Shirley Lau ‘15 and Andy Yung ‘01 led the team brilliantly during the 2023 season. With Andy stepping down, Ivan Chiu ‘01 takes his place as co-captain for the 2024 season. Find out more about the three of them and their hopes for the upcoming season!
Can you tell us a bit about yourselves?
SL: Hi! My name is Shirley Lau, and I graduated CIS in 2015. I am a creative marketer by day, and a paddler by night–or whenever I can get free time!
AY: My name is Andy Yung and I’m from the Class of 2001. I have been doing venture investing for the past 10 years, and I have 3 children, Riley (reception) who is 5 years old, and a set of twins named Logan and Dany who are both 3 years old.
IC: Hello, I’m Ivan Chiu from Class of 2001. My professional background is in finance and corporate development. Outside of work, as parents with young children know, the schedule revolves around their busy social calendars, so mostly involves chatting with other dads and lots of birthday cakes.
When did you start Dragon Boating? What attracted you to the sport?
SL: I started paddling for CIS Dragon Boat in 2021 during the peak of COVID as a bid to find new activities, just like most people did during the time. While the training schedule and race season was quite unpredictable, I really enjoyed the challenge, the sportsmanship, and camaraderie inherent to the sport. It also made me feel much closer to the land–and waters!–of Hong Kong. It really is such a great experience unique to Hong Kong and CIS Dragon Boat!
AY: I was going through a midlife sports crisis back in 2018 where my body couldn’t take contact sports such as football and basketball anymore. I would always finish games limping or in need of a physiotherapist appointment. I was desperate to find a sport where I could still stay competitive while not taking a heavy toll on my body. That is when I was recruited by my uncle to join the dragon boat team and I have been in love with the sport ever since. It’s hard to explain it but while the paddling may be a monotonous exercise, there is a certain poetry in motion when all 18 people in the boat stroke in perfect unison that really calms the mind.
IC: I joined the CIS Dragon Boat team in February 2020 when the world was still learning about a virus outbreak. Initially, I only attended a handful of training sessions in Stanley. However, as the pandemic unfolded, we had to adapt. Our co-captains at the time, Jon Allcock ‘02 and Tiffany Woo ‘06, worked tirelessly to maintain team spirit and togetherness despite the uncertainty. They organised weekly group workouts over Zoom, allowing us to stay connected even when we couldn’t be physically together.
What drew me to dragon boat racing was not just the physical challenge or the adrenaline rush. It was the opportunity to be regularly engaged in a team sport in a place like Hong Kong. We often under-appreciate the chance to connect with the wider CIS alumni community through this shared experience. Beyond the sport itself, the beautiful outdoors of Hong Kong provides a stunning backdrop for our training sessions and races.
Your favourite moment / highlight as captain so far:
SL: As I’m sure a lot of my teammates would agree, my favourite moment was our race day for the Stanley Internationals! It was an amazing turnout, with paddlers new and old, enjoying the sun, water, and company. The day was filled with great competition from the 160+ teams that competed, really signalling that the sport had bounced back stronger and more spirited from COVID!
AY: My favourite moment was our year end team dinner when the whole team came together to celebrate our gruelling yet rewarding season. We pride ourselves in being able to compete with the top teams in Hong Kong but at the end of the day we are still an alumni club that encompasses alums both young and old, parents and also faculty. It is heartwarming to see teammates who were originally total strangers at the beginning bond together and build camaraderie by the end of the season
Ivan, as a new captain, what are you most looking forward to for the upcoming season?
IC: I’m thankful for the opportunity to lead such an esteemed alumni sports team. It is only when you occupy the “hot seat” that you truly grasp the amount of work involved behind the scenes. I consider myself fortunate to have inherited strong foundations that were laid by my predecessors, which have ultimately contributed to the success we currently enjoy.
I’m filled with anticipation for the 2024 season. The fact that we have over 60 active paddlers training with our team this season is truly remarkable – it’s a fantastic turnout and brings us back to pre-COVID levels. Besides entering 4 races this season, we will be entering 3 boats in this year’s Stanley Internationals, which promises to be an exhilarating competition.
As co-captain, which leaders from sports or other fields do you take inspiration from?
SL: My biggest source of inspiration and motivation comes from my predecessors, the previous captains for the CIS Dragon Boat team. They’ve been an invaluable source of guidance, sharing the best and the worst so I can continue to grow as a paddler and captain. A huge thanks to all that came before me, and for those that are yet to come–the legacy is forever!
