Welcome Back!!

 I have been taking a break from Tuesdays With Dave. It never was about writing every Tuesday, but rather when something or somebody Olympia creates a story idea to follow. For the past few months I have been dealing with a health condition that is called spinal stenosis that has really limited my walking, hence my lifestyle, so I just felt I needed a break mentally to help deal with the physical. Still doing lots of swimming and cycling but unable to walk much. The worst part is that for the first summer in a very long time  I was not able to get to Olympia. I've been an Olympian as a coach, headliner, guest speaker, book researcher, book promoter, and sometimes just to  visit to see Dave and Greg. But this summer, no first swim, no great food, no Dave Talk.

I have found myself getting my Olympia fix vicariously through social media postings of coaches who are sharing the blast  of the week they've had at camp. It's great to see in pictures  the sense of community, the sense of family, that is mentioned  in every posting.  It's so awesome to see the energy and enthusiasm that just permeates the camp, day after day, week after week, year after year. A place of growth, fun, family, and high level action for over 50 years. A place worth writing about!

One thing I did this summer to get my Olympia fix was to go down memory lane and read the two books I have written, both with deep ties to Olympia. It became therapeutic  to reflect on where those books took me on my journey. I think back to flights to Spokane and Vegas to watch  Kevin play, I think back to interviews with some of Gonzaga's greats and special moments with Kevin's grandparents, interviews with Olympia people from Collingwood Ontario and Nairobi Kenya to Abu Dhabi and Interlaken Ontario. And of course I think back to the many hours with the legend Dave Grace. So giving of his time and resources. 

In re-reading my own words, it was inspiring to look back at  the myriad of great people I got to meet and  interview and get to know throughout the writing process  as they shared their journeys. Without all those people there aren't two books. Speaking of sharing, in this blog  I'm giving an excerpt from both books, sort of capturing my thoughts from this summer.

 I've always said that Can't Miss: The Kevin Pangos Story is the journey of one person and A Hero's Journey: Beyond Little Norway and Olympia Sports Camp is the journey of thousands. In re-reading the book, I now see that as wrong.  Can't Miss is the about the of journey of so many great people involved in Kevin's journey, and without whom maybe there's no Kevin Pangos. It took a village.

With all the great stories in Can't Miss: The Kevin Pangos Story I'll always think of this little vignette as one of my favourites. We all talk about the importance of focus  in an athlete. How's this for a kid with focus?

"Picture a park that had several full-size fields that are all divided up into three or four minifields. There must have been one hundred kids all playing various games and about double the parents watching from the sideline. Suddenly a helicopter flew over, and everything stopped. Kids stood where they were, looking up into the sky and pointing, including all the players on the team I was coaching, our goalie included. The only exception in the whole park was Kevin, who dribbled the ball through the players like they were frozen pylons and went in and scored before he even realized a helicopter was flying overhead!"

Rich MacPherson

Good Friend and Editor of Can't Miss: The Kevin Pangos Story

When I thought about an excerpt from A Hero's Journey: Beyond Little Norway and Olympia Sports Camp I thought of the line that Olympia is a place where, Olympia is a people who. This blog, nearing 200 entries, is filled with stories about the people. Here is an excerpt about the place. When I think about a property like Olympia, I think back to the literal thousands of people who have lived on this land over history.

In these times of paving over paradise looking for more and more profit at the cost of land,  places like Interlaken are even more valuable as places whose beauty has withstood the test of time.And by time we mean centuries. The last paragraph of Chapter 3 The Crossing of the Threshold into Unchartered Waters reflects on that journey of the land and the number of people whose efforts on this land have made the world a better place.

As with the journey any hero is on, the journey of the land that we now call Olympia Sports Camp has a storied history that includes community spirit and growth throughout. It began with the indigenous beginnings of stewardship of the land and respect for nature. The development of the Muskoka tourism industry in the early 1900's and the use of Interlaken by Limberlost Lodge made the property part of the growing cottage commerce and  tourist mecca that exists today. The Second World War brought the Norwegian Air Force to a safe place where their teamwork and sense of communal effort helped stem the tide of Nazism. The Norwegians wanted to honour the land and honour Canada by creating a place where Canadian children would benefit and sold the property to the Kiwanis Club of Toronto, who offered a beautiful camp to underprivileged children for over 30 years.

That this journey led to Coach Grace and his dream of running a sports camp that would develop far more than sports skills is proof that caring for the land and caring for future generations is elemental to the life of a hero.

Have an idea or direction for a blog entry? Email me at coachdools71@gmail.com and lets talk possibilities. 

A Hero’s Journey: Beyond Little Norway and Olympia Sports Camp 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. This book 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 Available at: 

-  Tuck and Pro at Olympia ( ask about the coach's deal)

 - 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.