Tuesday's With Dave

Welcome Back!!  I have been taking a break from Tuesdays With Dave. It never was about writing every Tuesday, but rather when something or somebody Olympia creates a story idea to follow. For the past few months I have been dealing with a health condition that is called spinal stenosis that has really limited my walking, hence my lifestyle, so I just felt I needed a break mentally to help deal with the physical. Still doing lots of swimming and cycling but unable to walk much. The worst part is that for the first summer in a very long time  I was not able to get to Olympia. I've been an Olympian as a coach, headliner, guest speaker, book researcher, book promoter, and sometimes just to  visit to see Dave and Greg. But this summer, no first swim, no great food, no Dave Talk. I have found myself getting my Olympia fix vicariously through social media postings of coaches who are sharing the blast  of the week they've had at camp. It's great to see in pictures  the ...

 Olympian-Run Pickle ball Tournament  I am sharing this blog to support an Olympia coach and his efforts to raise money for a worthy cause through a Pickle Bell Tournament coming up this summer.  Good luck to Jeff Morgan and all involved in this endeavour. Truly an example of leaders doing their best to make the world a better place. There is information to sign up to play or to become a sponsor                               Dear Community Partner,   In support of the local Alzheimer Society, we are coordinating the 3rd Annual  ‘DINKS vs. DEMENTIA’  Pickleball Tournament. Scheduled for Saturday, August 23th, 2025, this event will: raise awareness; donate 100% of its proceeds to the cause; feature 40+ teams and 200+ participants; and build community through healthy, active living.    Some have asked us about th...

 Year Number 52... Year Number 30 With pre-camp ( staff development week) happening this week I thought I'd send out a good luck to all the staff, especially those in their first year of a job some have been dreaming about doing for several years now. You'll be awesome. I also want to wish continued success to Dave Grace, whose willingness to "Take the bat off the shoulder" has allowed hundreds to enjoy life at Interlaken over the years. Also to Greg Rogers, who is celebrating his 30th summer of being the Associate Director of Olympia Sports Camp. The start of another summer for Dave and Greg  conjures up an amazing story in chapter 2 of  A Hero's Journey: Beyond Little Norway and Olympia Sports Camp  of how these two great leaders met and formed a relationship that has benefited the camp on so many levels for such a long time.  The reason that this is entitled Year Number 52... Year Number 30 is to recognize this relationship. The camp is in it's 52nd year, a...

  If you want to focus on what a leader is, on what a hero is; just look at the journey of one of Canada's greatest heroes, Terry Fox. Or look at the life of Margot Brandreth. Joy and I drove up to beautiful Collingwood on Sunday, and the beauty of the drive coupled with the intensity and emotion of the audiobook we were listening to made the miles just fly by. Truth be told the only bad part of the trip was seeing a sign for the future site of highway 413. The people who want to pave over paradise should meet some of the great people of Collingwoood Ontario. That's who leaders are. Its just not about money. It's about love.  The book we are listening to is called Hope , by Terry Fox and edited  by Barbara Adhiya. It is the reason for this connection to the Hero's Journey. Hope takes you along Terry's journey through the perspective and stories of some of  the people he met along the way. Their stories show the impact one person can have on a nation. People's l...

From Camper to Counsellor to Constable This blog was started on Dec 8 2020 to promote my then soon- to- be published second book A Hero's Journey: Beyond Little Norway and Olympia Sports Camp . It contained excerpts from the book and stories about how the book came about, including how the blog became named Tuesdays With Dave .  Now the blog has branched off to feature Olympia heroes and their journeys. My content is either self-developed or developed through suggestions and connections of Olympia staff. This week's blog is a letter that a former Olympia camper and counsellor felt he needed to share with Greg Rogers and now I have permission to share with the Olympia family. There are hundreds of people who feel they owe a debt of gratitude to Dave Grace and the Olympia experience for what they have done and become since their halcyon days on OxBow Lake. If you or someone you know has a story to share let me know at the mail below. My book captured lots of stori...

 The Journey of an Olympian Madeleine Kelly represented Canada in the 800m at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. How she got there and the role of her dad, her coach, and Olympia Sports Camp makes her journey an example of a level of tenacity and commitment that makes the return all the more rewarding. Maddy first attended Olympia as a camper when she was 12. She loved everything about the place and felt she came into her own, surrounded by like-minded people and positivity that allowed her confidence to flourish. The counsellors motivated her, to the point that she too wanted to be a counsellor some day. She was a camper for two more years and decided that "the best thing ever"would be to try to get hired at camp.  But there was a problem. After her group interview in Etobicoke she was asked if she would come to camp as a sailing instructor. She loved the idea but the problem was that she didn't have any of her lifeguard qualifications in order to do the job. After that inter...