Leo Rautins wrote the foreword
This week, as we ramp up for the 50th anniversary and continue to spread the word about A Hero's Journey: Beyond Little Norway and Olympia Sports Camp we share the foreword to the book, beautifully written by former camper, former staff, and guest pro Leo Rautins. Leo's words capture the essence of the camp and the impact those years had on Leo and his career. Leo shows his great respect for Dave Grace and also his high school coach, Olympia original Dan Prendergast of St. Mikes.
A Foreword for
A Hero’s
Journey
I have had the great pleasure of being a part
of Olympia since the beginning and I’ve seen it evolve into what it is today.
My story takes me from being a camper, then staff member to being a visiting
NBA/European pro! During that time, Olympia evolved from being the biggest and
best basketball camp in Ontario to now having multiple camps like tri-sport and
volleyball to science camp and magic camp. Throughout its growth and expansion,
however, the message and the values of Olympia never changed.
When I first went to Olympia as a tenth grader, the Olympia
coaches were a who’s who of my basketball world. Not only that, but the
counsellors were some of the best current and former university players in the
province — so the nightly runs were as good as you could get. They were so good
that even the provincial team saw the value of training and scrimmaging against
all the available talent.
This was a different time; we’re talking the late ‘70s, and
choices of quality camps were very limited. Luckily, I had Olympia. Now with
the growth of AAU basketball and other opportunities for elite players to
compete and train, going to basketball camps is no longer a priority. Coach
Grace just rolled with the ever-changing environment and created many other
camps and opportunities for campers to enjoy the Olympia experience! The sport
or activity is secondary to the message.
Times have definitely changed and compared to the way it is
now, Camp Olympia was loose and in its infancy as an organization. Basically,
it was wall-to-wall hardcore hoops. The counsellors all wanted to play as much
as possible — even after coaching the kids for three sessions. While helping
campers, we’d get a lot of work in ourselves through three sessions all day in the
heat. As soon as the last camper session ended, the counsellor/coaches’ games
were on, and they went late into the night!
And when I say late into the night, I mean late!
In no particular order, here are some memories of my time at
Olympia that jump out at me:
We used to head into Huntsville for some fun and “non-camp”
food — KFC always hit the spot. I remember one time, one of the guys — I won’t
divulge his name — decided to pull a prank and stole a 5-foot statue of Colonel
Sanders from the KFC and took it back to camp! The next morning the police
showed up — no idea why they suspected us — and Coach Grace made an
announcement to the camp that if anyone knew of the colonel’s whereabouts to
please return him. No one said a word, but the statue miraculously showed up at
the camp entrance while we were all in the dining hall, and the police returned
it. No harm, no foul!
The daily 7 a.m. runs with the campers after three sessions
the day before, then playing into the night, followed by late night activities
were tough. But no excuses — work hard, play hard, have your fun, but then get
up and run!
I played high school basketball at St. Michaels College
School in Toronto. My coach at St. Mike’s was Dan Prendergast. He was one of
the corps of coaches that helped establish Olympia. Coach Grace trusted his
hand-picked coaches, and I was offered an opportunity (along with my teammate
Pat Davis) of a job running the tuck shop. Being so young, and knowing many of
the counsellors and coaches, I was easily intimidated and pressured. They would
come to the Tuck Shop and expect free soda or popsicles. This caused a loss of
funds that would be difficult to explain to Coach Grace. We needed a solution —
and quick! Pat and I came up with the idea of putting some sodas and other
things in the sun while we refrigerated the rest. Then we told the campers that
they could have a warm soda at one price or an “ice cold” for a little more. It
worked! After all, who wants a warm soda after playing in the hot sun!
All the coaches and visiting guest coaches at Olympia were
always willing to spend as much time as you needed with them to make you a
better player. As a tenth grader, I got to meet and work with Ken Shields.
Coach Shields went on to coach multiple national champions at the University of
Victoria as well as the national team — where I actually played for him! I will
never forget the hours he helped me create a good jump hook. We would meet on
court 5 after session and he’d work with me till I got it right. I believe to
this day that a jump hook done right is an unstoppable shot, regardless of
position. Ken demanded the proper technique, and he wouldn’t let me go till I
had it right. It was a shot that I used throughout my career, and one that I
have passed on to many young players.
How about this for going full circle? I was fortunate to
have made the Canadian national team when I was 16. At the time, I was the
youngest to ever make the team. Bill Pangos, from North Toronto Collegiate
Institute, was always a player that I respected, and one I got to compete
against at Olympia. Well, flash forward and I am now the coach of Canada’s
team. Bill has a very talented son named Kevin, and I decided to take Kevin on
a tour with the senior team to give him the experience and motivation to be the
player I believed he could be. I was informed by our team manager that if Kevin
played, he would take over from me as the youngest to ever play for Canada. I
remember going up to Kevin at a game in Italy — we were up by a lot — and I
told him that I wasn’t sure if I should put him in, as he would assume my
title. Of course, I was just kidding, and I got him into the game, and he
played great — and became the youngest ever to suit up!
One time, Dave called me to come to camp as a speaker, as I
was a professional player by that time. He was stuck. Whoever he had lined up
couldn’t make it, and he was desperate for a replacement. Only problem was that
I was three or four weeks post-ACL reconstructive surgery and moving slowly
with a cane. But, as Coach Grace had always been there for me, I had to answer
the call for him, so I put my sons in my Jeep, extended my rebuilt right leg
over to the passenger side of the front seats, and proceeded to use my left
foot, cane, and cruise control to make the 6-hour drive to Olympia from my home
in Syracuse, New York. Those one-legged lectures were fun!
Speaking of being a pro, I was trying to get back in the
game post-injury and went to play for old friend Flip Saunders, who was
coaching the La Crosse Catbirds of the then-Continental Basketball Association
(CBA). One of my teammates at La Crosse was Gene Banks. Now Gene and I knew
each other in passing, but we had no idea of our mutual Olympia connection and
had never crossed paths there. Once we found out how big a part of our lives
Dave Grace and Olympia were, the stories came out and we forged a new and
deeper relationship that continues to this day.
Then there was the time when I came in to speak after years
of being away in Europe as a player. Dave asked me to do two camps, bridged by
the weekend. Sounded good to me. Dave even suggested that we go into Huntsville
for a night out between camps. Really? Huntsville? What, the KFC? Dave laughed
and said it had changed a lot over the years and there was a resort called Deerhurst
that I would love. I still didn’t buy it, but what the heck. So, we headed in
on a Saturday night and I was floored! We were in the middle of nowhere,
enjoying good food, drinks, and a Vegas-type show with great talent.
Unbeknownst to anyone at the time, we were watching a future superstar on
stage: Shania Twain!
I think it’s pretty clear that Dave Grace and Olympia Sports
Camp hold a special place in my heart. My growth as a basketball player, and a
person, were so positively and deeply impacted by my time spent there. The
relationships I formed, the instructions, lessons, and messages I absorbed have
stayed with me for my entire life. From how to compete, live, learn, be a
teammate, a friend, a father, a coach, and so much more, Olympia touched them
all. I’ve always had the opportunity to talk to thousands of kids, who sat
right where I did, played on the same courts, and shared my message on how to
become a better player, and more importantly, a better person. For all of this,
for Dave Grace, for Dan Prendergast, and for all the special people who have
touched my life through Olympia, I am forever grateful.
This book is called A Hero’s Journey.
Enjoy the journey!
Leo Rautins
Former camper, NBA pro,
Raptor’s analyst.
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