The Wonders of Sailing | Ziyan H | TEDxYouth@HarrowHK
## Speaker Context
* Speaker identity: Sailor/Athlete (later speaking at an event).
* Audience: Unknown (implied group interested in sport/human endeavor).
* Setting: Giving a talk after competing/reflecting on the sport.
* Framing: Establishing the contrast between the tangible rewards (medals, winning) and the intangible journey/process.
## People
* Zan Hong: Winner of the final and sixth race of the regatta.
* Coach: Person who saved the speaker boat during an incident.
* Leonardo da Vinci: Italian scientist, polymath, engineer, artist, who dreamed humans could fly.
* Wri brothers: People who fulfilled the legacy of human flight by inventing the airplane.
* Mom: Speaker's mother, who asks about the meaning of the sport.
* Dad: Speaker's father, who made the analogy about aiming for the moon.
## Organizations
* Hong Kong Sports Institute: Organization that called the speaker to join the National Sailing Team.
* Hong Kong sailing Team/National sailing team: Official team representing Hong Kong for Olympic aspirations.
## Places
* Bodam, Turkey: Location where the World Championships are held.
* Mediterranean Sea: Location where the first day of training took place.
* Open ocean: General location where sailing takes place.
* Yak club: A place where the speaker wished to hide from competition.
## Tools, Tech & Products
* Optimist: Type of boat; described as shaped like a bathtub.
* Laser class: Boat the speaker moved to after outgrowing the Optimist.
* Team uniform: Worn by the national team, featuring a flag on the chest.
## Concepts & Definitions
* Optimus World Championships: The pinnacle of every Optimus sailor's career; place where stars/champions are born.
* The Journey/Process: Described as far more valuable than any metal award.
* The Goal: Defined as the person you are chasing, not the medal or the reward.
* Elite athlete: Described as both a "crowning jewel" and a "shackle to my wrist."
## Numbers & Data
* Six points: Lead of the speaker in the regatta.
* Sixth: Number of race won by Zan Hong.
* 15 knots: Wind strength observed at Bodam, Turkey.
* 15 minutes: Estimated duration of time the speaker was stranded.
## Claims & Theses
* The Optimus World Championships is "the pinnacle of every Optimus sailor's career."
* The worth of an Olympic medal is not in the metal or the design or the color.
* The process is far more valuable than any metal award.
* Sailing is basically a game of who can make the least mistakes.
* Sailing is not a game of who can sail the most perfect race.
* The journey and the process is the immeasurable but also the most valuable part of the entire thing.
## Mechanisms & Processes
* Bailing: Physical act performed by the speaker to remove water from the boat.
* Causal chain of water ingress: More the boat heels, the more water goes in, which slows the boat down.
* Reaching an analogy: If your goal is to soar to the sky, you're definitely going to reach the top of the tree, but if your goal is to reach the top of the tree, you're not even going to make the top of the tree.
## Timeline & Events
* Regatta: Zan Hong won the final and sixth race.
* Morning/Afternoon: Described conditions at Bodam, Turkey (15 knots breeze, clear Cerulean Crystal Blue Waters).
* First day of training: Speaker set out in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea.
* During the race/practice: The speaker experienced waves breaking on the bow, constant water coming in, and sinking.
* During the race: The speaker became submerged, stopping the boat in the middle of the race course.
* Afterwards: Speaker returned to the hotel and questioned the point of the past three years of work.
* Later: Speaker found themselves back at the club/slipway, sailing again.
## Examples & Cases
* Zan Hong's victory: Winning the final and sixth race of the regatta in Bodam, Turkey.
* Initial race experience: Speaker pulling in the sail, feeling the wind and waves, and experiencing water constantly coming in.
* Sinking incident: Speaker's boat submerged completely in the sea during the race.
* Coach's rescue: Coach manually dumped out all the water and allowed the speaker to sail back to the club.
* Leonardo da Vinci's dream: Dreaming that humans could fly and soar amongst the clouds.
* Olympic medal: Used as a concrete example of a physical reward lacking inherent worth without the preceding journey.
## Trade-offs & Alternatives
* Dream of flight: Comparing the goal of "soaring to the sky" vs. the goal of "reaching the top of a tree."
* Competition focus: Choosing between the pressure of representing a nation/achieving rank vs. simply enjoying the sport as fun.
* Goals: Choosing between aiming for the moon (risky, unproven) vs. another goal.
## Counterarguments & Caveats
* The speaker was not scared of the wind because they knew heavy wind was one of their strengths.
* The upwind race was "supposed to be enjoyable" but became painful and exhausting.
* The Olympics/competition: The speaker felt they had to compete ("not to come last in every race").
* Warning about belief: If you don't believe, you will never be there.
## Methodology
* Analysis of the sport: Observing that sailing is not a game of who can sail the most perfect race, but who can make the least mistakes and recover.
* Conceptual approach to goals: Using the analogy of aiming for the moon versus reaching the top of a tree.
## References Cited
* The Wri brothers: Credited with fulfilling the legacy of human flight by inventing the airplane.
## Conclusions & Recommendations
* The speaker should focus on the person they are chasing—the person they will be tomorrow, next week, next year—rather than the medal or reward.
* Dare to dream: Encouragement to have the courage to dare to dream of something greater than current limitations.
* Focus on the self: The goal should be personal growth, not external validation.
## Implications & Consequences
* Failure to embrace the process: Leads to a diminished sense of achievement, as suggested by the fleeting nature of medals.
* Stagnation: If one only focuses on winning/rank, it can lead to crippling pressure and anxiety.
* Potential for greatness: Setting audacious, large-scale goals can lead to significant, foundational achievements (like flight).
## Open Questions
* What is the meaning of competition/sailing? (The speaker poses this throughout: "what is the meaning in all of that," "what is the purpose in all of that.")
## Verbatim Moments
* "The Optimus World Championships the dream the vision the P the Pinnacle of every Optimus sailor's career"
* "Where Stars Are Born where Champions are born where future Olympians start their career"
* "The more my boat heels the more water that go it goes more water it goes in"
* "all I'm trying to do right now is keep the Boat Moving and all I'm trying to do is stay afloat until I don't"
* "the journey the process is far more valuable than your metal will ever be"
* "the person you'll be like I said tomorrow and next week next year and way after that"
* "with that what the things we cannot control also comes with the power the freedom"
* "sailing is the game who can of who can make the least mistakes"
* "dare to dream that you can't that you can achieve something greater than an award"