One theme throughout A Hero's Journey: Beyond Little Norway and Olympia Sports Camp is the great many people who we meet on our journey who enrich our lives and our experiences. In the Hero's Journey, these people are called allies.

When you coach any week at a camp like Olympia Sports Camp, there may be as many as 40 coaches, 110 staff, and 300 campers who potentially can add so much to the experience. As a coach, the fellow coaches are key to sharing knowledge and passion for sport and helping the younger generation find their path. Their humanity, their humour, their mutual respect and their passion make session, meals, coach's activities, bonfires, or pick up games so much fun. I remember Paul getting a few coaches and counsellors to join in golf competitions on the field after lunch one day. The people make Olympia.

People like Paul Brousseau.

I had the great fortune to coach with Paul for  the last several years of week 9. A fantastic athlete in his playing days, Paul played at McGill and at 6'5"  he was one of the most feared power forwards and best rebounders in the country. For his five years of basketball excellence Paul was inducted into the McGill Sports Hall of Fame in 2016. 

Paul coaches in Ottawa and came to Olympia with his three daughters, Abby, Julie, and Merielle. Even from a  very early age you could see that these three highly respectful young ladies had an athletic knack that their father had and it seemed whatever activity they would try they would eventually figure out, and eventually excel. Having genetics in their favour, it was always great to watch them and  you could see the potential. Being a basketball coach, I often wondered if  Paul hoped that hoops would be part of their journey,  but he talked about swimming being in their future. Paul showed at camp a zest for the coaching community, for competition and for skill development. It was so much fun, and an honour, to coach with him.

But this blog entry is not about Paul Brousseau. Say hello to 17-year old Julie Brousseau.

The life of a swimming parent means early mornings and Paul and his wife Lisanne would do the 5am wake ups for years to get the girls to the pool and train with the Nepean Kanata Barracuda Club. Julie moved up the ranks in Canadian age-group competition. She represented Ontario at the 2022 Canada Games and won a record 11 medals. At the 2023 Canadian swim trials she ranked in the top 5 in several distances and qualified for her first world-level competition, the 2023 Pan Am Games in Santiago, Chile. The above picture is of father and daughter last week in Santiago.


In Santiago Julie, again a 17-year old in her first exposure to the world stage, won the gold medal in the gruelling 400m individual medley relay. It was great to watch the race on CBC, especially in the last 50metres where she held off the challenge from the American. This is an accomplishment of which Julie should be immensely proud, as should Paul and Lisanne, her sisters, the swimming community in Ottawa, and the entire country. With the power of the Canadian swim program the competition to even qualify must be intense and Julie is an athlete that the Olympia Sports Camp family should be proud. 

Here is the YouTube link to Julie's race. My favourite part, other than the crazy skill of being able to swim all four strokes at the world level, was how nervous Julie seemed when she was introduced. It reminded me of  shy, quiet Julie at those Sunday night jamborees at Olympia  Shy yet full of fire. Here is a link to her race :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blbOi01KlK0


Congratulations to Julie. This is a huge step on her journey. With Paris happening this summer, I'm not sure of the qualifying process but here's hoping for the best as this Olympian vies to become a Canadian Olympian! What a journey Julie is on!


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 would like us to come to your town for a book event, email me at coachdools71@gmail.com

Online copies are available at aherosjourney.ca

Audiobook version is available at Audible, Amazon, or iTunes 

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