The Legacy Outlives The Journey

This week is not about an Olympian, but for sure it is about a hero, and other heroes who have followed in his wake.


Jacob Ranton was a true 'gentle giant' who excelled in basketball with  the Waterloo Wildhawks and Waterloo Collegiate Institute before going to Memorial University in St John's, Newfoundland.  At 6'8" he could score inside or play on the perimeter and in his sophomore year he was third in AUS scoring when he came home for Christmas in 2014.

Jacob Ranton had seemingly everything going for him. He was loved by classmates and teammates because of his helpful nature. He also was hiding what his father Doug called a 'terminal illness.'



Jacob died by suicide on Dec 23 2014, and no one knew he was struggling.

The Waterloo region and Ontario basketball community was devastated with the news and rallied to support Doug, his wife Sandra, and Jacob's younger brother Trevor. Teammates and opponents alike streamed to the funeral home and funeral of this beautiful young man. That's how much Jacob impacted so many people and how he still is influencing others.

 I had coached against Doug for years, and we had formed a great friendship. That friendship, and the agony I felt for Doug, Sandra and Trevor, has kept me involved. The Rantons needed to know that the entire community was with them, and I hope that the feeling of support from others gave them strength.

Doug and Sandra took this unspeakable tragedy and decided that they wanted to make sure no other family would have to go through the same thing. Through their grief journey they felt that young people need to know it's ok not to be ok and to remove the stigma attached to mental health. They need to know they are not alone and to seek help. It's not cancer or a broken bone but mental health needs treatment, it needs open discussion.

Doug and Sandra got involved with the Waterloo Region Suicide Prevention Council and instituted the Jacob Ranton Memorial Basketball Tournament. In the toughest of times they determined that they had to help others. They took on a new journey, allowing their strength and the support of many, to carry them. And  they continue to create awareness, with this tournament being the ninth. 

That's what heroes do.

The tournament has grown over the years and an online auction has helped raise a lot of money for the WRSPC. The people of the WRSPC, many of whom I have met over the years, are heroes themselves, giving of themselves to make sure that help is available to those who need it. Very inspiring work. Very inspiring people. Every year the tournament includes a guest speaker who shares of their journey to the players in the tournament and the local school community. The "My Life Matters" mantra is everywhere you look.

This year's tournament, Dec 15 and 16, will host 32 teams, including a team from St John's coached by a former MUN teammate of Jacob's. It's an emotional day where the guest speaker begins at 10AM and Doug, Sandra and Trevor will speak to a packed gym before the opening game, the sense of basketball community and abeing part of something much bigger. Here is a link to the online auction. The auction goes live on Dec 6 until the tournament. Lot's of great prizes!

9th Annual Jacob Ranton Memorial Basketball Tournament Online Auction

A Hero's Journey: Beyond Little Norway and Olympia Sports Camp will be there, with profits from book sales going to the WRSPC. I do it for my dear friends Doug and Sandra, I do it for the memory of Jacob, and I do it for that one kid who may be inspired by what they see and hear ( and maybe read in my book) to make sure they ask for help if they need it. The book is about the journey of everyday heroes, and on Friday Dec15 Waterloo Collegiate will be filled with them!


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. The also will be available at Indigo.ca and at some Indgio stores in the area. 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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