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Heroes Walk Among us This is the 183rd entry in this blog. It was started with a flippant comment in one of my many meetings with Dave Grace for my book A Hero's Journey: Beyond Little Norway and Olympia Sports Camp that I should start a blog called Tuesdays with Dave. The blog would be about content in the book, about the journey of Dave Grace and the 50 years of Olympia, about the Olympia community of heroes we have met along our journey. About the the successes, and losses that the Olympia family has been through. This blog entry has nothing to do with Olympia, but it's all about a hero that walked among us. Let me introduce you to my good friend Simon Lewis. Simon was born in Swansea, Wales in 1960 and was an accomplished athlete, representing Wales in rugby before emigrating to Canada with his lovely wife Kay, whom he married in 1981. He played lots of rugby in Burlington. He was a millwright by trade, working shifts at Toyota in Cambridge and Ford in Oakville over a 30-y...
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The Olympia family was dealt some bad news this past week when we learned of the passing of long-time superintendent Bruce Ransom.  Arrangements have been done by the Billingsley Funeral Home on Ravenscliffe Road in Huntsville. Check out   https://www.billingsleyfuneralhome.com/   for the beautiful obituary. There will be celebration of life at a later date. Let's be there. When Greg Rogers told me about Bruce's death I thought of the hundreds of Olympia staff who will be gutted by this news. Bruce's combination of honesty, high expectations, story telling and humour made for many great relationships over the 40+ years when Bruce would inspire these young people to work hard and achieve.  I also thought of the interview Joy and I had with Bruce for my book A Hero's Journey: Beyond Little Norway and Olympia Sports Camp . We met in the coach's dining hall and it was maybe the most fun interview I had, and love that Joy got to know the man who lived Olympia with e...
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The journey of writing A Hero's Journey: Beyond Little Norway and Olympia Sports Camp  gave a lot of highlights and stories I'll remember forever but the coolest may have been my connection to Jennifer Sharman, my editor. Several years ago I started writing for local-news.ca an online news service in Burlington. Never having met her, Jennifer and I made a connection simply through her skill with the written word. I would send my articles in, Jennifer would edit my work and bring the story to life. I was impressed with Jennifer's work and passion, so I hired her to edit my work-in-progress book. We worked together, chapter by chapter, idea by idea,  and I'm proud to say that my writing, combined with Jennifer's 'magic' made for a book that the Olympia community could be proud of. This blog is not about Jennifer Sharman Sorry for the double dip, but the blog entry this week is sort of a reprise of an article I just released on local-news.ca. Burlington people ...
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 A few notes about last weekend's Jacob Ranton tournament and Online auction. I spoke to Doug and Sandra on their tenth year of supporting the WRSPC ( Waterloo Region Suicide Prevention Council) and shared some amazing stats and emotions about the support shown.  The amount from the year is still be finalized but the total will be around $450,000 raised through the love of the Waterloo and basketball community. Speaking of love, not only did one of Jacob's teammates from Memorial bring his Gonzaga team from St John's, NFLD for the third year but in a beautiful moment during the coaches breakfast Doug and Sandra were called out in the hall and there stood three other Memorial alumni!  The beauty of the human spirit.  Speaking of human spirit, Olympia Sports Camp has a long list of  'larger than life' personalities who have walked the land of Interlaken and inspired hundreds of campers. None greater or more impactful than Walker D Russell.  The journey of Wal...
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This blog entry is a reprint from one written on Dec 12, 2022. The reason for the reprint is that the annual tournament is coming up this weekend. Doug and Sandra Ranton have done a lot for the WRSPC over the ten years since their son's death. They have decided, with heavy hearts, that, although the tournament will continue in Jacob's name, this will be their last fund raiser. They want the 10th  to be the best ever, and I hope this blog helps. Please like and share to help spread the word.  You Are Never Alone on your Journey ( written Dec 12 2022) This Friday we will be at the Jacob Ranton Memorial Basketball Tournament at Waterloo Collegiate. The tournament features 16 teams from around the area but a more important aspect is that the tournament raises money for the Waterloo Region Suicide Prevention Council.  The title of this blog: "You Are Never Alone"s serves two purposes: One is that there is always someone with whom we can share our vulnerability in times wh...
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World Class Athlete, World Class coach What is the signature part of Olympia Sports Camp? Is it the Norwegian-inspired main dining hall? Is it the Zip Line or the Big Tower? Is it the 5 basketball courts laid out with OxBow Lake as a backdrop? For many, including Stand Up Paddling ( SUP) coach Ariel Amaral, it is the 1,500 feet of shoreline  that captures the true beauty of life at Interlaken. The A Frame docking system that is the centre point of activity throughout the day and the many paddle boards, canoes, kayaks and sailboats make it an aspect of Olympia Sports camp that is the envy of most camps in Canada. And It's where Ariel shines. It was the waterfront that attracted Ariel Amaral to Olympia in the first place. Never having come to Olympia as a camper, Ariel visited a friend who was a counsellor at the time, went for a quick swim, and that's all it took. Ariel has been coaching at Olympia coming up to ten years in the summer of 2025. She has never missed a year; not wh...
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The twists and turns a journey can take.  I had the good fortune of meeting Brendan Morris, forever  known as Brendo, many years ago as a counsellor  at Olympia. When I was writing  my book, and realizing the impact of staffing from around  the world, I knew I wanted to interview Brendo and Martin Paul .  Chapter Six  of A Hero's Journey : Beyond Little  Norway and Olympia Sports Camp . is entitled   Allies and Ogres. Brendo has been an ally for hundreds. Did Brendo find Olympia, or did Olympia find Brendo? Either way, the camp is a better place because  of him. Here is an excerpt from that interview from 2019: Originally from Sydney, Australia, Brendo had just finished his undergraduate degree and was looking for what most international applicants are looking for: a combination of a life experience in a different culture and working in sports, something Brendo had done his whole life. He thought he would be heading to the U.S. but he f...
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