SEA Games 2025: Handballer Kate Ong hooked on ‘dopamine rush’ in crafting her crochet items

SINGAPORE – Singapore handballer Kate Ong has always considered herself as an arty-farty kind of girl, who is always on the lookout for avenues to express her creativity.

It was during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic when she stumbled on videos on crocheting while looking for ways to relieve the stress from her school work.

The 20-year-old said: “Initially it was really tough for me because everything was online, but I realised that I kind of enjoyed it.

“I’ve tried painting and drawing, but nothing really stuck with me, because I found myself not liking the things that I made. But when I crocheted something from somebody else’s pattern, I made the exact product that they are teaching me to make, I enjoyed it a lot, it gave me this dopamine rush.

“And then from there, I kind of wanted to find different ways to create things and implement different designs that I see in daily life into crochet.”

Her love for her craft is so strong that she has taken the ribbing by some of her friends, who refer to her as a “grandma”, in her stride.

She said: “When I do it outside, my friends are always like, ‘Kate what are you doing, why are you acting like a grandma?’

“But I feel like what a lot of people don’t understand is that it’s just one medium of art in general.

“I don’t really find it insulting or anything. I think that I’ve just channelled my inner grandma, and next time I’ll be settled when I grow old, because I know exactly what I want to do.”

She is currently taking a gap year from her studies to try to market her creations, which she sells via social media and pop-up stores, besides preparing for her debut at the SEA Games.

She said: “For me, it is really when people enjoy what I’ve made. The part that really gets me the most is when I have events in-person, and people walk by and they’re like, ‘Oh my gosh, that’s so cute’, and when they buy my creations, it is a bonus.

“I really appreciate it if they enjoy the work that I’ve done, because I feel like my art is being seen.”

Nowadays, Ong finds the time to crochet during her commute, as she travels two hours each way from her home in Serangoon to Jurong West where the handball team train three to four times a week.

“It’s become a habit that I don’t leave the house without something to crochet with or something to do rather than scrolling on my phone through social media.

“I find that it’s more fulfilling for me to be productive while on the go and if I can squeeze out some time, I don’t see why I shouldn’t work on my craft… I can de-stress and relax while also enjoying myself and making money.”

Ong is one of 12 debutantes in the 18-strong women’s handball squad who will be bidding for a final appearance at the Dec 9-20 Games.

The handball competition begins on Dec 8, with the finals on Dec 17.

Singapore had missed out on a medal in both the men and women’s categories in Vietnam in 2021, the last time handball was contested at the biennial Games.

National coach Justin Low said: “Stepping into our second edition, we’ve got a young and hungry team and we’re setting our sights on a top-two finish.

“We’ve been putting in the work – doubling the intensity, building chemistry, and raising our fitness levels.

“With the mix of fresh faces and steady hands, we are ready to give everything we got, take on the region’s best, and show that Singapore can be right up there fighting.”

When asked about her thoughts on making her Games debut, Ong, who plays as a goalkeeper, said: “I’m quite stressed, nervous, excited at the same time… So a lot of feelings going on, but overall, I’m quite excited to represent Singapore.

“I’ve always played sports since I was young and I have this sense of pride to represent the country that I grew up in, to play my sport, something that I love.”