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.
And one of our first shared memories is these two loving mothers losing their sons.
“It was the BBQ lunch, and the place was packed, and we couldn’t find Kevin, who was 7, and Daniel, who was 5,” Patty recalls. “We searched all over the place and were freaking out. They weren’t in either cabin, weren’t with their sisters, weren’t in the gym, where they normally would be. Turns out they went over to the fieldhouse, didn’t hear the lunch bell, and were merrily having a great time when we found them, wondering what all the fuss was about.”
The journey of our two families at Olympia had different beginnings. Bill started as a counsellor at the Camp Winnebagoe site in 1974, as Dave Grace was his high school coach, while Patty coached at camp from 1987–1990. They met in the coaches’ lounge at Olympia, their first date being a movie in Huntsville. On the way home, they stopped to meet up with a few Olympia people at Deerhurst. It was too loud to talk, so they sat outside on a picnic table, and they saw the Northern Lights! A sign? The rest of the week, fellow coach Bruce Mason would hunt them down around camp, trying to catch them together.
Joy and I had been married for years when I started coming up as a single coach, for 6 years of married life, before we finally got a coveted family cabin on coach’s row and Joy could join me.
“Nicole started was she was 1. Daniel came along 4 years later. Kayla was a year younger than Nicole and Kevin was 1 1/2 years older than Daniel, so the connection was perfect. When the kids were really young, I loved the way they used to try to be with the older kids,” Joy says. “They would play with the football blocking pads, diving and making forts and hitting each other. It was awesome to watch them build relationships with the older kids.”
Bill loved the freedom the kids had, but ever the concerned parent, insisted on safety restrictions. Even at that age, the kids were learning responsibility and to rely on each other.
“It was a very tight rapport where they had so many choices in free time,” Bill says. “These interconnected relationships make Olympia a special place. I remember Daniel and Kevin basically having the run of the camp and we’d joke on our Saturday arrival that we would see them next Saturday. Nicole and Kayla would go through an evolution inside a week. They would be together doing everything and then need a day or so time out, only to be sad as the week got closer and closer to our departure. Kayla would cry every time we left and be asleep before we got to Highway 60.”
Patty loved the freedom of Olympia, and that freedom grew once the kids were in session.
“We could all just do our own thing,” Patty says. “We could go for a run, have long chats, go for a swim, do a trail ride or bike the 20 km to Camp Lake and back, or just sit and read in the beautiful setting.”
The young mothers had plenty of support while Bill and I were coaching in session.
“One of the best things about Olympia for young kids is that they are surrounded by positive influences wherever they look,” Joy says. “We really never had to worry because someone would always be watching over them. I could go for a run and simply ask Patty or someone else to watch the kids. It was always reciprocated in this sense of community.”
The staff also made Olympia a special place for these young kids. Wes McConnell would play some campfire songs on his guitar, campfires that were organized by a few counsellors. Patty and Joy would take the kids during the evening session and collect sticks for marshmallows or s’mores. Other days, they would load the kids in the car and go to the quarry to collect rocks. The staff would also put on “mini regattas” where the young kids could play water games in the shallow end of the A-frame dock. They also would go for kayak rides and play” bumper boats.”
Olympia has its challenges. The results of these challenges are mostly good —but sometimes they are bad. Just ask Bill.
“The climbing wall in the gym was the first challenge they built,” Bill recalls. “I remember trying it and I tore the ACL in my knee. Steve Van Leeuwen was there with me. I can still remember that moment.”
The climbing wall was also where a young Nicole tried to climb and was successful, with a lot of help from a friend. Counsellor Jackie Zicaro (née Shaw) was doing the belaying on the guide rope. When she sensed that Nicole was struggling, she gently leaned back on the rope and raised Nicole to the top, without Nicole knowing what was going on. A priceless Olympia moment.
There was so much for our young families to do. As Patty explains, “Dave always finds ways for us to have family fun. I remember Ron and Daisy Bell bringing their family up and our kids connecting with them. These amazing people had four biological children and six adopted children. Nicole, Kayla, and Krystal Bell became three peas in a pod at a very young age. It was a template for kids to learn to help each other and have fun.”
The best memories are of the people of Olympia.
“We have seen the coaches’ lounge evolve over the years,” Bill says. “The games nights we would hold were great, especially when the lounge was the intimate room by the fireplace. I remember people like Roman Turlo and George Lamparski making everyone laugh so hard and have so much fun.”
Those games were always men against women and since there were far more men, a few would go on the women’s team and be given women’s names. Wrestling coach George Apostolou became Georgette and basketball coach Mike Penrose became Michelle. All good fun.
Bill continues.” Building the new addition to the lounge changed the dynamics as it somewhat divided the crowd, between the old room and the new part that had shuffle board and pool table, but the lounge was always a place where connections and relationships were created in a fun atmosphere after a day of coaching. I always thought that the lounge was Dave’s way to thank us for the day.”
“There are so many family memories of Olympia,” Joy says. “ Looking back, I think we owe Dave a debt of gratitude for helping us raise our kids at such a great place.”
Olympia is about relationships and connections that are cherished. Connections are how I got to Olympia in the first place. Bill and I coached a provincial U15 team in the mid 80's and had a great experience together. Bill contacted Dave Grace and that got me my “in” at Olympia.
That was over 40 years ago. One of thousands of deep friendships formed at Olympia. Relationships that may never had occurred if it wasn’t for Olympia Sports Camp. Thanks Dave
Pay It Forward. 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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