SINGAPORE – Blue goggles perched on her head, Emma Ong’s voice was barely a whisper, but there was a determined nod as the shy five-year-old spoke about her hero, national swimmer Joseph Schooling.

“I like Joseph Schooling…I want to swim like him, and I want to be an Olympic champion,” she said.

Two years ago, Emma and her older brother Gerard – who is eight – watched Schooling “live” on television as he splashed his way to Singapore’s first Olympic gold in Rio de Janeiro.

That winning moment stuck in the siblings’ memories, and their mother, Ms Evelyn Chong, 40, said her children are “quite crazy about him”.

When Ms Chong saw a Facebook message offering a free swimming trial with Schooling, she signed her kids up immediately.

“I wanted to give them an opportunity to try it out and see if it works…my daughter is very shy but she adapted to the coach so I decided to sign them up,” said Ms Chong, who is currently unemployed.

Emma was part of an eight-strong group that got to swim with the Olympic gold medallist on Wednesday evening (June 27), as part of a free trial for the launch of his school, Swim Schooling, at Our Tampines Hub.

Classes will start officially on July 2 at Tampines, and the school will offer an eight-stage learn-to-swim programme for children aged between three and 11.

Each stage comprises a 10-week course with a 30-minute weekly lesson, and participants will be taught water confidence, lifesaving, as well as techniques for competitive swimming.

Fees are priced at S$135 per month, with a one-time registration fee of S$50. Over 70 children attended two trials last week, and 20 have already signed on for the programme.

While Schooling will not be heading the lessons, he stressed that he will be directly involved in the academy. His mother, Ms May Schooling, is also one of Swim Schooling’s directors.

“I love the water…what I want to do with Swim Schooling is to give every kid an opportunity to enjoy the water, and I hope that it will give everyone a chance to dream bigger, and to accomplish their dreams in and out of the pool,” said Schooling, 22.

Following its launch at Our Tampines Hub, Swim Schooling plans to expand to a few more venues in Singapore, and eventually to other parts of South-east Asia. Other sports academies could also be incorporated in the future.

Schooling added: “The goal is to expand (to the region), to Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, and other countries.”

Ms May Schooling said the school’s eight-stage programme – which was developed with a United Kingdom-based company – and free trials will give it an edge over other local swimming academies. The programme will also provide parents with feedback from the teachers, and an awards scheme for budding young swimmers.

“One of the things that makes Swim Schooling different is that we offer a free trial introduction to place them in the correct group for their ability and make them comfortable before they sign up,” she said.

While Swim Schooling currently only offers learn-to-swim programmes, the academy could introduce elite swimming classes in the future, and perhaps, produce the next Joseph Schooling.

It may take a while for Swim Schooling participant Ashlyn Tan, six, to mature into an elite athlete, but her mother Christine Lee said she will support her only daughter if she shows potential in the sport.

“After seeing Joseph compete at the Olympics, she said she wants to be like him, said the accounts manager.

“It is still far ahead to think about her being a champion…but she likes the water, and if she has the potential, why not?”