Brendan Morris and Martin Paul

 

 

One cannot look at the modern-day Olympia Sports Camp staff without looking at the importance of staff recruitment and understanding the increased role of the international staffing process.  To do this we talked to two examples of the quality of that process in Martin Paul and Brendan Morris. 

 

Martin, originally from Edinburgh, Scotland and Brendan, from Sydney, Australia have seen the growth in the international flavour of the camp and are a big part of making it happen. 

Martin has been on staff for over ten years and his duties and role at camp, like being Robin to Dave’s batman in the “Dave Talk,” has grown exponentially and now he oversees all hiring. A daunting task.

    

Brendan Morris                  Martin Paul

 Brendo, as everyone at camp calls him, started as one of those international hires 5 years ago and now is a major leader as a full-time staffer.

So how does one get from Scotland or Australia, or Iceland, Norway, Mexico, Italy and many other countries around the world to Olympia Sports Camp in Interlaken, Ontario?

 

There are two main companies that help get kids from all over the world to various camps in more than 30 countries. These companies help match applicants with camps they will enjoy and thrive at. For a fee, aspiring counsellors will get the paperwork needed, like visas, work permits, and a Canadian bank account. Flights are on their own dime. They also get the opportunity of a lifetime.

 

When Dave started the international hiring process, these companies would send the names that had expressed interest in a sports camp and that was the hiring pool. Very limiting. The procedure has improved in recent years and Dave emboldened Martin to head up the hiring. Now Martin and his staff look over the applications through an internet portal and then flag those they want to interview.  They interviews are all done over Skype. About 200 a year.In 2019 there were almost 50 internationals on a staff for 120.

 

Martin explains,” Its a huge process but one that pays off for the camp. The downside to hiring this way is that we can’t do the team interviews that show people as part of a team and performing at their best, but the upside is we get great counsellors from all over the world who add so much to the fibre of the entire camp experience. They are paying their way to come to Canada and bring  differing perspectives that make  for a more well-rounded experience for the staff and camper alike as they hear different languages and learn different ways of doing things,” Martin says,” Another fringe benefit is that staff now have friends in other countries that they may like to travel to so they could potentially broaden their camp experience to a lifelong experience.”

 

To understand the journey across the pond to Oxbow Lake let’s look at Brendo’s case. He had just finished his undergrad and was looking for what most applicants are looking for; a combination of a life experience in a different culture and working in sports, something he has loved his whole life. He got involved and thought he would be heading to a camp in the US. When he learned more about the whole process, he realized that there were camps to look at from many countries, one of them being Canada. Canada was a good choice because he had an uncle in Toronto and Canada being a commonwealth country, Australians could get a two-year work visa.  He applied to Canada and Olympia was the first camp that offered him an interview.

 

He speaks highly of the camp that brought him to Canada,

“Olympia represents a place I enjoy being at every day and the work I am doing. I have gone home to Australia and done corporate team-building events, but something is always missing and I’m glad to get back to camp every spring,” Brendo says,” It’s happened many times when I’ve had a tough couple of days here and I just go out on a kayak or canoe and look back at the camp and realize that I’m halfway around the world from home and I am being paid to be in this beautiful place. here. It’s life-changing for me.”

 

Olympia Sports camp has, and will always, play a big part in the lives of these two amazing young leaders. Brendo loves the very idea that a leader like Dave Grace depends on him. 

 

“Dave has given me opportunities to grow and that came full circle when I got a chance to go to Tanzania with Dave. It was funny because Dave was so outside of his comfort zone that he latched on to me.  He even had me hang onto his money for him. He was called Baboo, which is a term of respect for the elders of the community. I learned so much about this amazing man. Our connection has only grown since then. Now it’s cool when I cross paths with Dave and call him Baboo and he gives me the Dave fist pump.”

 

Martin’s growth over his tenure at Olympia speaks highly of the trust and respect he has earned from Dave Grace. The aptitude with which Martin has taken on major roles garners even more respect and responsibility. 

“Dave Grace and Greg Rogers are the two heartbeats of Olympia and I feel fortunate to have a special bond with these men. Dave’s biggest challenge is to figure out who he can trust. If you are in that inner circle the trust and bond is tight.”

 

“Olympia is a great community of diversity and acceptance where connections are made between people that may never happened, deep connections. For the staff it isn’t just a workplace, it’s a way of living. One doesn’t need to look past the year-end banquet every summer to prove that. After ten weeks of working together 24/7 the emotions come out. And the sadness of that moment is equalled by the excitement of reconnecting the following summer.”

 

 

Martin then gives Kudos to the idea that a book is being written about Olympia.

 

“If you are being interviewed for this book it is because Dave has given you an opportunity and now you are telling others about it.  That’s the hero’s journey,” Martin adds,” You are part of a community that is big enough to have a book written about it. I am honoured to be in such a community. That is the legacy of Olympia Sports camp.”

The link to the blog is TuesdayswithDave.blogspot.com

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.