Tuesday's With Dave

 The Making of a World Champion This 200th blog entry for Tuesdays With Dave was an idea I got in June after the Oklahoma City Thunder won the NBA Championship, and have been chasing down ever since. This week's blog, looks at the journey  of Olympia Sports Camp camper, High school phenom at Sacred Heart in Ottawa, two-sport athlete at Acadia University in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, professional basketball player in Europe and Canada's CEBL ( Canadian Elite Basketball League) and dedicated and empathetic personal trainer  Sean Stoqua. Some quotes for this blog are taken from my first book: Can't Miss: The Kevin Pangos Story. Sean's impactful journey to World Champion is inspiring in terms of the people he has had in his inner circle virtually from birth, and the people he was fortunate to meet along his journey, but also the trials and injuries that may have played a huge role in where he is today. Empathetic ? He's been there. The Olympia Sports Camp connection  (that...

 Happy 2026 This edition of the blog is entry #199. I think its cool that a whimsical idea that came about in the office of Dave Grace would end up with so many stories taken from, or offshoots from A Hero's Journey: Beyond Little Norway and Olympia Sports Camp. Turns out there are a lot of heroes out there with great stories, and people who like to read those stories. I'm looking toward entry 200 and beyond.  In the process of writing the book I think Dave and I met four or five times. Those included a session in a glassed-in room in Dave's cabin overlooking his beloved OxBow Lake. We had epic-length discussions about the dreams of a high school teacher and the realities of running a Sports camp for 50 years. Another time we met at the Olympia Offices in Toronto, where I had a one on one, and interactive, Dave Talk for over three hours. It was an astounding opportunity to spend quality time with such a man. As I got up to leave I looked at him and said " You know Tues...

 Girls Got Game Chapter 4 of A Hero's Journey: Beyond Little Norway and Olympia Sports Camp is entitled Meet The Mentors. The idea of the chapter was to analyze the journeys of 12 Olympia coaches whose journey depicts one of the 12 steps of the Hero's Journey described by Jospeh Campbell in his philosophy. What came out of this analysis is that teaching and learning become multi-generational through the process of mentoring. Teachers and coaches teach skills, for sure, but more so they teach or model life skills and a sense of being a good competitor and a good person, maybe to be a coach themselves some day. The true impact of that process is felt best in the lives of he next generation as they share what they learned. Their mentors have taught them how to mentor.  One of the Mentors whose journey is described in Chapter 4  is Jackie Zicaro, an Olympia stalwart who I knew as Jackie Shaw when I coached her in high school.  Jackie went to Olympia as a babysitter, a ca...

Happy Birthday Pops! A personal blog this week as my family celebrates my dad's 100th birthday. John MacLeod Dooley was born Nov 1 1925. I say that Nov 1 2025 IS  his 100th birthday, not "would have been" as he passed away in 1996. This is a day to celebrate, reflect, and remember.  I write this blog to share a part of my journey, a pivot point one would say, but I also want to share this thoughtful memory with my brothers John, Steve, and Pat as well as the memories of my late sister Mary and brother Kevin. This blog involves part of my journey but my siblings all have similar moments they shared with a brilliant man we called Pops. Most of the moments brought with them a laugh or a smile, and some moments were very sad. Actually my dad was proud to be called Pops because his father had been.  A high school graduate at 16, and the youngest Chartered Accountant in Ontario at the time, my dad had a journey filled with achievement, success, and trauma and tragedy. We are al...

 Coach P Enters The Hall of Fame Olympia Sports Camp has just started a program they are calling" Coach of the Week" to highlight some of the great coaches who come to Olympia every summer. Great idea! Let me introduce you to the Coach of the Half Century: John Petrushchak Coach P was posthumously inducted into the Ontario Basketball Hall of Fame this summer, recognizing his contributions and success in leading George Harvey and Runnymede Collegiates over this 30 year teaching and coaching career, including four OFSAA titles. But those of a certain vintage remember the impact he had on hundreds of others, and a generation of coaches, in his years at Olympia Sports Camp. In her induction speech Debbie Petrushchak spoke about her father’s lasting influence on young people, describing him as a steady presence during difficult times. She also spoke of the community of friendships that grew through his coaching career, many of which have carried on long after his passing in May of...

Take the Bat off the Shoulder We always talk about the amazing people that we meet on our journey. After decades, Olympia people can still hear Dave Grace telling the " Bat off the shoulder" story. The batter lets three pitches go by him, all called strikes. He then blames the umpire, says stuff under his breath, then throws his bat against the wall in disgust. The message is that the batter should take control of the situation by swinging at a pitch instead of putting his fate with another. Take the bat off the shoulder and you'll never know what happens. We are all heroes of our own journey and in order to reach where we want to go we need to take control and not let others, or the world, impact our choices or path. It truly is up to us. When thinking of amazing Olympia people and taking the bat off the shoulder I introduce you to Maggie Murray Murch. And Dana Stephenson. This blog may be one of the most heart-wrenching stories of love and friendship overcoming loss tha...