University of Georgia Athletics
Photo by: Chamberlain Smith
Quick Chat: Freida Lim
January 09, 2020 | Swimming & Diving, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
Freida Lim left home for college with the same hopes and dreams as any of her peers, but the diver was leaving her home in Singapore, Singapore, and headed to Clemson, S.C., which she'd never visited. Lim had seen pictures of the campus online but she'd signed on to dive for the Tigers sight unseen.
A year later, after placing second on platform in the ACC Championships, Lim was in limbo. Clemson had decided to eliminate its diving program and she needed a new one if she wanted to keep diving and keep going to school in the U.S. Fortunately for Lim and Georgia, Clemson had traveled to Athens regularly to train and the Bulldogs were familiar with her, and she with them.
Now a senior that has already won a couple of meets this season, Lim sat down for a Quick Chat on Wednesday. She talked about coming to Georgia, what it's like to dive from the 10-meter tower, her native cuisine and much more. Here's some of what she had to say:Â
Frierson: With your college career, starting at Clemson and then coming here, what does it feel like to be at this point in your senior year and final season?
Lim: It's kind of surreal. I still keep in contact with a few of my old teammates back at Clemson, and a few days ago they texted me like, "Not ready to graduate." Time just flies and I can barely remember the past two years here, but I know I've had a lot of fun and (coming to Georgia) was the best decision I made.
When it first happened (Clemson dropping the diving program), I was pretty upset. But my mom always told me, when one door closes another opens, and the opportunity here is much better than what I would have gotten at Clemson, so I guess it worked out.
Frierson: When you went to Clemson, had you ever visited the school?
Lim: No, and they hadn't seen me other than FaceTime.
Frierson: What is it like committing yourself to a place that you don't know and is so far away from home?
Lim: It was a tough choice but it wasn't one of the most difficult decisions I ever made. I figured I'm pretty easygoing so I could get along with everyone wherever I go. I'm not too picky and I get along with coaches pretty well, and I really liked (the coach).Â
I looked at pictures of the school and it was really pretty, so honestly, I didn't think too much about it. ... They were one of the few schools offering me a full ride, so it didn't really make my decision too hard.
Frierson: You go to Clemson and then you come to Georgia, two big-time football schools, so what does somebody from Singapore make of American football?
Lim: It's weird. Back home when we say football we mean soccer, so when I was at Clemson I didn't go to the games and I didn't understand anything. Even now, I barely understand anything but I do understand it a little bit more. I didn't realize how big football was, but it's definitely really, really fun to experience how excited everyone gets.
Frierson: When you think of home, what immediately comes to mind?
Lim: Family, and food.
Frierson: Speaking of food, is there anything around here that resembles what you eat at home?
Lim: Back home out food is really diverse and it's really hard to find Singaporean or anything close to the food I eat at home. But honestly, I'm not too picky — as long as they have rice and dishes like what I typically eat for dinner at home. Athens has a couple of places that are run by Chinese people, and Athens has pretty good Japanese food. It hasn't been too hard and there are definitely a lot more options than compared to Clemson, which had only one Japanese restaurant.
Frierson: If you haven't been to any of the places on Buford Highway in Atlanta, there are dozens of restaurants from all over the world. There's a Malaysian place called Food Terminal that is one of my favorite places in the whole country.
Lim: Oh, yeah, I've been there. The food's good and some of the food there is a lot like what I have back home. I went there once with my boyfriend and his family, and a lot of the food looked really familiar.
Frierson: Did you play any other sports growing up?
Lim: I used to swim and I did gymnastics for a really brief period of time, and I used to dance. That all stopped by the time I was 14 and I was focused on diving.
Frierson: I've talked to divers here before about going off the 10-meter platform and some say they're still a little intimidated by it. Are you totally comfortable with it?
Lim: Never, I don't think I will ever be super comfortable with it. It gets better the more I do it and I get more comfortable with my dives, but it never gets less scary, which is good because it helps me stay careful and helps remind me that I need to be focused.
The fear does get easier to manage and I guess you get more comfortable with the dives with more repetitions, but it's always scary up there. It's always good to have some level of fear because it keeps you careful.
Frierson: Do you remember the first time you went off and what that was like?
Lim: It took me like 15 minutes to do my first dive off the 10-meters. I looked down and I looked at my coach and was like, it's too high.
Frierson: Are you thinking much about the 2020 Olympics and trying to make the Singapore team?
Lim: I definitely am. I'll be going for the Tokyo World Cup in April and that will be the last qualification for the Olympics. If I make it I'll dive until the Olympics in August, but if I don't I'll just end my career in April.
I'll be done with springboard once my springboard season ends collegiately.
Frierson: It seems like you're diving better than you ever have which has got to be exciting.
Lim: I'm really excited for what this last part of the season has in store. The Zones and NCAAs will be at home which is exciting.
(This Q&A was lightly edited for length and clarity.)
Staff Writer
Freida Lim left home for college with the same hopes and dreams as any of her peers, but the diver was leaving her home in Singapore, Singapore, and headed to Clemson, S.C., which she'd never visited. Lim had seen pictures of the campus online but she'd signed on to dive for the Tigers sight unseen.
