Father sent me to work as a jail warden to instil discipline, says ex-tennis player

KUALA LUMPUR: Behind every athlete is a dedicated parent and this is very true for former Sarawak tennis player John Lee. “My father was my role model and trainer,” said the 49-year-old. “He was an athlete himself and I was inspired to become one after seeing his achievements.” Joseph Lee, 76, was known as “the fastest man in Sarawak” in the 1950s and represented the state at various athletics championships, including the 1958 Commonwealth Games. What was more inspiring, however, was the “strategy” which the senior Lee, who was also a state tennis champion, used to train his son. As John puts it: “I had no discipline when I was younger.” At the end of his wits after failing to get his son to toe the line, his father did the next best thing he could think of – he ‘threw’ John into prison. “My father forced me to work as a warden at the Sibu Prison after I finished my Form Six,” John said. That quickly set things straight. His one-year prison stint did not only raise awareness in him on the consequences of going down the wrong path but also instilled in him discipline, he recalled. “My father was angry that I was hanging out with the wrong crowd and throwing away a scholarship offer to study in the United States. So he thought it would do good for me to meet the inmates and see for myself where I could end up if I didn’t shape up.” The regimented life – wardens have to train physically and mentally – later formed the core of his sporting skills as he trained under his father. Now a coach himself, John implements the same regiment in his students, especially his sons - Federal Territory basketball player Shawn, 19, and aspiring tennis player Johann, 12. “In sports, when you do something, you need to be committed and go all the way. Discipline is important and in training, you need to complete the whole course before going on to the next.” For his children, this entails helping out at his tennis clinics and at his sports shop every day. “When they complain, I always remind them that they should be fortunate I did not do what their grandfather did to me – sending them to prison.”