how to swim on his own. Additionally, Jim did not hire any swimming coach because the expenses were too expensive for his parents.Every weekend, particularly Saturdays at approximately 6.30-8.00, he would go to the swimming pool where he practiced himself despite the presence of his aunty. Jim was gaining some experience evidenced by the way he could swim and float. On the contrary, he had not known how to swim fast. One day at around 8.00 darkness was fast approaching. Jim used to swim on the extreme vertical end in the pool. Moreover, other people in the pool hit against him. In the picture below, Jim swam heading towards the blue area because his stamina could manage a maximum of 50 meters only and not the 100-meter horizontal direction. Firstly, one of the swimmers from the “red row” direction hit him and his leg cramped in the process. Secondly, another swimmer from the “orange arrow” direction also hit him cramping the other leg too. At this point, he had only two exhausted hands left in the water. He struggled to swim to the pool edges with his two hands.
These experiences taught Jim a lesson. He started looking for better and faster ways to swim. He went to the swimming pool in the company of his schoolmate to improve his swimming techniques. However, not even one of his schoolmates bothered to show him how to swim; instead, they only showed off their skills. Jim did not give up though. He kept practicing every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday evening.
At the age of between 17 and 18, Jim met a friend at the swimming and decided to join his gang. Uncle Foong Gangs was the name of his friend’s group. This gang gave Jim informal guidelines on how to swim whenever they met at the pool. Within a year, he had gained tremendous skills such as freestyle, breaststroke, backstroke, and butterfly. In fact, the gang became so cool that they created a new style called dolphin style.
At 19, Jim joined a life-saving course. He enrolled for a six-month course. By the end of this period, he won bronze across medalliance from Life Saving Society, Malaysia. Ever since such an award, he did not swim like ordinary people; he was an expert in his own way. They swim with tow a brick, tow, floating stamina, and tight and release in water. This experience was extraordinary in Jim’s swimming life.
Similarly, at 20, Jim joined a lifesaving committee at TAR College (Kuala Lumpur). Jim was actively involved in the committee as a swimming and lifesaving instructor. Additionally, he worked as a lifeguard to earn pocket money during his study. That was a good pay by then. He also participated in the competitions during his college time. He acquired skills on how to play water polo. Furthermore, he agitated for advanced sharing from his swimming colleagues.
Dolphin was Jim’s favorite style. He created two more swimming styles such as the dolhine-fly and cyclone style. He will showcase these two styles. Apparently, he is looking for better ways of improving strategy.
In 2015, he challenged the cross border Penang swimming with 6 kilometers in 4.5 hours.
Currently, Jim is an ace in swimming. He can swim with one leg or one hand. Jim has not stopped there; he is searching for mental and physical improvements as a swimmer. One day he wishes and hopes to survive under water with an impulse system of a fish.
Jim is also a Life Saving Society Malaysia, Penang committee member since 2005.
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