Treasure your team
MobCoach Profiles: Hayden Ong
This year, coach Hayden Ong returned to Busan, South Korea for her third year representing CrossFit Mobilus at the CrossFit SemiFinals. In 2016, she was a part of a 6 person team competing in Wollongong, Australia at what was then known as the CrossFit Pacific Regionals. After a brief hiatus, she again represented Mobilus on two different teams in the CrossFit SemiFinals in Busan in 2023 and 2024.
Her experience as a competitor extends beyond CrossFit. After a brief exposure to a variety of sports in her youth, Hayden took on Dragon Boating competitively in her polytechnic years, and went on to represent Singapore in the SEA games in 2015.
As a coach at Mobilus, her specialization in rowing led her to programming MobRow, the gym’s row-specific class, now absorbed under MobEngine. Her expertise in erg-work has made her an asset in supporting the engine specific classes, as well as in coaching members to proficiency in using the ergs.
This month we sat down with Hayden to get to know a little more about her.
What’s something you do that might surprise people?
I love hiding in my room when I can and I can do it all day. If I have enough time, sometimes I’ll go to the promontory at MBS to just chill on my own.
What is your favourite thing to see in a class?
When members help each other out during class.
What is your worst CrossFit movement?
Dumbbell box step up/overs
Born and raised in Singapore, Hayden tried out a variety of sports in her primary school days, though none of them seemed to stick,
Hayden: I’ve done sports since primary school…my first sport was gymnastics…I didn’t really like it, but looking back maybe it did give me a good foundation…I only joined for one year…went into swimming…then badminton…
In secondary school I was in the concert band…played the euphonium (a small tuba)...
After skipping athletics altogether in secondary school, she later found her sport when she moved on to polytechnic.
Hayden: In poly I started Dragon Boat…I gained a lot of weight in secondary school, in my last year my friend and I would skip school and she would bring me to KFC everyday haha…in poly I looked at all the dragon boaters and they looked quite cool, so I joined.
On the first day of orientation we ran together, three rounds around the school and I was gassed out by the second round. There were a lot of people there on the first day… they had a very military way of selecting people…
Yeah…we didn’t touch a dragon boat until 2 or 3 months later, so a lot of people dropped off in the process…it was quite tough, especially when we had to be punished…a lot of training was actually punishment…trying to sieve out the people who weren’t mentally tough…
Hayden training for the SEA Games in 2015 with the Singapore National Dragon Boat team. (Photo: Hayden Ong)
In spite of the challenge, Hayden stuck on. Though much of her motivation was initially social, she grew to enjoy the challenge and eventually made it onto the school team.
Hayden: I had a classmate who was already a Dragonboater…if I didn’t have her I might have quit… I enjoyed it, it was fun…I mean training is tiring, but we look forward to having Mcdonalds after training haha….
Took maybe one year to make it to the main team…we usually train saturday, sunday morning…on weekdays land training…run, pullups, gym…
Hayden’s first year on the Republic Polytechnic Dragon boat Team (Photo: Hayden Ong)
Moving on from polytechnic, Hayden kept on rowing, moving on to compete with the Singapore National Dragon Boat team.
Hayden: After I graduated from poly, I went to the national team…
The first overseas race was in Busan, just behind where we do the SemiFinals…that’s why I was so keen to go back there…I haven’t been back there for 10 years…this year when I go there, I’m going to see the river again…
In 2015, Hayden represented Singapore in the SEA Games with the National Dragon Boat team. She recounted the rigorous hours of training involved in preparing for the SEA Games,
Hayden: Ended with the SEA games…2015, in Singapore…I had a short stint of full time training– not fun. I would not recommend. You wake up at 5/6am, sometimes you need to weigh in…
(Photo: Hayden Ong)
It was in the midst of preparing for the SEA Games that Hayden got her start in CrossFit. Having discovered the sport with her friend– now fellow coach– Landy Eng, she tried out the introduction class and became a member at Mobilus.
Hayden: I Googled ‘Crossfit’ with Landy…we watched Rich Froning and Jason Khalipa running while holding the log…I started to search for CrossFit gyms in Singapore and decided to come to Mobilus’ intro class…
Finding that her Dragon boat training had given her a good base to compete in CrossFit, Hayden signed up for the Open and did her workouts in the midst of training for Dragon boat.
