Chapter Three- Overcoming The Refusal of The Call


Chapter 3 of A Hero's Journey: From Little Norway to Olympia Sports Camp looks at the accomplishments of four athletes who got a big part of their start on the courts and gyms of Olympia and became national and international success stories that any camp  or organization would be proud of. The chapter, though, makes a distinct point: These athletes show that true success lies in the pursuit of goals and not just on reaching the goals. The Hero learns and knows to take any successes and failures as just part of the process which defines a hero. That is why we all have the capability of being a hero in our own journey. These athletes are shining examples. Society's scorecard would label all four as successful because of what they have attained but the Hero's Journey shows us that it is what we become along the journey is more valuable than the level attained.


I must thank Olympia Week 5 gymnastics coach Linda Driscoll for making this chapter all-encompassing. In an email Linda said simply " I'm so honoured that I got to coach Robin  and then have her coach with me. Doesn't get any better than that."

The Robin she is referring to is Robin Bone, whose dad Jamie is a long time Olympia football coach. Robin took Olympia with her as she won Connecticut state championships in gymnastics before, because of several concussions, was forced to give up the sport. She learned that gymnastics was what she did, not who she was. What did Robin do? She turned to track, won several CIS championships  at Western and is now on a professional tour and an aspiring Olympic athlete in pole vault. A journey still in progress

Kevin Pangos always saw the NBA guys who spoke at Olympia as ordinary people who had two attributes needed for success: self belief and work ethic. He said early in life that he was  going to play in the NBA. Two things he carried with him from Dr Denison HS in Newmarket, to various national teams, to Gonzaga University, to his rise in the professional ranks in Europe as one of the best point guards in the world outside the NBA? Self belief and work ethic. A Journey still in progress

A fellow week 5 coach's kid was Josh Collins, who took his dad's and mom's lessons,  many HORSE competitions at Olympia with coach Sean Loucks and one-on- one battles with Kevin to become one of the best CIS ( now USports) players at the University of Windsor. Josh is  now playing professional basketball in Abu Dhabi and running a youth basketball academy, helping to spread a love of the game that he learned in Interlaken. A journey still in progress.

Brady Heslip's role model and first mentor is his dad Tom. Brady is another Olympia camper who knew very early that if he was going to do anything in this game it would be as a shooter. Thousands of shots later Brady grew to be one of the best shooters in the NCAA with the Baylor Bears. In his professional aspirations Brady was called one of the best shooters in the world and  had G-league success and NBA tryouts and had an almost  ten year national team and professional career before turning to the business world and earning his MBA at Queen's. A journey still in progress.

The Raptor guard Fred VanVleet is often credited with saying " Bet on Yourself." That is synonymous with believing in yourself no matter what part of the Journey you are on.  These athletes are just four of hundreds of Olympians who have taken the words learned at Olympia Sports Camp and truly have taken the bat off the shoulder.


Brady Heslip                                       Robin Bone                         Kevin Pangos                 Josh Collins


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.

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