The Writing Journey Amazes

 

When I wrote Can’t Miss: The Kevin Pangos Story, I had the title and didn’t write a word for a year. I just finalized the title for my second book, even though the writing process has been more than two years. The book will be called A Hero’s Journey: Beyond Little Norway and Olympia Sports Camp. I thank my brother Steve Dooley for the wisdom to help me with the title.

 


The title honours Olympia founder and camp director Dave Grace and his lifelong journey to help all of us see the hero within. It honours the adage that Olympia “is a place where, it’s a people who.” It also deals with the historic beauty of the Norwegian Air Force using these very grounds to train and recuperate in their effort to defeat Nazi Germany in WW ll. The picture shows life on the waterfront in the 1940’s. 

 

Beyond is the key word in the title. Dave Grace always explores life beyond the ego-driven societal report card that for some defines success and happiness. He has shown us that we too must look at our path beyond what is right in front of us. The writing process has taken me to respect and honour not just the beauty of Olympia, but also the history that this very property has provided. 


This led to exploration of the people who were here before Olympia, before the Norwegians, and before the European settlements in the mid-to-late 1800’s. In looking into the indigenous beginnings of life in Muskoka, one comes away with a real sense of the spirituality of these people and the relationship with the land. I found there to be a real connection between this way of life and the values espoused by Dave Grace for all these years. Muskoka comes from the name of an Ojibwe or Chippewa chief named Musquakie, which means “not easily turned back in the day of battle.” 

 

Does that not describe life at Olympia Sports Camp, where growth and overcoming challenges has been a part of daily life for generations? This indigenous connection to Olympia goes much deeper than that.

 

 In indigenous life, sport was seen as a way to build community and to inspire a sense of respect and peace between communities. The ideals of respect for self and respect for others are central to the territories of the Anishinaabeg people, specifically the Chippewa, Ojibwa, and Potawatomi peoples. They believe that no one owns the land and that we are mere stewards.  It’s important for us to do our best with what the land provides. Words right from Dave Talk.

 

 The word BEYOND in the title takes the hero’s journey to the place where it belongs. Olympia has had a beautiful 47- year history that is the majority of this book, and the everyday heroes of Olympia number in the thousands, but the indigenous history that we must respect on our journey is over a span of thousands of years. 

 

This week is special not just because of the title. I’m super excited to announce that my blog 


TuesdayswithDave.blogspot.com


 is being sent to Olympia’s mailing list, which numbers around 15,000. A big part of the hero’s journey is sharing of our passions and talents for the betterment of others, and this news helps me spread the awesome message of Olympia, and the awesome  stories of Olympia. I will write as if all 15,000+ are reading. ( stretch goal, I know)  I thank Dave Grace, Greg Rogers, and Michelle Stockstill for their effort in making this happen but also for their belief in me. It means a lot.

 

I'm happy too, that the word will spread about the summer of 2022. The camp numbers are set to rebound after two COVID years. I love being an ally to help the camp, but I know some kid's life will be changed forever because of an Olympia experience this summer.

 

As for my writing process, I liken it to a marathon. I feel like I’m at the 20-mile mark, but anyone who has run one knows that the last 6 miles are the toughest. Stay tuned!  As with any journey, I’m excited for the path yet to come.


See you next Tuesday... With Dave

 

 

 

Pay It Forward. The camp website is  www.olympiasportscamp.com Check it out today. Spread the vibe.

 

 

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.

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Image
 Karl Svoboda began his rugby career at Belleville's Centennial Secondary School and the Belleville Bulldogs club team. When he started with the Bulldogs at 16 he was the club's youngest player. When he retired from the game he was the club's oldest, and probably most accomplished. Karl had success in rugby the world over. He won three OUA championships with the University of Toronto Blues and he first made Canada's national team in 1985. He ended up being team captain of the national team for years and played in the first three Rugby World Cups in 1987, 1991, and 1995. He also played senior rugby for the Ajax Wanderers and attended the prestigious Oxford University in England at the dawn of professional rugby in 1996. I gleaned this information from research because for a decade or more of sharing week 5 coaching duties and sitting around campfires this understated superstar would rather play guitar and talk about fishing or that day's bike ride or swim than boast
Read more
Image
In the summer of 2019,  Blaine Scatcherd  was introducing himself at the opening meeting of week 5 and told the assembly of coaches that he worked as a counsellor at Olympia for 4 ¾ years. People who knew the story, including Dave Grace, roared with laughter at the self-effacing honesty Blaine showed when recounting an incident that may have been the worst in his career, yet a defining moment that changed him forever and made him a better teacher and coach, and a better person.    Blaine Scatcherd is from Ottawa, where he was coached in football at Glebe Collegiate Institute by Olympia coach Skip Riddell. He went on to play football at Acadia University and played professionally in France for 2 years before embarking on his teaching profession.   “Skip recommended to me in grade 11 that I work at Olympia as it was a great place for an athlete and would-be coach, so I applied to Olympia with Skip’s reference. I went down to Toronto for a group interview and thought I aced it. I didn’t g
Read more
Image
They say that a picture tells a thousand words. How about two pictures? In the writing of A Hero's Journey: Beyond Little Norway and Olympia Sports Camp I got to interview a lot of people dedicated to Olympia and to the vision of Dave Grace. Out of this process I learned three things about the 50- year journey of the staff of Olympia: 1- Olympia inspires young people 2- Staff inspire others to do the same 3- Staff move on in their lives, carrying Olympia with them, while others replace  Staff like Randy Kipfer and Kevin O'Reilly This picture of Harlem Globetrotter Curly Neal with some amazing counsellors can be found in the book at the start of Chapter 6-Allies and Ogres . It captures an Olympia moment shared by good friends and a world-class basketball entertainer, but the insert is the key element of an Olympia journey that spans decades.  There are literally hundreds of stories of staff who have graced the lands of Interlaken. Every story is unique, every story is echoed th
Read more