Tuesday's With Dave

Dyer Memorial Centres and Refreshes  On a bit of a personal pilgrimage this week. Dave Grace invited me up to camp to discuss my book and the book writing process, so I decided to combine this with reflecting on this beautiful place and the journey of writing this book. As usual, I came away from dealing with Dave and the whole trip a better writer, and a better person.   On my way to Interlaken, I took a detour so that I could see the Dyer Memorial. Greg Rogers told me stories about the site, and many staff have told me about the power of visiting the memorial, so I had to experience it.   The Dyer Memorial is a beautiful 42- foot stone structure in the middle of the woods about 6km along Harp Lake Road, which is just a few kms from the Limberlost Road turn on    Hwy 60 east of Huntsville. You make your way to Dyer Memorial road, which is a tricky dirt road with ruts that make the experience even more powerful. I was proud that I actually found the place. ...

An Olympian in many ways   At Olympia Sports Camp, every coach and their family, every counsellor, every staff, and every camper are Olympians. But in some cases, they truly are Olympians. This week we highlight the journey of long time Olympia coach and 1964 Tokyo Olympic team member  Barry Howson .                                               Barry Howson- front row, second from right Barry had many life challenges that could have been dragons, but he slayed them all. The youngest in a family of nine, Barry lost his dad when he was 15 and his journey became a relentless process of athletic excellence. After high school Barry was offered five US scholarships. He also was invited to the Detroit Tigers training camp but decided to stay home in London and help his mom and go to Western.   After his undergrad he attended teacher’s college and at the s...

Generational Leader Here's a Soul Of Olympia Story from a coach's kid whose engaging personality and passion for leadership was evident from the very beginning of her hero's journey. What Andie brings out about Olympia is that the family culture knows no generational boundaries. We are all Olympians and bring our talents and passions to help the week, and the camp, be a better place. Andie seemed a natural to be a future Olympia counsellor ( And maybe director) when she was about about five! Her journey, though, has taken her to Queen's University and a recent recipient of a Leadership Thank Q Award in her athletic therapy program, taking Olympia lessons with her along the way. Thanks for the story and the support. What bears?                                                  Andie MacPherson When Chris asked me to write about my Olympia story, ...

 Best Friends  Forever Early in the process of writing  A Hero's Journey: From Little Norway to Olympia Sports Cam p,  I sought stories from Olympians in a chapter that will be called The Soul of Olympia. Good friend and week 9 rugby coach Erin Murphy provided me a story. When Erin's friend Maggie Murch forwarded her this letter after mailing it to Dave Grace in the spring of 2019, Erin said she should send it to me and get it in the book. I'm glad Erin believed in this process and proud that Maggie is sharing this beautiful letter. I am humbled to be able to share it.   Hi Dave, I am a former Olympia camper and counsellor (1989) and I wanted to reach out to let you know this story. Although I wasn’t a long time counsellor, just one summer - 1989, Olympia had a big impact on my life as I think working there has for a lot of people.  After that summer, I started my first year at Western and met another former Olympia counsellor ...