AY: If we are allowed to include fictional characters I would choose Ted Lasso. He is the ever-optimist that always communicated truthfully to his players and earned their respect by empowering each individual and by listening to their needs both on and off the pitch. I think Shirley and I do a good job working with each team member and having an open feedback channel to address any individual’s concerns. Last season was our first year as co-captains, and we will take what we have learnt and continue to evolve and fine tune our leadership principles for this upcoming year
IC:I find great inspiration in reading biographies of exceptional business leaders like Steve Jobs, Jeff Bezos, and Stephen Schwarzman. A common trait that stands out among these influential individuals is their strong emphasis on teamwork and collaboration. Despite their remarkable individual achievements, they recognised that success requires the collective effort and commitment of a high-performing team. This resonates with my own experience in dragon boating, a team sport where the team’s performance relies on the collaboration and support of every member. I believe in fostering a culture of continuous improvement and unwavering dedication within our team, as it will translate into success at the races this season.
The season can be long, with team members (yourselves included) juggling personal and professional commitments as well. What do you do to stay hungry and motivated?
SL: It’s cheesy, but my biggest and best motivation is my team and being able to see everyone enjoy paddling. It is a really wonderful sport to train as one team, and it’s a really great feeling when everyone can paddle as one and get the boat gliding on that water. Chasing that feeling on the water with the team is an indescribable feeling to achieve, and we’ll always be chasing that high together.
AY: I personally have to travel a lot for work and on weekends my wife Tiffany and I plan our schedule according to our children’s activities. That being said it is important to make time for yourself and dragon boat is my “me time” to get away from the work stress and family obligations. One hour every Sunday morning is very manageable yet on occasion I have missed a handful of practices due to scheduling conflicts. We expect everyone to come to practice whenever they can but we also get that there are other priorities that come first.
IC: The fast-paced and busy lifestyle is a defining characteristic of our vibrant city. Our team has a diverse group of members who participate for various reasons. However, regardless of individual motivations, I firmly believe that setting clear goals and prioritising tasks is essential. Life is filled with unforeseen events and constant changes, but having well-defined goals allows us to align our personal schedules and focus on what truly matters.
We publish the training and race schedule for the entire season in advance to allow team members to effectively plan, manage commitments, and align personal schedules with the team’s activities.
What do you hope the team can achieve in the 2024 season?
SL: I hope to get more new members onto the team, and to inspire them to be stronger paddlers themselves as well. And of course, I hope for everyone to train hard and perform well at the races too!
AY: Like most team sports, COVID had a huge impact on participation but we were lucky to have a number of new paddlers replenish our ranks. I hope to continue to recruit new members and bolster our team size as well as continue to train our current core into becoming stronger paddlers. Hopefully if things break right for us we can vie for the Gold Cup again at the Stanley races this season!
IC: We have ambitions that extend beyond achieving good results at races. Equally important is the growth and development of our team, with a focus on building a foundation around a new generation of paddlers. Among this group, the youngest paddlers hail from the Class of ’20. I hope to attract and welcome more paddlers to join our ranks, who will carry on the rich traditions passed down by our predecessors.
Quickfire round – give us the first answer you think of
- Your favourite fast-food restaurant:
- SL: In classic Hong Kong style, Tamjai 🙂
- AY: McDonald’s. Boring yet familiar comfort food
- IC: McDonald’s double cheeseburger
- Would you rather never be able to use your phone again, or never be able to use your computer again?
- SL: Tough, probably would have to give up the computer.
- AY: I’d go with the computer. I can get away with doing most of my work on my iPhone now anyways
- IC: I can do without a phone – I get easily hooked on gaming apps
- Your guilty pleasure movie:
- SL: Pirates of the Caribbean!
- AY: Any Stephen Chow movies from the 90s
- IC: Old School
- Would you rather go without shampoo for the rest of your life or toothpaste for the rest of your life?
- SL: Without toothpaste (try going without shampoo with salt-crusted hair).
- AY: Without toothpaste. Been on a few camping trips to know what matters more
- IC: Shampoo – I can shave my head, but can’t avoid talking to people (or rather, people avoid talking to me)
- Your worst subject in CIS:
- SL: Physics, sciences were never my strong suit!
- AY: Art and music. I was just absolutely terrible at it
- IC: French – I still have vivid memories of the oral exams.
What is your favourite memory from CIS?
SL: Not a memory per se, but I remember very fondly all those free periods of playing card games in the common room with all my friends. In between those odd times where we weren’t studying or just taking a break.
AY: it was probably the annual camping trips we would go to beginning in primary. It felt like such an adventure being away from home back then and it was sheer excitement living with 20-30 of your friends together under one roof. I remember we would always get into so much shenanigans during those trips!
IC: I had an absolute blast during the annual camping trips. So many incredible memories of getting up to no good. Unfortunately, I must exercise caution and refrain from sharing too many details to protect the innocent (or not-so-innocent) parties involved (see above response).