Thorny issues resolved, Beng Hee savours ‘fruit’ of his labour in US

In love with his job: Ong Beng Hee (right) with the US squash team at the recent World Games.

PETALING JAYA: It has been almost a year since durian lover Ong Beng Hee took up the job as the head coach of the United States squash team but he is loving it.

And he has encouraged other locals to have the confidence to spread their wings abroad.

Of course, there are thorny issues when you uproot yourself to a new country but Beng Hee has learnt to cope and adapt.

“It’s almost a year now since I took up the job as the head coach and it has been rather challenging. I was in a new environment with players whom I’ve never worked with before and it did take a while for all of us to gel,” said former national No. 1 Beng Hee.

“But I’m very happy with how things have turned out since we started this together.

“Players are extremely driven and are dedicated to be the best they can be and it has been awesome to be part of their progress.”

The 41-year-old Beng Hee became the first Malaysian to be named the national head coach of US Squash in September last year and tasked with overseeing the entire programme from the junior to the elite level, with emphasis on the country’s three top-20 ranked women players Amanda Sobhy, Olivia Clyne and Sabrina Sobhy.

Prior to that job, Beng Hee was the head coach of Qatar squash.

What has he learnt in his short stint at the Arlen Specter US Squash Center in Philadelphia?

“I’ve learnt to eat frozen durian, it’s terrible,” he said in jest.

“On a serious note, being away from home for work has its challenges but I have learnt that I can do well anywhere in the world because the appointment as the head coach of the US has given me so much confidence.

“To start afresh in a new environment and moving to a new country so far away from home can get very intimidating. Imagine the food, no more durians!

“However, I believe that I have shown that I can be successful coaching abroad and I do hope that I’ve given the same confidence to other Malaysian coaches that we all have the ability to adapt, and work towards our goals of being better directors or head coaches.

“Not everything is about paper qualifications. It’s more about one’s determination.”

Beng Hee accommodated a group of Malaysians recently for a short training stint at his state-of-art training centre and believes the newer crop of players have the dream to go far.

“We have enjoyed having the Malaysian team over for training at Arlen Specter Centre and I believe they had a good stint here. I’ve always had a good relationship with the players and they are shaping up well,” said Beng Hee.

“It’s part of our programme to have more foreign players based here to train with team USA as I feel that all of us can improve together to catch up with the Egyptians.”

On whether he would return to Malaysia to become a coach, Beng Hee said: “Unfortunately, I am not able to answer this. I have only started my job here and so far, I’m grateful for this opportunity as the first Malaysian coach here,” he added.

Beng Hee and several other local athletes have done well abroad and they have certainly paved the way for more to follow their career path.