A year later, after placing second on platform in the ACC Championships, Lim was in limbo. Clemson had decided to eliminate its diving program and she needed a new one if she wanted to keep diving and keep going to school in the U.S. Fortunately for Lim and Georgia, Clemson had traveled to Athens regularly to train and the Bulldogs were familiar with her, and she with them.
Now a senior that has already won a couple of meets this season, Lim sat down for a Quick Chat on Wednesday. She talked about coming to Georgia, what it's like to dive from the 10-meter tower, her native cuisine and much more. Here's some of what she had to say:Â
Frierson: With your college career, starting at Clemson and then coming here, what does it feel like to be at this point in your senior year and final season?
Lim: It's kind of surreal. I still keep in contact with a few of my old teammates back at Clemson, and a few days ago they texted me like, "Not ready to graduate." Time just flies and I can barely remember the past two years here, but I know I've had a lot of fun and (coming to Georgia) was the best decision I made.
When it first happened (Clemson dropping the diving program), I was pretty upset. But my mom always told me, when one door closes another opens, and the opportunity here is much better than what I would have gotten at Clemson, so I guess it worked out.
Frierson: When you went to Clemson, had you ever visited the school?
Lim: No, and they hadn't seen me other than FaceTime.
Frierson: What is it like committing yourself to a place that you don't know and is so far away from home?
Lim: It was a tough choice but it wasn't one of the most difficult decisions I ever made. I figured I'm pretty easygoing so I could get along with everyone wherever I go. I'm not too picky and I get along with coaches pretty well, and I really liked (the coach).Â
I looked at pictures of the school and it was really pretty, so honestly, I didn't think too much about it. ... They were one of the few schools offering me a full ride, so it didn't really make my decision too hard.
Frierson: You go to Clemson and then you come to Georgia, two big-time football schools, so what does somebody from Singapore make of American football?
Lim: It's weird. Back home when we say football we mean soccer, so when I was at Clemson I didn't go to the games and I didn't understand anything. Even now, I barely understand anything but I do understand it a little bit more. I didn't realize how big football was, but it's definitely really, really fun to experience how excited everyone gets.
Frierson: When you think of home, what immediately comes to mind?
Lim: Family, and food.
Frierson: Speaking of food, is there anything around here that resembles what you eat at home?
Lim: Back home out food is really diverse and it's really hard to find Singaporean or anything close to the food I eat at home. But honestly, I'm not too picky — as long as they have rice and dishes like what I typically eat for dinner at home. Athens has a couple of places that are run by Chinese people, and Athens has pretty good Japanese food. It hasn't been too hard and there are definitely a lot more options than compared to Clemson, which had only one Japanese restaurant.
Frierson: If you haven't been to any of the places on Buford Highway in Atlanta, there are dozens of restaurants from all over the world. There's a Malaysian place called Food Terminal that is one of my favorite places in the whole country.
Lim: Oh, yeah, I've been there. The food's good and some of the food there is a lot like what I have back home. I went there once with my boyfriend and his family, and a lot of the food looked really familiar.
Frierson: Did you play any other sports growing up?
Lim: I used to swim and I did gymnastics for a really brief period of time, and I used to dance. That all stopped by the time I was 14 and I was focused on diving.
Frierson: I've talked to divers here before about going off the 10-meter platform and some say they're still a little intimidated by it. Are you totally comfortable with it?
Lim: Never, I don't think I will ever be super comfortable with it. It gets better the more I do it and I get more comfortable with my dives, but it never gets less scary, which is good because it helps me stay careful and helps remind me that I need to be focused.
The fear does get easier to manage and I guess you get more comfortable with the dives with more repetitions, but it's always scary up there. It's always good to have some level of fear because it keeps you careful.
Frierson: Do you remember the first time you went off and what that was like?
Lim: It took me like 15 minutes to do my first dive off the 10-meters. I looked down and I looked at my coach and was like, it's too high.
Frierson: Are you thinking much about the 2020 Olympics and trying to make the Singapore team?
Lim: I definitely am. I'll be going for the Tokyo World Cup in April and that will be the last qualification for the Olympics. If I make it I'll dive until the Olympics in August, but if I don't I'll just end my career in April.
I'll be done with springboard once my springboard season ends collegiately.
Frierson: It seems like you're diving better than you ever have which has got to be exciting.
Lim: I'm really excited for what this last part of the season has in store. The Zones and NCAAs will be at home which is exciting.
(This Q&A was lightly edited for length and clarity.)
John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files. He's also on Twitter: @FriersonFiles and @ITAHallofFame.
Players Mentioned
Diving
/ Swimming & DivingGeorgia Swimming & Diving Last Chance Meet - Post Meet Video Recap
Sunday, March 01
Georgia Swimming & Diving Feature - Kennedi Dobson Profile
Tuesday, February 17
Georgia Swim and Dive vs Tennessee Video Recap
Friday, January 23
Georgia Swim and Dive vs Florida State & Arkansas Video Recap
Saturday, January 10