Olympia in one Picture.




 This picture encapsulates life at Olympia Sports Camp in so many ways. It shows pure fun, athleticism, the beautiful sun in Interlaken, the friendship forged through working together, and the ability to meet and interact with world-class athletes like Harlem Globetrotter Curly Neal.

This fantastic photo, from left to right, has Kevin O’Reilly, Brian McMahon, Curly Neal, Ted Connors, and Ken Muir. These counsellors had the opportunity to hang out with Curly and they had a blast learning to do some tricks that Curly taught them. 


This picture is more poignant than ever as these friends say goodbye to Ted Connors who passed away last week after a                     long battle with cancer. I turn the remainder of this week’s blog to long time Olympia staffer and coach Rob Simmons, who delivered the eulogy last Saturday in London. 

   Thanks for allowing me to share Rob.

 

Olympia played a big role in Ted’s life, and I wanted to share with you some of the memories and power that Dave Grace and Olympia has had on so many of us.  I fell in love with Olympia when I was a camper in 1984 and was very interested in becoming a counsellor, an interest that was fuelled by Ted Connors. Ted was a salesman and was always working hard to sell the camp to potential counsellors. I applied and became a counsellor and my journey with Ted began.  It also sparked so many other friendships made in this very place.  Friends like Matt Akler, Brian McMahon, Pete Ibbotsen, Derek Hayes and TC Taggert and so many more. All hold Olympia in a special place in their hearts, maybe now more than ever.

 

A great story about Ted’s competitive nature came from Matt Akler. The male counsellors were up in what was called Hudson's Bay, now since razed and replaced but the memories of that building persist in our minds. They fastened a hoop above an archway and one day NBA player Terry Tyler, from the Detroit Pistons, was hanging around with us and shot a little bit on this make-shift hoop. As he was leaving, Ted waited for the right moment when Terry was just under the basket, then called out, "Hey, Terry". Terry turned around and out of nowhere Ted jumped and dunked on him. Then he loudly proclaimed, "I always wanted to dunk in an NBA player's face!" Terry had a good spirit about it and said, "You got me, you got me", shaking his head as he walked out.

 

 After we were counsellors, Ted and I spent a summer together as senior staff.  That summer’s senior staff included Kelly Buchannan, Kyle Rysdale, and Chris Orr.  The accommodations were in the cramped quarters of an old work trailer. I learned a lot about Ted that summer. Ted was always up for an adventure. One of Ted’s favourite things to do was to run into Huntsville after midnight to go to the Tasty Freeze. Kyle Rysdale would usually drive, and Ted would always convince me to go.  No matter how much I tried, I could never resist the convincing of Ted.  So, there we were getting into Kyles’ small car to go into town at 1 in the morning to get a burger and a shake, and then up for breakfast a few hours of sleep later.

 

I also remember that old Norwegian wood-burning sauna that was on the back of the dining hall where the washrooms are now. Ted and I would stoke the fire and get the sauna crazy hot for after evening session. Ted and I used to compete for who could stay at seat level 3 the longest!

 

Over the years many of us stayed in touch and we had a special group consisting of myself, Ted, Dana Stephenson, Matt Akler, Brian and Chuck McMahon, and Derek Hayes. 2 have now passed away and in our sadness, we think fondly of our Olympia days;  The leadership lessons, the growth moments, and the strong, everlasting friendships that we made.  Even though our group was close, we still have kept in touch with many others who we met at camp. Last summer, I bumped into Kathy Brook and Judy Friesen (Kitchen) while staying at a cottage in Grand Bend.  We enjoyed a beverage and caught up.  You never know where you are going to run into an Olympia family member.  

 

 Our favourite thing to do with our Olympia group has always been basketball related.  We usually get together every year for the NCAA Tournament, go to a weekend of games if close, and often watch the final four together.  Our annual March Madness pool has been going on for almost 30 years. The winner of the pool gets a special basketball that was left to us by our friend Dana, who passed away in January of 2007.

Ted will never be forgotten and along with that comes the memories and moments of youth and growth that we experienced while working at Olympia.  Dave Grace allowed us the opportunity to make mistakes, develop everlasting friendships, and learn how to become better people.  Thanks, Dave, for the memories. It is truly incredible how many people were connected through Olympia Sports Camp and our friend Ted Connors.  

Friend and Olympia staffer Chuck McMahon said that Ted's smile and passion for friendship and sport (basketball in particular) are truly exemplified in this photo.  Ted had compassion for people, and tremendous passion for basketball (and baseball).

 

Olympia is a family of sorts, and this family has recently lost two fantastic leaders, Kelly Dunham and now Ted Connors, both great friends, both worked at Olympia together, both in their early 50’s and both to cancer. Seems so surreal as we grieve their loss and yet are comforted by the memories we shared and the laughs we shared. Their earthly journey is complete but to think of the hundreds of people these two inspiring people influenced, and you know their legacy continues. Through people like Rob Simmons.


Pay It Forward.  I think 2022 will be a great year as the camp will return and flourish, but we need to be allies. Now is the time to get the word out to our circle of influence The camp website is  www.olympiasportscamp.com Check out the website. Register your kids. Get your kids to get a few friends to join them at camp. Send a note to your club teams, your school teams. Do it for the kid whose life will be changed because they got to go to Olympia Sports Camp in the summer of 2022. Help spread the vibe that after two years the best sports camp in Canada ( with the four reasons we hear at every opening) will be back and be better than ever.  

 

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.

 

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