by Terrence Voon

R.V. Nathan, the man whose daughter became a world champion last week, has an explanation why bowling is the perfect sport for his two children.

'It is an individual game and, unlike team sports where you can be let down by your teammates, you alone decide your fate in bowling,' he intones.

Last week, his younger child Jasmine captured the AMF World Cup in Mexico, becoming the first Singaporean to win the coveted title.

The 20-year-old kegler deserves all the plaudits for her historic feat. But she could not have done it without her long-serving and loyal 'teammates' - her family.

'We didn't have much money when we started out,' says Jasmine, whose brother Jason, 25, is also a national kegler.

'But it's lovely that my family have been supportive throughout. That's how Jason and I pulled through.'

Many parents buy cars to drive their children to the bowling alley.

Jasmine's parents did the opposite. They sold their car to pay for their children's weekly bowling lessons, equipment and lane fees, which averaged about $1,000 a month.

Success did not come cheaply. Nathan, a retired army officer and his wife Veronica, a business systems and processes manager, struggled to balance the household bills while Jason and Jasmine chased their bowling dream.

Nathan, 58, even had to come out of retirement to take on a security job.

He recalls: 'I had to support them. Both have a natural instinct for sports, so I knew they could make it. '

Perhaps sport is in the family's blood. Nathan was a former national softball player. Veronica was also involved in the sport, albeit at club level.

Jasmine's uncle is George Suppiah, the first Singaporean football referee to officiate at the World Cup.

Anyone who doubts that sport is a family affair for Team Yeong-Nathan need only to visit their five-room flat in Clementi.

Framed photographs and newspaper cuttings of Jason and Jasmine's exploits jostle for space on the living room walls.

A cabinet stands near the main door, nearly filled to bursting point with dozens of trophies and medals.

Halfway through the interview, the family pause to gawk at the television, where a clip of Jasmine's homecoming at the airport on Wednesday is being screened.

When the programme ends, the topic turns to another sports fanatic in the family - Jasmine's late grandfather Yeong Teng Kum.

'He used to come to all our competitions, even though he was in a wheelchair,' she said with a touch of sadness.

'He would take down all our scores and analyse them, so he could help us improve.'

Grandfather Yeong, 91, died in October last year, just two months before Jason won a gold in the men's trios event at the South-east Asia Games.

The family has dedicated the SEA Games medal, as well as Jasmine's World Cup trophy, to Yeong.

But when it comes to the pursuit of more sporting glory, there is hardly any room for sentiment.

Next month, Jasmine will travel to Malaysia for the Milo International Junior All-Stars, which is held over Christmas.

That means she will not be with her doting family during the festive period - a price which she accepts readily for being a dedicated bowler.

'Sometimes, I think we see each other only at competitions or the bowling alley,' she says.

'It's hard, but that's part and parcel of sports.'

Spoken like a true champion - from a family of champions.

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