Tuesday's With Dave

     Thank You..Thank you very much   At Olympia Sports Camp there are those who come for a week of camp, there are those who come for a week of camp for several years, there are those who aspire to become one of the cool counsellors, there are those who began their Olympia journey very young as a coach’s kid, there are those who grow through the ranks of staff to become senior staff, there are a select few who become full time staff, there are coaches who come to camp year after year, some until their own kids stop coming, while others need their Olympia fix and keep coming.   And then there is Danny Russell. Now we are talking originals.   To be accurate Danny missed the first three years of Olympia as he was playing senior lacrosse for the Owen Sound North Stars, and they were always in the playoffs leading to the Minto Cup. Truth be told, though, Danny Russell was in on the original discussion of Dave Grace opening a sports camp, sitting around the Phys...

Super Siblings   In the storied history of Olympia Sports Camp there have been lots of siblings who have shared their experience together. The hero’s journey calls us to share our talents, experiences, and passions with others and to be able to share it with a sibling makes it even more special. We introduce you to the Collins sisters. Born and raised in Lindsay.Ontario, Krissy and Jodie have accomplished a lot. They competed against each other in CIS (USports) basketball. Krissy went the academic route, getting her BA from Concordia and her MA at York before etching out a great path at U of Toronto, where she now the assistant dean of Academic Programs in the department of Continuing Studies. Jodie’s path diverged and after doing her BA at Ryerson and her B(ed) at York she took a global journey with the Me To We organization. But it all started in beautiful Interlaken, Ontario. The vibe and influence of Olympia Sports Camp, because of the passion, confidence, and world view of so ...

  Transformational Relationships   When writing a book with the amount of content that is afforded me for “A Hero’s Journey: From Little Norway to Olympia Sports Camp” it sometimes takes some thought as to what chapter a story would fit best in… Case in point this personal story submitted by Jeff Morgan… The Songs? This story captures the essence and energy of the opening and closing ceremonies…The Soul Of Olympia? Stories like Jeff’s bring out the soul of the camp… A Week at Olympia? Each week has its own culture and traditions and Jeff shows how important they are for community spirit within a week… It’s awesome that Jeff called it transformational relationships because that’s what many Olympians say is their favourite part of the camp experience… Thanks so much Jeff!                                           Week 7 Sing-A-Long crew Jeff Morgan, Steve Recendes  ...

Light the Flame and Let It Burn   Those of a certain vintage can relate to many events and cultural aspects of the year 1984. For others a bit of a history lesson. The Aids virus was first identified. Apple came out with its first Macintosh personal computer. Sally Ride became the first woman in space aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger. Michael Jackson released his iconic album Thriller. Ghostbusters was released in movie theatres and the top TV shows included Magnum PI and Dynasty. And the Summer Olympics were held in Los Angeles.   The 1984 Olympics were affected by the Soviet Bloc boycott. American Carl Lewis won four gold medals. Canadians relished in a best-ever result of 44 medals to finish in sixth place. But for Olympia Sports Camp historians something else came out of Los Angeles that summer and it was created by Brazilian composer Sergio Mendez who wrote the theme song for the Olympic Games.   The name of his song? Olympia. Yes. That song.    The hero...

  You Can Be Anything You Want    One key element of the hero’s journey encouraged by Dave Grace and Olympia Sports Camp is the idea that we all can be whatever we want to be. We all are heroes on our own journey and all it takes is a passion and desire to see the path through to wherever it takes us. This brings me to one of the most interesting people in my Olympia family:  Lexi Jamieson Marsh. Lexi combines a love of theatre and artistic endeavours with being an athlete. She has a wit and social conscience that inspires.    Lexi’s circuitous path to Olympia Sports Camp began in Amherst, Massachusetts, where as a young girl she acted in local plays every summer for about ten years. Throughout these years Lexi always saw the importance of balance in her life. Amherst was a hot bed for Ultimate Frisbee and Lexi loved the game.    “I see performing on stage as the same thing as playing in an ultimate frisbee game as everyone has their part to play ...