Kevin Pangos is the youngest player ever to play for the Senior Men's National Team. He was 16. Actually that feat taught me that Kevin was a bit of an Outlier and motivated me to write Can't Miss: The Kevin Pangos Story. 


This Thursday Kevin is suiting up for the national team in a World Cup qualifying game in Victoria. To honour Kevin and his national team journey that hopefully ends up with an Olympic qualification in Paris in 2024, I thought I would share this little vignette that even the most ardent Pangos fan won't know.


Truth be told this story has already been in Tuesdays With Dave but with the Canadian game against Argentina on Thursday it is appropriate to once again show that even the best have a human side, and their journey can give many a funny moment. Enjoy....And Go Canada!!


Kevin Pangos was already a provincial and national player of distinction before this event took place. I spent five years following Kevin and his family on his travels and career at Gonzaga in writing “Can’t Miss: The Kevin Pangos Story but that was after this event. Kevin became a guest speaker at Olympia who shows campers what their possibilities truly are if they have a passion for their goals, but that is far after this event.

 

Kevin was playing for the Canadian Cadet team overseas and he had a few days of furlough that he decided to spend at Olympia Sports Camp. As a young child and budding basketball star Kevin had spent hundreds of hours on the asphalt courts of Olympia but this trip was going to be different. Since he was tired from his European adventure, and soon to embark on yet another trip he was given strict orders from the powers that be with the National program that he stay off his feet and enjoy everything else Olympia has to offer. Maybe do some reading, enjoy the waterfront, maybe a spin on a paddleboard or kayak, or maybe socialize with the many coaches and counsellors that Kevin had come to be close with over the years.

 

Kevin was and is one of those people who everyone likes. Always respectful and very astute socially Kevin was fun to be around as well as an inspirational person to listen to. From a strong family background  Kevin also was just a great kid who followed common sense and did what he was told by those guiding him.

 

Usually does what he was told.

 

Kevin got antsy on the very first afternoon of his stay at Olympia. He had told his parents Bill and Patty, and I about the no basketball edict from Canada Basketball. The three of us were sitting on the porch of C5 just chatting as Olympians do when lo and behold, we looked across the field and saw Kevin on Court 6 involved in a game of two on two.  I always felt like one of the myriad of people who cared about Kayla and Kevin and this situation called for action. I jokingly felt that kids sometimes listen to others more than they listen to their parents, so I took over. From C5 to Court 6 I yelled at Kevin to stop what he was doing immediately!

 

When Kevin came to C5 he explained to me that he and Josh Collins, who went on to a great career himself at the University of Windsor and then to the pros, were asked to play two on two with a couple of the kitchen staff and they couldn’t refuse. When asked about being told no basketball Kevin just did that Kevin grin and shrug of the shoulders. I said that if he couldn’t discipline himself, he would have to be disciplined. I proceeded to order him to hand over his sneakers and I was taking them away from him for 24 hours. He was shocked but acquiesced to my demands and gave me his shoes.

 

That week I was staying in M1 with Ultimate Frisbee legends Peyton Yeung and Peter Jamieson.  With Kevin’s shoes in the corner of the cabin we joyfully went about our afternoon session, went to supper, did the evening session, went to the coaches meeting that took place at 10:30 every night, then came back to the cabin. Did I mention that Kevin’s shoes were there? The entire cabin stunk to high heaven and my roommates were none too happy that I involved them in my disciplining of Kevin.

 

The next day, at precisely the same moment 24 hours after the day before, I returned the shoes to Kevin.

 

Simply an Olympian’s way to show that we are family and that families care about each other. I had to care in order to put up with that stench! Olympia isn’t just a place where, but it’s a people who.



 

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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