Tuesday's With Dave

The hero’s journey of Dr. Amit Shah , an emergency physician in London, an instructor at Western University, and the regular Olympia camp doctor for week 7, started from his birthplace in India. His immigration to Canada started when he was 2 years old as his family moved to England before making their way to Canada, where they had stops in Kingston and Chatham before settling in Strathroy, Ontario. He attended Strathroy District Collegiate Institute, where he had the good fortune to be coached and mentored by Vaughan MacPherson.   Coach MacPherson encouraged Amit and his brother to nurture their love of basketball by going to Olympia Sports Camp in the mid-80s. Their camp experience says a lot about the culture of inclusivity that exists on Oxbow Lake.   “As first-generation immigrants, we were very worried and scared about going to camp,” Dr. Shah recalls. “In Strathroy, we were the only East Indian kids and basketball was always our vehicle to be a part of the school community. When

  Generational Friendship   Olympia has enumerable examples of friendships that have stood the test of time, and may be called generational as the connection of the parents has led to the next generation having the same link. This personal story is one such illustration; Bill and Patty Pangos; my wife, Joy Dooley, and me, and the connection of our kids. Kayla and Kevin Pangos and Nicole and Daniel Dooley are friends for life because of what they did before they knew what they were doing.  This picture has always been my favourite Olympia moment as it captures so much of what Olympia is all about. Bill and Patty Pangos have been such a part of our Olympia journey, but it's the looks on these young faces that says it all. Kevin Pangos, Nicole Dooley, Kayla Pangos, and Daniel Dooley. Olympia played a role in these four becoming confident leaders and great people.   And one of our first shared memories is these two loving mothers losing their sons.   “It was the BBQ lunch, and the plac

Light the Flame and Let It Burn   The hero is charged with sharing the vibration of positivity and growth so that others can understand that they too are a hero in their own journey. The coherence to this goal starts as personal and then evolves into group coherence. This in turn has the potential to create a community of heroes, and that community will continue to grow. Olympia Sports Camp has as one of its primary goals to create such a community and it is accomplished in various ways. One way that this vibe is shared and promoted every day of every week of every year? The songs. Let’s go back.   The year 1984 was filled with many events and cultural aspects that shaped the world. The Aids virus was first identified. Apple came out with its first Macintosh personal computer. Michael Jackson released his iconic album Thriller. And the Summer Olympics were held in Los Angeles. Olympia Sports Camp historians point out that the big thing that came out of Los Angeles that summer was produ

Dare To Be Great Former Western University football coach Larry Haylor passed away last week at the age of 76. The loss of this icon leaves a deep hole in his loving family, his wife Judy, daughter Jennifer and sons Jordan and Matthew, and six grandchildren. It also leaves an empty feeling in the Western community, that, in the space of less than a week, has lost Haylor and his predecessor Darwin Semotiuk, two Canadian coaching legends from one school taken suddenly. Olympia Sports Camp was also a part of the Haylor story, as well as a legion of players, coaches, students, and administrators affected by this mentor who pursued excellence at every level.  During his time coaching the Mustangs, from 1984 to 2006, Haylor compiled a record of 185 wins, 50 losses, and three ties. He won eight Yates Cup championships, plus Vanier Cup titles in 1989 and 1994. He won OUA coach of the Year seven times and USports Coach of the Year twice. Haylor also taught in the School of Kinesiology. After re

  Coaching Is Caring Livio Iannucci’s  love and passion for all sports came as a part of his journey to acceptance, and that in turn created a legacy of coaching that has impacted hundreds. Livio was born in Italy and moved to Canada when he was 3 and a half years old. He found friends and positive recognition through sports. He made connections and developed social skills in a new country with a strange language through sports. He went on to play volleyball at University of Toronto, but his bigger impact came when he took the lessons provided him by coaches when he was young and decided that he loved teaching, and he loved the sense of giving back. To make the community better.   The best teacher Livio  ever had was his dad. His dad loved to figure things out and build things and that was the path that Livio took, teaching science and technology and physical and health education over his teaching career. Now that he is retired, he does renovations and loves it. His dad passed away whe