However, one incredibly important aspect of Schooling’s success that should not be forgotten is the role of his parents, Colin and May Schooling.
Colin and May first sensed the true extent of their son’s talent when he was still 11 years old back in 2006. They sent Joseph to a bone age test to see whether he will ever be tall enough to succeed in world-level swimming. The result predicted that Joseph will hit 1.90 metre, which is around the ideal height for top swimmers. Currently, he is 1.88m tall. For comparison, Michael Phelps is 1.93m tall.
The tuition fee there was around S$65,000 per year, not including accommodation and other personal expenses.
Other than the financial sacrifice, they have to also endure long-term separation as well as having endless efforts to gain swimming technical knowledge and to fight for a National Service deferment. Truly, Colin and May Schooling have displayed enormous persistence and tenacity in helping Joseph to bloom and realise his dream.
This level of support – financially or otherwise – is one of the greatest gifts parents can give to their children. It should not be a surprise that developing raw talent costs money. While the state may contribute fund for the training, sometimes it simply does not work out and the parents would have to step in with their savings for the child’s dream to be realized. This is yet another reason why it is so important for a family to have sufficient savings and financial planning!
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