And So It Continues


A group of people are working on an event that will take place this spring to have Olympia alumni get together to honour Dave Grace and the 50 years of Olympia Sports Camp. There will be much more detail coming out in future blogs but the first thing we need to do is establish the Olympia Alumni Association. If you are reading this we'd like you to go to the following link to register for the OAA.

.https://forms.gle/woWsggqM7zpUyHge9

We also hope that you share this link with people within your Olympia circle. It will take literally a moment to register. This will help create a database of alumni through which we can share information and create another layer of legacy of the history of the people of the camp. We know that the stories captured in The Hero's Journey just scratch the surface of the amazing people who have walked the land of Interlaken and we envision the OAA as a way to share many more hero's journeys and for all alumni to have a vehicle to stay in touch.

Joy and I were on a cruise last week and the power and the calm of the ocean was a great lesson for me about what the journey brings us. Part therapeutic, part reflection, I had decided to re-read Can't Miss: The Kevin Pangos Story while vacationing. I published the book in 2015 and am in awe still of some of the stories of Kevin and the people around Kevin who helped him on his journey. In awe also, of the journey that continues for Kevin and the journey this writing process took me on and led ultimately to the writing of A Hero's Journey: Beyond Little Norway and Olympia Sports Camp.


Kevin was 17 when I started the writing process and last month he turned 31. His journey has seen him playing at the highest level in Europe and in the NBA. In this time I found the continued passion to write another book. I remember saying to myself that Olympia is such a beautiful place and that someone had to capture the history of Olympia in a book and that someone might be me. Very humbling moment of realization for sure.

Can't Miss has many stories I could reflect on but the one that hit me  most about the journey we are all on is the story of a priest that I never met as he died in 2002 but whose impact is still felt on the campus of Gonzaga and especially around the Men's Basketball team.

Father Tony Lehmann was known on campus as the 'basketball priest' as he was the chaplain and on the bench for home and away games for over 20 years. He was famous for ending every conversation he had with students or staff not with "See you Later" or "Have a Good Day" but rather with "To Be Continued. " Even on his deathbed he would say to his visitors when they were leaving with "To Be Continued." His view on life was that relationships don't end, they evolve, and that the journey continues.

I remember hearing the Father Lehmann story when on a visit to Spokane and it again rang a truth within me about life, and about the hero's journey. Life brings us a series of challenges and adventures, and each one is meant to be continued. Sometimes it's hard but we all need to embrace the journey.


The journey of this blog and the connection to Olympia Sports Camp alumni continues to evolve. If you have someone who you feel is a hero of their journey and who the Olympia community would like to hear about connect with me at coachdools71@gmail.com.  Within a community of everyday heroes there are many stories that people would love to read about, stories I would love to write about. 

Copies of A Hero's Journey: Beyond Little Norway and Olympia Sports Camp are available at The Different Drummer Book Store 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 

If you or your favourite camper are looking to get to camp in the summer of 2024 check out the website at 
olympiasportscamp.com. A week when you will meet so many great people. A week when you'll learn a lot about what you are made of.


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