Lest We Forget

 Remembrance Day gives us pause to think about those who came before us and those who fought and died so that we could enjoy the freedoms that we do.  Truth be told that most of our thoughts go to Canadians whose sacrifice in world wars and peacekeeping forces around the world keep us safe, maybe a grandparent or a relative. Maybe someone involved in the many skirmishes taking place now. We honour their memory for our own sake.

As an Olympian who has walked the grounds of Interlaken, though, one tends to think about the brave men and women who trained at Little Norway. It started at the Billy Bishop Airport in Toronto before relocating to the Gravenhurst Airport and to the land that they called "Vesle Skaugum." The land that we now call Olympia Sports Camp was used for rehab and training purposes.

When you go upstairs in the main dining hall and see the grainy pictures you get a sense of the use of the property by the Royal Norwegian Air Force as they trained and prepared to get back to Europe and battle the Nazis. Norway had been overrun by Hitler's army in April of 1940 and, with King Haakon governing in exile, many fled to North America. The RNAF opened their Toronto training base in November of 1940. Their  purpose was to train the airmen and get back to the war to defeat Nazi Germany. They moved north in May of 1942 and trained there till the war ended in 1945. It is an inspiring story of sacrifice, taking on supreme challenges, and pride in country. 

I found myself many times over the years stopping by the monument outside the dining hall to reflect on the pride with which the Norwegians fought and died for the ultimate emancipation of the their homeland and all of Europe. In writing A Hero's Journey: Beyond Little Norway and Olympia Sports Camp and studying the three years from 1942-45 that the RNAF used Interlaken, I got to 'know' life for these brave people. As a coach I had  gained respect for these heroes and I would share these thoughts with my campers. I would tell them to walk by the monument and read the words inscribed, knowing that these brave airmen were not all that much older than them.

Through my research I met Per Toien, an Olympia Week 7 basketball coach whose story made the whole process to come life. A story that took my breath away. I decided that Per's poignant story had to be told  and that I would put it on the back cover of the book. I share Per's beautiful words on this Remembrance Day.

"In 2008 I walked into the coaches room at Olympia for the first time- and met my father! The pictures on the wall of Norwegian airmen in winter training- that might have been him! It dawned on me that I was standing at the same place where my father had spent many leisure hours on leave from his posting from Little Norway. I have pictures of my dad at Vesle Skaugum.

As I arrived at Olympia that day, I saw the familiar Norwegian Crest and the quote in Norwegian on the fireplace. I had jumped a generation back. I was reliving part of my father's youth.

Olympia has a special place in my life independent of the story of my father, but for me it can never be 'just another basketball camp." It is the place where I met my father- 15 years before I was born."

The Norwegian quote over the fireplace that Per spoke of says," Merkje -Det-Stend-Um-Mannen-Han- Stupe, which loosely translated means " The mark of man will stand though man may fall."

Very powerful message for Remembrance Day... Lest We Forget...

 SAVE THE DATE

Looking for the perfect gift to stocking stuffer for your favourite Olympian? Want to learn about your journey by reading about the journey of others? Want to stop by and connect for a few minutes? 

A Hero’s Journey: Beyond Little Norway and Olympia Sports Camp is a compiled history of the 50-year span of Olympia Sports Camp in Huntsville, Ontario through the lens of its founder and inspiration, Dave Grace, and many long-time Olympia staff and coaches. The hero’s journey of the title is Dave Grace’s adaptation of the writings and teachings of philosopher Joseph Campbell. 

 

The basic tenet of Grace’s hero’s journey is that all heroes go through a 12-step process- from getting out of their comfort zone to finding a 'new normal' in seeking the path they are after. That us growth.  The new normal they find is where the hero bestows knowledge they learned on their journey on others in order to help them on their journey. In analyzing our physical, emotional, mental and spiritual intelligence we are given the tools to find the best version of ourselves.

 

A Hero’s Journey chronicles the people that make up the history of Olympia, but it does far more than that. It serves as an inspirational guidebook for readers to become the hero of their own path. In order to do this the book examines the history of the land on which the camp has been built, from its indigenous origins to the European settlement process of the 1800’s. and the use of the land by the Royal Norwegian Air Force during WWll. The book is built on a collection of stories related to mentorship, sports psychology, and community building. With this book author Chris Dooley honours the 50-year history of the camp while giving us all a window into seeing a deeper level of understanding of the world and our place in it.

Books Also Available at: 

 - Amazon and Indigo.ca

-  Indigo, Burlington Brant Street location.

- The Different Drummer Book Store on Locust Street in Burlington\

- Cedar Canoe Books on Main St in Huntsville

- Etransfer me $30 and I'll drive it to your house ! 

- available online at aherosjourney.ca

- audiobook version is available at Audible, Amazon, and iTunes 

If you would like us to come to your town for a book event or get copies into your favourite bookstore , email me at coachdools71@gmail.com. We travel well.