Former world champion Loh Kean Yew would also go to and from Kallang and Woodlands while he was studying at the Sports School.
“I needed to think: ‘Should I be staying at Woodlands, or should I be staying at Kallang?'” recalled Loh, who was pursuing a diploma jointly offered by Republic Polytechnic and SSP.
He eventually rented a room with his brother in the Geylang area, and cycled to training to save costs.
Liew, the swimmer, said: “(The commute) takes away a lot of time for athletes to recover and rest and even do work.”
A more accessible location will save time – and also mean that more students can opt to not board at the school, she added, nothing that it can be ” very stifling” spending almost all of one’s time in the same environment.
“You don’t get as much time with family members; friends from outside,” she explained. “If I had that opportunity to do Sports School and come home, I think I would have been a much happier student-athlete.”
The Kallang location could also showcase the school to more parents and perhaps even open up more avenues for partnerships with other educational institutions, the open-water swimmer added.
Mr Hairul Sahril, whose daughter will be joining SSP next year, said centralising the training venues of various sports at Kallang will also mean less travelling for student-athletes in the school’s individual programme track.
AN EXTRA PUSH
The SSP’s relocation to Kallang will also allow student-athletes to draw inspiration and motivation from the Team Singapore athletes also training in their proximity.
“The higher the level of the athlete that gathers in one place, the average level will probably rise,” said former national sailor and two-time world champion Darren Choy.
Two-time Olympian Amita Berthier said it would be an ideal environment for SSP students.
“When you are surrounded by people that have the same goals or have achieved very, very good results. You immediately look up to them,” said the fencer.
“That’s just the nature of athletes in general. You try to find motivation. And I think this is going to definitely give the kids an extra push, because sometimes when you’re in Woodlands in the middle of nowhere, it can be a bit draining.
“(With the move), it’s like, refreshing … a fresh start.”