Allies Who Help Us Grow along Our Journey.

Al Overwijk is a world champion. ( check out his story in A Hero's Journey: Beyond Little Norway and Olympia Sports Camp) ) Al had a great playing career at Carleton. Al coached at Carleton. Al is now a basketball coach and math teacher at Glebe Collegiate in Ottawa. Al just took his team to the AAA OFSAA Championships, taking his 13th ranked team to the quarterfinals.

Quite a journey, but this blog is not about Al Overwijk.

It's about the man that helped Al start on this journey as his high school coach at I.E. Weldon Secondary School in Lindsay, Ontario. Ron McGinnis.

I had the fortune to watch the Glebe team play a couple of times this season and hoped that they would qualify for OFSAA in nearby Hamilton. The experience got better  when I got to Glendale HS and met Ron McGinnis. Having interviewed Al and written his inspiring story for my book, I knew the name and story of Ron McGinnis.  I was excited to meet the man who laid the groundwork for Al's journey, a man that Al called his second father. High school coaches often forge great relationships with their players but for a man to travel from Kawartha Lakes to Hamilton to watch his protege coach at OFSAA says a lot about both men. Ron and I chatted throughout the day, watching Glebe play with the passion and grit that Ron had seen in Al oh so many years ago. Ron told me a few details of Al's high school journey that aren't in the book and make Al's path even more powerful a story. Ron's pride was evident. 


One story Ron told me involved holding the first basketball tryout one year and a young boy was watching through a door, too scared or maybe too ashamed to come in. Ron saw the boy, went out into the hall and invited him to come in. 

That invitation may have changed Al Overwijk's's life, and subsequently taught Al that he had to show the same level of care and commitment for the next generation, and has done it for years, and hundreds of athletes.

There is an Olympia connection to all of this. Ron knew Dave Grace before he was THE Dave Grace we all know. Ron worked other camps in the Peterborough and Lindsay area throughout his career and never got to Interlaken in the summers, but took his teams up for basketball tournaments for years. Dave had him do clinics, through which Dave grew to admire Ron's passion and expertise. When Al got a chance to get to Olympia as a coach himself, the name Ron McGinnis was all Dave had to hear to know he had another gem. 

Ron is proud of what the Glebe team accomplished this season. They played over 50 games, and played so hard in Hamilton that maybe the three games in two days was a bit much, who knows. The societal scorecard that so many use to measure success says that Glebe went 1-2 so therefore had an unsuccessful trip to OFSAA. A deeper understanding of the process vs outcome would state that the Glebe players gave it their all and all three games were close, and exciting. In sports it's not about winning, it's about wanting to win and willingness  to do what it takes on a daily basis.  After a great comeback win I said to one player that there was no quit in this team and he said that Al wouldn't let them. Echoes of Ron McGinnis. 

 I know Glebe played 50 games but what I saw after a close loss to end their season were tears from young men who wanted to play more. 

AA OFSAA 

An addition to this story took place in Ottawa the same weekend. At AA OFSAA  Barrie St Joseph's won the gold medal. This win entails another aspect to the journey and a huge connection to Olympia. Head Coach Drew Taylor, an Olympia coach, was assisted by Pat Dooley, my brother and another Olympia alumni. The connection between these two fine coaches is great to see. Pat is a retired teacher who decided to continue to give back and has coached the St Joe's juniors for the past three years. This high level coaching at the junior level, with the continuity to the senior level,  is a big part of the journey and a big part in those young players now having a gold medal. 


20 years from now the name St Jospeh's will be on the list of champions but only the players and coaches will remember what it took to get there and appreciate the fine line between winning and losing.

A further Olympia connection is that Olympia coaches Nicole and Paul Harrington are the parents of St Joe's player Sean Harrington, the type of glue guy / energy guy that every championship team needs. Well done Sean.

Congrats to all these Olympia alumni and for all they do in helping the next generation with the values and work ethic needed to continue on their own hero's journeys.

OLYMPIA ALUMNI ASSOCIATION

Are you an Olympia Alumni? 

There is a group of people who are in the process of creating an Olympia Alumni Association.  If you are reading this we'd like you to go to the following link to register for the Olympia Alumni Association (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: Beyond Little Norway and Olympia Sports Camp 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.

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 can be ordered through Indigo.ca and 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.

Online copies are available at aherosjourney.ca

Audiobook version is available at Audible, Amazon, or iTunes 

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

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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