Ever since I started writing A Hero's Journey: Beyond Little Norway and Olympia Sports Camp I have become acutely aware that there are indeed everyday heroes among us, if we take notice. A lot of time the heroic nature is based on decisions made on the path, or after it is a complete change in path.

Case in point: Bryan Nichol


Bryan stopped by my place the other day and he shared a journey he is heading on with his young family. It's a story that shows family values, healthy lifestyle, guts to take on a new venture when the comfort of the present is very... comfortable... So I wanted to share a bit of his story.

Bryan graduated from MM Robinson High School in Burlington and went on to have a great basketball career at the University of Waterloo. He has worked for the Region of Peel for 18 years, a nice steady job with a great pension.

I had the good fortune to coach Bryan on a local club basketball team for a few years. He was a consummate teammate and leader who made our teams better because he demanded performance from himself and his teammates.  He graduated from MM in 1999 so that was the last year that I could have coached him. 



We grew a strong bond and have maintained that bond over the years despite not seeing each other very much. Truly one of the great benefits of coaching is impacting young people and having them impact you, maybe even more so. That bond we formed is evidenced by the very fact that he dropped by that day... But I digress; here is the cool part of this conversation Bryan and I had about his journey.

Bryan told me that he and his wife have decided that the Toronto scene is just not for them anymore and they are moving to BC shortly. He cited having his two kids grow up in an environment of safety, healthy living, and a slower-paced, outdoorsy lifestyle.

Bryan always impressed me with his no-nonsense yet fun-loving  approach to playing his best and providing leadership for others, but to make this move Bryan showed the person he has become on this journey that I was a small part of over twenty years ago. 

His wife has family in BC, and she will be able to continue her work in BC, so there are reasons to move there, but Bryan is walking away from a growth position in Peel and that comfort of a building pension portfolio. Everybody who is 18 years into their profession knows what this is all about. Tough decision.

He is headed into an unknown for the good of his kids and the good of his family. He certainly sees that the societal scorecard is not how he will measure things. He truly sees the heroic path and is excited about the future. 

Tough decision to make but that is exactly what taking the bat off the shoulder means. Bryan and his family are on an heroic journey. 

I'm proud of this step that Bryan and his family are taking - the kids are taking a huge step themselves, starting at a new school in grade 3 and grade 1 - and I'm also proud that this step they are taking is just another example of the grit and confidence that Bryan has shown me the whole time I've known him and the time I coached him. 

I wish them well, and look forward to when they come visit Burlington and he drops by. 

Oh the people we get to meet on our journey.


Copies of A Hero's Journey: Beyond Little Norway and Olympia Sports Camp are available at The Different Drummer BookStore on Locust St in Burlington. Or if you live in the Hamilton/ Halton area etransfer $30 with your address and I'll deliver it to your door.

If you are going to camp this summer the book is available in the Tuck Shop

Online copies are at aherosjourney.ca

Audiobook version is available at Audible, Amazon, or iTunes

If anyone wants to host a Tour of Olympia event where we would come to your town to have a mini reunion, talk about and sell books, email me at coachdools71@gmail.com and let's connect. 

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