Content Lead Dana Haydock is the driving force behind content initiatives such as Future of Shade for Sunbrella® and Why Skylights for VELUX®. A former journalist, she has easily adapted to telling stories through video and written content and spearheads the ideas and collaboration of Wray Ward’s motion producers, art directors and writers for content programs. Haydock produced "Uncharted Waters," a project with US Sailing Team Sperry made possible by Sunbrella.

One of the most intriguing aspects of the global sporting spectacle due to start this week is the opportunity to immerse yourself in new and different sports. Over the past year, our motion team documented the journey of 11 elite sailors vying to represent their country this summer.

We were newcomers to Olympic-class sailing, and we hope "Uncharted Waters," the documentary we created with Sunbrella®, will pique your interest in the sport.

Part of the reason we tune in to watch swimmers, heptathletes and fencers every four years is the athlete stories. There’s something special about people who choose to hyper-focus on a big goal: to compete against the best in their sport on the world’s stage, even if their chosen sport means they compete far from the limelight most of the time. What makes them tick? Why do they punish their bodies? How do they manage the financial sacrifice?

For athletes in minor sports – those not on primetime television every Monday night (if they make the TV schedule at all) – the goal is to win in pure competition. Glory for glory’s sake. Transformation through blood, sweat and tears.

To make a documentary is to get inside the head of your subjects. Our sailors taught us a lot over the past year; here are a few things we learned along the way.

• Never Give Up – Sailing is both a sprint and a marathon with a series of races taking place over the course of a week. In "Uncharted Waters," you’ll see how these athletes are trained in mind and body never to give up when something goes wrong in a race, because there’s always a chance to recover from mistakes.
• Maintain Grace Under Pressure – We saw two of our sailors capsize on the starting line but keep their wits about them to right their boat and get back into the race. There’s a reason the idiom “even-keeled” has nautical origins. These elite sailors train their minds as much as their bodies, so they can respond without hesitation during stressful situations.
• It’s the Journey that Matters – Elite-level sailors travel around the world for competitions. Unlike other sports, where traveling means hopping on a plane with a gym bag full of your competition kit, sailors must handle the logistics of moving their boats, coach boat and themselves to the next venue. Finding their way in foreign countries changed these athletes from naive teenagers to worldly young adults.

Watch "Uncharted Waters," made possible by Sunbrella, to learn about the sailors who dedicated four, six and often many more years of their lives for a chance to prove themselves against the world’s best. When the cameras focus on Brazil’s Guanabarra Bay starting on Aug. 8, we hope you tune in and find a new sport to obsess over, at least for two weeks this summer.

Sailing streams live on nbcolympics.com starting at noon on Aug. 8.

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