STAR MAKER

He is as close to youth-speak as one can ask for a coach in his forties, embracing Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and all with enviable, streetsmart ease. And it is from this plugged-in world of constant and instant connections that he is picking up some of the best, up-to-date pointers — including those from traditional powerhouses like US and Australia.

Which is partly why David Lim — with a charismatic, iconoclastic style that stays ahead of the curve — has made a fine transition from star athlete to savvy coach. Still, the ex-national swimmer and Olympian is one old fashioned coach when it comes to values. “Nothing comes close,” he says of enduring traits such as passion, hard work and commitment when asked what matters most in the making of top athletes.

In fact, he sees himself not so much as someone who is in the business of producing champions. Rather, the indefatigable thought leader and advocate among local coaches likes to believe that he is mentoring individuals and preparing them for the challenges of life through their unique journey as competitive swimmers.

“Sure, we want to groom talents and help them realise their fullest potential as competitors but, at the end of the day, what gives us greatest satisfaction isn’t just medals and records but a sense that the young people we guide have grown as individuals,” he says with a touch of nostalgia that harks back to the bygone era he grew up in.

The three-time Sportsman of the Year — who can be at once folksy and sophisticated, laidback and contemplative — will be the first to admit that he wasn’t always so clear about his coaching philosophy. In his younger days, he was famously demanding, results-oriented and even hot-headed.

He began his coaching career at the Chinese Swimming Club in the early 1990s after retiring from years of competition. In the mid 90s, he started his own swim school, Swimfast Aquatic Club, which has since produced many top national swimmers.

Tracing his journey as a coach, the star maker who counts as among his protégés swimmers like siblings Quah Ting Wen and Quah Zheng Wen, says with bracing honesty, “At first, I came in blind. I was just drawing on my own experience as a swimmer. I somehow expected my charges to automatically have those values which I grew up with — discipline, willingness to give 100% and all.” This certainly wasn’t a bad place to start with. For David’s record spoke for itself. DubbedSoutheast Asia’s King of Backstroke in his heydays, he chalked up a whopping 19 SEA Games golds between 1983 and 1991. He also won Asian Games medals in relays and finished a respectable 14th for the 100m backstroke at the 1988 Seoul Olympics.

Still, as a coach, David — keen to enhance the residual of his past glory rather than shred it with stubborn, old fashioned ways — was quick to make adjustments. “Over the years, I have mellowed and I have learnt to adjust to societal changes and their impact on our young. Now I take the time to understand them, engage them and develop them by tapping on their strengths,” he says. Naturally things have to change, he admits, starting with how his own once famous aesthetics, etched in fans’ minds as that muscled figure poised on the starting blocks, must give way to a paunch and reading glasses.

His own personal life too has moved on, with his role as father after his wife Grace gave birth to daughter Madison in 2008. The little girl’s early days posed challenges as she came premature at 24 weeks old and spent some four months in intensive care. Not that David would be unprepared but these were humbling moments. They — and other experiences — have given him much-needed perspective. So while he, as coach, is still churning out some bright stars and leading national teams to big meets (like the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea), David Lim is now decidedly more modest in his aspirations, starting with his desire for “more, much more time for Madison”.