Olympia Sports Camp is truly a family affair



One of the things that A Hero’s Journey: From Little Norway to Olympia Sports Camp captures is the family aspect that emerges from the camp. Coaches become role models, a special bond is formed between people who would never have met, friendships become lifelong, and the sense that we are a family at Olympia carries a real resonance. But in some cases, it is indeed family that shares the Olympia bond. 

 

Case in point my brother Pat. Here is part of what I wrote in Chapter 1- Leave the Ordinary World.

 

The family connection at Olympia also involves my brother Pat. I knew Pat would be great for Olympia and that Olympia would be great for Pat. I was proud to work week 9 with my brother and watch the passion with which he coaches and cares about kids. Pat being at camp added to the fun for sure as our kids would jump all over their uncle Pat in the cabin or he and I would go for a ‘buoy swim’ in between sessions. Aside from this though, Pat really embodied what Coach Grace tries to achieve in his hiring process. Pat took great pride in the students at his school and advised many on the value of working at Olympia. Not only did Pat coach at Olympia for 10+ years but he also recruited so many of his students from St Thomas Aquinas in Tottenham to work there. Over Pat’s years there was a stream of students from his school who worked at Olympia and made an impact on campers and coaches alike. His students not only worked as counselors but also moved on to senior staff and full-time positions. Several have played a role in the web of stories in this book.

 

 

And here is part of what Pat wrote in The Soul Of Olympia, where people can reflect on their personal Olympia Hero’s journey.

 

“I looked forward to going to Olympia all year. The drive up is when the energy really began to flow.  A stop at Tim’s for a large double double and I’m off. When I hit the Gravenhurst bend on Highway 11 and saw the sign that said, “HUNTSVILLE 53 KM”, I literally pounded my steering wheel.  My fists were pumped, and the music was blaring. Not once did I get a speeding ticket, but Lord knows I should have. The left turn onto  Limberlost Road  was exciting and certainly seeing the big green sign as I pulled into the camp indicated that I could finally celebrate my arrival.”

 



 “Once you experience Olympia, it is inside of you. It becomes a part of who you are.

I truly believe that Olympia played a huge role in who I am today.  Like many others, I feel in some ways like I grew up there.  I learned so many things that have helped me as an educator, a coach and a man. I have no doubt that the culture and people at Olympia have done that for me.  I would also like to think I helped others as they were helping me.  People learning from people, that’s the Olympia way.”

 

Want to add your story? Email me at coachdools71@gmail.com Want to be added to this blog email list? Ditto



This blog is about the journey of the  writing of the book  A Hero's Journey: From Little Norway to Olympia Sports Camp. The blog will contain excerpts from the book and my personal thoughts on what the place and the people that make up Olympia's journey is all about. The title comes from the great book Tuesdays With Morrie, by Mitch Albom. The blog's title is recognizing Dave Grace as Camp Director but all content is my own.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Image
 Karl Svoboda began his rugby career at Belleville's Centennial Secondary School and the Belleville Bulldogs club team. When he started with the Bulldogs at 16 he was the club's youngest player. When he retired from the game he was the club's oldest, and probably most accomplished. Karl had success in rugby the world over. He won three OUA championships with the University of Toronto Blues and he first made Canada's national team in 1985. He ended up being team captain of the national team for years and played in the first three Rugby World Cups in 1987, 1991, and 1995. He also played senior rugby for the Ajax Wanderers and attended the prestigious Oxford University in England at the dawn of professional rugby in 1996. I gleaned this information from research because for a decade or more of sharing week 5 coaching duties and sitting around campfires this understated superstar would rather play guitar and talk about fishing or that day's bike ride or swim than boast
Read more
Image
In the summer of 2019,  Blaine Scatcherd  was introducing himself at the opening meeting of week 5 and told the assembly of coaches that he worked as a counsellor at Olympia for 4 ¾ years. People who knew the story, including Dave Grace, roared with laughter at the self-effacing honesty Blaine showed when recounting an incident that may have been the worst in his career, yet a defining moment that changed him forever and made him a better teacher and coach, and a better person.    Blaine Scatcherd is from Ottawa, where he was coached in football at Glebe Collegiate Institute by Olympia coach Skip Riddell. He went on to play football at Acadia University and played professionally in France for 2 years before embarking on his teaching profession.   “Skip recommended to me in grade 11 that I work at Olympia as it was a great place for an athlete and would-be coach, so I applied to Olympia with Skip’s reference. I went down to Toronto for a group interview and thought I aced it. I didn’t g
Read more
Image
They say that a picture tells a thousand words. How about two pictures? In the writing of A Hero's Journey: Beyond Little Norway and Olympia Sports Camp I got to interview a lot of people dedicated to Olympia and to the vision of Dave Grace. Out of this process I learned three things about the 50- year journey of the staff of Olympia: 1- Olympia inspires young people 2- Staff inspire others to do the same 3- Staff move on in their lives, carrying Olympia with them, while others replace  Staff like Randy Kipfer and Kevin O'Reilly This picture of Harlem Globetrotter Curly Neal with some amazing counsellors can be found in the book at the start of Chapter 6-Allies and Ogres . It captures an Olympia moment shared by good friends and a world-class basketball entertainer, but the insert is the key element of an Olympia journey that spans decades.  There are literally hundreds of stories of staff who have graced the lands of Interlaken. Every story is unique, every story is echoed th
Read more