Active Parent Joey – Water Polo Academy

“When Gabriel was 6 and playing at a playground, he was bullied by some older children and one of them even hit him. I tend to let kids handle their own issues, so I asked him what he was going to do about it. He came back five minutes later and told me that he made a friend. Guess I taught him right.

Fast forward four years, as a parent, I am comforted that Gabriel and Samantha will actually try to train harder to make sure they are able to help in the water polo team. They will tell me things like they can't receive the ball properly from their teammates during practice and that they will let their team down. Instead of just sulking around, both of them will start passing the ball at home to practise. This is a very memorable moment for me in their sporting journey. 

Active Parents, to me, means doing things together as a family. We are definitely spending more time together now instead of just watching the television or playing games individually. We would never have thought of going for a swim or trekking together. It's just not us and we aren't very sporty to begin with. During Circuit Breaker, we did online workouts together. My children also continued to train with the academy through the virtual workouts organised by Coach Chuan Yu. Now, on top of the thrice-a-week training with the ActiveSG Water Polo Academy, we go for swims at night and trekking on Sunday whenever we can.”

Joey Siew is father to Gabriel and Samantha, who are currently in the ActiveSG Water Polo Academy. Together with Jasmine, his wife, they bring their new-found love for outdoor play and activities to the children too.