JUGGLING NETBALL WITH STUDIES, WORK

Singapore's players open up on balancing act as they gear up for the Nations Cup

- Kimberly Kwek

From left: Singapore netballers Angelina Lim, Amandeep Kaur Chahal and Miki Ng posing for a photo ahead of the Nov 2-8 Singlife Nations Cup. Away from netball, Lim is a youth worker in a church, Amandeep is pursuing a PhD and Ng is a junior doctor. ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI

(ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI)

Just over a year ago, Angelina Lim, 26, was among the supporters in the stands at the OCBC Arena, cheering on Singapore's netballers at the Nations Cup.

When the Singlife Nations Cup returns from Nov 2 to 8, she will be back at the same venue - this time on the court, following her return to the national team in April after a yearlong break.

A comeback was not always on the cards. She had stepped away to explore life beyond netball, as it became increasingly difficult to juggle her full-time job as a youth worker at her church along with the demands of elite sport.

"After six years of training and having to balance that with work, always put in a situation of having to choose which one to forgo was getting tiring," said Lim, who plays wing attack and centre.

"There was also the guilt sometimes that was eating me inside, so having to take that break helped me focus on what I needed to do.

"Apart from netball and being a bit tired from training, it was that time where I always wanted to see what were the other things I could do if I wasn't training.

"So that helped me to take some personal time off to spend more time with family, friends and invest myself in work."