As stated, last week Joy and I were up at Olympia for a couple of days. The meeting I had with Dave and Greg, just three Olympians sitting at a picnic table as hundreds of Olympians have done, was awe-inspiring and very informative but came with a challenge. I smile because I know there are so many Olympia veterans who can relate to this. Dave quite simply wanted me to explain why someone should buy this book. Caught off guard, I tried my very best. When I was done, Dave said, "can you put that in writing?"  Challenge accepted.


 

Why Buy “A Hero’s Journey: Beyond Little Norway and Olympia Sports Camp”

 

The idea for this project started as a history of the people that make up the 50-year span of Olympia, with the amazing journey of the Norwegian Air Force use of the land during WW 11, but it grew to be so much more, with lessons and perspectives to help guide so many people, young and old, on their journey. This is a story that must be read.

 

In 1949 Joseph Campbell wrote “The Hero with a Thousand Faces,” exploring mythology and religion to capture the journey that all heroes went through on the path to the goal they sought. Dave Grace took the teachings of this book and adapted them to create 12 steps in what he has coined as the Hero’s Journey, with teachings in growth mindset, mentoring, taking on life’s challenges, and becoming a hero in our own journey.

 

The key word in the title of this book is Beyond. If we are to follow our destiny, we need to look beyond the here and now. There is a societal scorecard that measures success in wins and losses and other temporary things like money and fame, and instant gratification becomes the goal. In truth, any journey is about growth and change. Any success is based on values learned and shared with others. It’s who we become on our path rather than just the destination. Growth only occurs outside our comfort zone and that takes courage and conviction.

 

Beyond also indicates a sense of being a part of something much bigger than ourselves. The hero leaves the ordinary world, encounters challenges they must overcome, meets allies and ogres who challenge and define the path, and then return with newfound knowledge to share of their talents. It is in this return where the true value of the journey can be understood as the hero, who was mentored by others, now becomes the mentor. This process makes for a coherent community of everyday heroes.

 

Beyond also ties in with the fact that history is not limited to just what we think we know about a place. A Hero’s Journey looks at the values lived not only at Olympia, and the RNAF, but also through the span of time, from the indigenous beginnings to the European settlement process and to modern-day Interlaken, Ontario.

 

Just as coaching basketball or any other field of endeavour is just a vehicle for sharing of these values and impacting the next generation, the stories of the amazing people of Olympia Sports Camp are just vehicles for the reader to take their understanding of their place in the world to a whole other level. Like any good book, the reader is taken on the journey shared by many and as a result gain a greater understanding of themselves.

 

Just as Joseph Campbell taught us about the truths of mythological heroes, A Hero’s Journey shows us the realization that in fact we are all heroes of our own journey. Just like the batter who  swings at the pitched ball, there is comfort and challenge in knowing that where we are going is up to us. And that is Beyond where we are now.  



How did I do? My very best is all I can do. The book is available at the following link:


https://books.friesenpress.com/store/title/119734000114201182


People have sent me notes that they have already ordered their copies. But there are other ways to get your copy. Much is still in the planning stages with details to follow soon. The Official launch is set for Olympia on Sunday Oct 9 as part of the Olympia Thanksgiving Weekend from 2-4pm. There also will be an event in my hometown of Burlington and we are working on a "Tour Of Olympia" with key people in key places helping with what will become mini-Olympia reunions. Stay tuned!

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