Mighty Marina

PETALING JAYA: It is tough bringing up a kid these days. What’s more when you have almost 500 of them under your care. It can be really intimidating.

Just ask Marina Chin, the former pin-up girl of Malaysian athletics in the 70s. She should know.

She is after all the first woman principal of the Bukit Jalil Sports School (BJSS).

Proud achievement: Marina Chin showing some of the results that her students achieved at Bukit Jalil Sports School

Being a mother of two herself, Marina knows what it takes to keep children in check.

She knew she had to be a strict disciplinarian, otherwise she risked the students climbing all over her head, literally.

Thus, her serious and tough demeanour.

And that has earned her the nickname of ‘Iron Lady’ among the Malaysian sports fraternity.

She says the reason she brooks no nonsense from her students is because “I treat them like my own children and, deep down, I really care for them.”

And her students know that. After all, some of them also call her “mother” – something her own kids could not comprehend at first.

“My children (Jasmine Kaur Bhatt and Ashvinder Singh) were not that amused in the beginning when the other kids started calling me mother. Eventually, they got used to it,” she quipped.

Pin-up girl: Marina when she was crowned Sportswoman of the Year 1876

“Some students still keep in touch with me when they leave school. Some hug me when they see me. Some are successful in both sports and studies.”

The beginning, however, was an uphill battle for Marina. The students, and even their parents, could not accept and comprehend Marina’s vision.

“As a teacher, mother and a former athlete, I know the importance of striking a balance between studies and sports. Both sporting and academic excellence is important to me,” said the 52-year-old Marina, who is married to former national rugby player Jagjit Singh.

“My vision is for the school to produce well-behaved and educated athletes. Discipline is very important to me. If an athlete cannot conform to this, they can forget about their sports career.

“I made all the boys go for a “number three” hair cut. Their hair is now short and well-trimmed. But I had a lot of resistance initially.”

The BJSS athletes also have a tight schedule to follow. They have classes in the morning, training in the afternoon and night classes too.

And if an athlete misses three classes he or she will be banned from taking part in one competition.

“There has to be sacrifices if one wants to pursue sports in this school. This is not a school for one to have free food and lodging,” she said.

“It can be taxing on the athletes but it is a choice they have to make. We are here to guide them to manage their time.

“The athletes may not be happy with us now but, 10 years down the road, I am sure they will thank the BJSS,” added Marina, who won a total of seven gold medals in the SEA Games.

Marina admitted that it became a big challenge when she had to meet the different expectations of the major stakeholders – athletes, parents, National Sports Council (NSC), National Sports Associations (NSAs) and the Education Ministry.

“People in sports do not regard academic excellence highly. But whether we like it or not, BJSS is a school. And it is my job to ensure that the students get through their studies. It will safeguard their future,” she said.

For instance, Olympian diver Pandelela Rinong had to miss studies for seven months during the PMR last year because she was based in China.

But the ever-concerned Marina made special arrangements for a tutor to be sent to China and Pandelela eventually came through the PMR with 3As, 3Bs and IC.

Marina said that the school had also invited former athletes and legends like Datuk Dr M. Jegathesan and Dr Farah Hani Imram to inspire the athletes to excel in both sports and studies.

On the school’s thorny relationship with the NSC and NSA’s in recent times, especially on the selection of athletes into the school, she said: “Fortunately, Datuk Zolkples (Embong, the NSC director general) understands what I am trying to do. He knows our policies and we try to understand their constraints. We try to strike a balance.

“We do not interfere with the plans and programmes of the NSAs but try to complement them.”

This can be seen from the off-and-on-field success achieved by her students last year. While four students scored 7As in their Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM), the school’s students were also major medal contributors at the Korat SEA Games.

Marina’s vision is slowly taking shape but she hopes that the athletes will be more proactive.

“Personally, I know that we have the talent and potential. But the students nowadays expect a lot to be done for them. During my day, athletes were very independent. I used to take two buses to go for my training. How I wish athletes these days have that extra drive and initiative,” said the Sportswoman of the Year in 1976 and 1977.

During her heyday, Marina was known as the queen of hurdles. Now, she faces the mother of all hurdles – changing the mindset of the public about excellence in sports and studies.

Given her background, no hurdle is too high or too difficult for her.