PETALING JAYA: Squash coach Aaron Soyza hailed Khoo Teng Hin as the ideal man to lead the Nicol David International Squash Centre in Bukit Dumbar, Penang.
Teng Hin and Aaron have been working together in developing squash talent even before the academy was officially formed in 2003.
The former is now the head of administration at the academy while the latter is the head coach and Aaron cannot be happier with the set-up and enjoys working with Teng Hin.
“Teng Hin is like the chief executive officer of the academy and he is by far superior than anyone else for the role,” said Aaron.
“He takes care of the financial side, human resource and so on while I focus on my skill set which is coaching.
“We have known each other for more than two decades and we work very well together.
“At first, we took time to adjust into the roles but then we grew into it,” added Aaron.
Aaron also shared some of the challenges that he and Teng Hin faced before the academy was officially formed.
“Before the academy was formed, there was a 18-month period when Teng Hin, I and my brother Allan Soyza had to work without a salary,” said Aaron.
“I was 22 that time and had just been dropped from the national squash programme as a player due to financial issues.
“That time, local coaches did not have much of a future and I wanted to change that.
“Not earning a salary at that time was not the main issue but I had to think about my career. At the same time, the centre was growing, the squash players were benefiting and we were seeing some decent results and it was rewarding.
“We persevered on without thinking too much. Luckily, in the nick of time, everything fell in place and there was light at the end of the tunnel. Allan left after a while to become a national coach. Now, he is coaching players in his own academy in Kuala Lumpur,” added Aaron.
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