[Obit] Colin Schooling: Took his son at his word, and he took the plunge

He took the unorthodox path, a decision alien to many Singaporean parents.

His tenacity helped his son redefine what success meant; it is not academic in nature.

As a father, he was a trailblazer, but he was also like any other dad around.

On a morning while he was holidaying with his family when Joseph Schooling was 8, his son woke him up at 4.30a.m., and told him, “I’ve got to go for training”. From that day on, he took his son at his word, and literally so.

He took the plunge.

With whatever resources he had, he gave his all. He sent his son, a gift after three miscarriages, to the United States, bestowing his son the opportunity to learn his trade from the best in the world.

Not because his son was a gem of a talent, and he knew one day, he would be the father of Singapore’s first Olympic gold medallist.

Certainly not. In fact, far from it. He gave his best with the best he could muster because he love his son. It was love in action.

His form of success was not about winning. As he puts it most eloquently in an August 2016 interview, “May and I wanted to make sure we groomed a young man who respects his elders, has manners and respects his competitors, but never fears them”.

Today, as he breathed his last, he has indeed groomed a fine young man, a gentleman. Colin Schooling is a successful father.

He had impeccable confidence in his son. Before Joseph took the plunge at the 2016 Rio Olympics, 100m butterfly, he told his son “Finally, the world will take notice of you, of Singapore’.

He was a patriot throughout. He represented Singapore as a softball player and wear the red and white with pride. He was and will always be a Singaporean.

He defended his Singaporean-ness and his son on national media when he read on social media in 2014 that “Joseph’s father is an ang moh”.

“Nama saya Colin Schooling. Anak Berna Singapura” [My name is Colin Schooling, true son of Singapore.”], he said. This was a man fluent in English, Malay and Hokkien. A Singaporean, a gentle yet principled Singaporean.

In February 2017, he and his family were named “Singaporean of the Year”.

But at the heart of it all, he was a father. He know who he was and who he wanted his son to become.

He chides not. He encourages. He merely told his son, “Well son, you waited 8 years for this one moment in time, and whatever happens, I will always treasure and love you as my son, and I know that our whole nation will rejoice with you [. . .] I want you to stun the world. All the best, son. I love you”.

The rest, as we say, is history. His son stunned the world, with his father’s gentle voice in his head, encouraging him to the finishing line.

He had a dream. “My dream was to hear the Majulah Singapura sang in the Olympics stadium.” This time round, his son heard him, and took him at his word, literally so. Just as it was the case when Joseph was eight, and his father took the plunge for him. In 2016, he took the plunge in the pool in Rio and as Colin put it, “he did that for me”.

Colin first loved, and his son delivered. Colin and his son were Singapore’s first Olympic gold medallist.

Through the life and example of Colin, he showed us what success should rightfully mean.

As he puts it, "Success is being able to look at yourself in the mirror, and be comfortable with the image that you see reflected.

"So long as you can see yourself and be comfortable, and be happy and satisfied that you have done no wrong to anybody. Just being happy with yourself. I think that is success."

A tenacious man, a loving husband and a proud father throughout. He was Colin Schooling.

He will be missed, and may his tenacity, his resourcefulness, his enterprise and his keen sense of initiative live on.