Hayden: I made it into the main team for SEA games…when I was training full time, in the training camp, we would ‘book out’ on a Friday night, and I would go to Mobilus, I had signed up for the Open…I would do my attempt, train over the weekend, on a Sunday with Landy. I got my first muscle up then…ring muscle up…
I think dragon boat trained me well, we did everything that CrossFit needs…we tested one rep maxes, endurance, etc…we’d run….
Back then I would train many times a day– it was not good– in the morning I would either paddle or go to the gym, then in the afternoon I would go for crossfit, then in the evening I would paddle.
Before becoming a full time coach with Mobilus, Hayden explored a few different paths.
Hayden: I went to Republic Polytechnic and studied Information Technology, specializing in IT security, then I went to Uni and made a big switch and studied Psychology…
Graduated from RP, worked in RP as an events management executive, did it for one year, then as a school programs executive…
After SEA games, I worked part time here (with Mobilus), and part time delivering food, and studying part time. I had postponed my studies for a year because of the SEA games.
I graduated, and was looking for a job, went for a few interviews…Mobilus was opening Mobilus Chinatown and I asked if they needed more coaches, and they hired me.
Hayden at Mobilus Ubi outlet. (Photo: Hayden Ong)
Hayden started coaching with Mobilus part time in 2015, before joining the team full time in 2019. She shared some of her goals for the members that she coaches,
Hayden: I make sure people move well, or up to my expectations. I try to hold a high standard for myself, and I try my best to have members move well– if they can move better than me, I’ll be very happy.
In 2016, Hayden competed at the CrossFit Pacific Regionals in Wollongong with a 6 person team from Mobilus. Last year in 2023, she made her return to the regional stage for the CrossFit Semifinals in South Korea, Busan with a team - Mobilus Clarke Quay KLMT, with fellow colleagues and friends - Landy, Kelvin and Emmanuel.
Team Mobilus Clarke Quay KLMT at 2023 Far East Throwdown CrossFit SemiFinals in South Korea, Busan.
This year, Hayden competed in Busan again, this time with team Mobilus Clarke Quay Quack Attack. We spoke to her a week before the competition, to see how she was feeling in the lead up to the big weekend.
Hayden: Honestly, I was just thinking– I'm feeling a bit sad that this season is coming to an end. I really like my teammates.
This year, team Quack Attack consisted of coaches Hayden and Emmanuel, as well as members Jeanne Ong (who competed with Team Mobilus Chinatown Emotional Damage the last two years of SemiFinals), and CL Tan (making his debut at the SemiFinals). The team had trained with and competed with Ian Wee for the QuarterFinals, though his qualification as an individual athlete meant that CL was called up to step in to compete for the SemiFinals.
Hayden: Yeah it’s more lively I would say…even though our training is difficult sometimes, especially now that CL has stepped in…he was my teammate back in dragon boat…I quite like this team, and I’m a bit sad that it’s coming to an end so soon.
What’s been nice about it?
Hayden: I’m actually quite happy that my teammates, especially Jeanne- have been very nice about things. I think there’s a lot more communication on this team, maybe because on the previous team, Landy and Kelvin know me well and there was no need to say much…they wouldn’t not push me to do things that I cannot do, because they know what I’m capable of…this team communicates a bit more, I quite like that honestly.
Last year we’d redo (workouts) just to get a better score for your own individual gain…but it’s a lot more about the team now…I really tried my best, did my best…
Honestly, I am a bit worried because of my injuries, I don’t want to hinder my team so much…this year’s workouts look like can-do, of course, the overhead squat is a bit stressful, and one more thing– running…I like running…but my knee started hurting and I stopped running…this heel thing started last year…it hasn’t gone away since then, but I ran just now and it was very slow, but at least there’s hope.
Yeah, just enjoy…I won’t say ‘have fun’– last time dragon boat we would never say ‘have fun’, only now in CrossFit we say that…
I would say maybe, treasure the time with your teammates…you will not paddle with the same crew twice.
Team Mobilus Clarke Quay Quack Attack competed at the SemiFinals two weekends ago on the 17th and 18th of May, finishing strong in 17th place.
To keep updated with Hayden, you can follow her on instagram at @haydeno___.
Find out more about personal training with Mobilus here.
