Thanks to mum and dad, Jodie's now an Asian Games sailing champion

If Jenny Lai had not given the "go-ahead", Singapore would have had one less gold medal to savour at the 2014 Asian Games.

Jodie Lai was only eight when mum had to make a big decision on her daughter's future.

"Initially, I wasn't supportive of Jodie sailing. I just didn't want her to get so dark," said Jenny, a 43-year-old education officer.

"And also, she was doing music like piano and violin, and also ballet."

When husband, Terence Lai, thought otherwise, she agreed to go along with him.

It helped that Terence, who is head of Biz Mio and OTT TV at SingTel, was an avid swimmer and canoeist in his school days.

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After her parents decided, Jodie dropped the violin and ballet commitments and focused on sailing.

Last Tuesday, the 13-year-old posted her biggest achievement yet, when she claimed top spot in the girls' Optimist class at the Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea.

HOW IT ALL STARTED

Brother Thaddeus and primary school teacher Sarah Wee are responsible for Jodie's start in sailing.

As an eight-year-old, she used to watch her 11-year-old brother sail.

At the time a primary three student at St Hilda's, she was already itching to try it, and when her teacher Wee extolled the virtues of sailing, it was only a matter of time before Jodie got on her own boat.

"My teacher always talked to us about sailing, and when she introduced it to us, I wanted to give it a try," she told The New Paper at the Lai's family home in Kembangan.

"At first, it seemed scary to be all alone in the open sea, and I was very, very young then, but I got the hang of it after a while."

Jodie clinched the silver at the Asian Sailing Championships in South Korea in July and, a few weeks later, she won at the North American Championships.

So it should not have been a surprise that she went on to claim gold at the Asian Games, even if Jodie herself never expected it.

"I was very happy because I did not expect to win at such a major event," said the pint-sized sailor.

"After the Asian championships and the North American Championships, I reviewed all the mistakes that I made at that time.

"And then, during my training for the Asiad, I tried to work on my mistakes and hone the finer points of my game."

It worked a treat.

The secondary one student of Raffles Girls', who stands at a mere 1.48m tall and weighs in at only 33kg, beat much bigger opponents like China's Yu Huijia and Thailand's Kamonchanok Klahan to the top prize.

ADORING PARENTS

Meeting Team Lai, it is quickly apparent how proud the parents are of Jodie's achievements.

Always beaming and constantly smiling at their daughter, mum and dad have tried their best to ensure their daughter has all the support she needs.

"We spend our weekends by being there for her during training sessions, and when she has competitions, we 
buy the equipment for her," said her father.

"Sometimes when she has competitions, my wife and I will take leave to drive her to and fro, and support her when we can. Our Saturdays and Sundays revolve around her."

Like many young Singaporeans, Jodie - she cites reading crime novels as her favourite pastime because they keep her on the edge, just like how sailing does - has had to strike a balance between studies and sport.

"In primary school, I was coping a lot better. But now, with my sailing commitments, I don't have that luxury of time anymore," she said.

Training takes up her afternoons from Tuesday to Sunday, and much of the rest of the time is devoted to schoolwork.

Five years after her introduction to the sport, Jodie has grown a lot darker.

But look around the family home and one will immediately be able to see the pay-off - there is an expansive collection of medals, trophies and congratulatory letters littered through the house.

Their daughter is confident and increasingly fearless.

The Lais' decision to give Jodie the green light to become a sailor has clearly paid off.