This week's blog is actually a two-parter. After reading and writing about Coach Don Ryan in Mike Hickeys' great book,When Basketball  Was a Game  I  again got to thinking about the people we get to meet along our journey, and how they enrich our lives. This week I tell about another great person I have been fortunate to meet, learn from, and become friends with, on my journey. To introduce this Olympian I include one of the most iconic pictures that captures the essence of Olympia and an excerpt from chapter 1 of A Hero's Journey: Beyond Little Norway and Olympia Sports Camp. 

This picture is worth a thousand words of life at Olympia Sports Camp. It has a world class athlete and entertainer Harlem Globetrotter Curly Neal, hanging out and having fun with a bunch of teen or 20-something counsellors on a beautiful sunny day in Muskoka. Dave Grace brought Curly up to wow and motivate the campers and staff alike, but this picture shows the humanity of having a blast while learning from the best. The counsellor on the far left is Kevin O'Reilly. The excerpt below shows how we are all connected through the six degrees of separation but it goes much further as Kevin has taken his life experiences to help others. I've known Kevin for almost twenty years, or maybe I met him long ago.


Taken from Chapter 1 of A Hero's Journey: Beyond Little Norway and Olympia Sports Camp; Leave the Ordinary World.

I met Kevin O'Reilly, an Olympian longer than most, in 2009 when we both were coaching  basketball week 5. How long has Kevin been at Olympia ? He worked with superintendent Gerry Withers. That's before Bruce Ransom! My first conversation with Kevin was while sitting on the dock, enjoying a beautiful Muskoka day, and I found him inspiring and open about his life. We really connected about mental health and the power of vulnerability, and we are still good friends to this day. 

Kevin moved from Arnprior, Ontario to Kitchener when he was in grade 4. He went to St Paul's School and attended St Francis Church. What really makes this a story is that St Francis Church is on Gatewood Drive in Kitchener. When I was a kid, I lived on Gatewood Drive. I literally may have been at church when Kevin was there, only to meet him three decades later on a dock at Olympia. 

What makes this the connection even eerier is that the mother of Kevin's three kids, Faith, Clarke and Joel, is Valerie Clarke. Her father Philip Clarke, and my dad John Dooley, were partners in an accounting firm called Butler, Dooley, Clarke and Starke.

Talk about one degree of separation 


For the second part of this blog I will turn it over to Kevin. The inspiration I saw on that dock has grown to include Kevin doing school and workplace presentations and the dream of writing a book. Turns out that vulnerability resonated with others. A lesson learned at Olympia through Dave Talk and the Hero's Journey is to surround yourself with like-minded people. Recently I shared with Kevin a little of my journey of writing two books and now I am using this blog to help Kevin on his journey while he helps hundreds on theirs. Coming soon to a blog near you.  


The Summer of 2026 is open for business. A camp that builds lives, a week that builds memories



 

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.

CONTACT US

info@TACT US

info@olympiasportsc amp.com

RR4, 2400 Limberlost Rd
Huntsville, ON P1H 2J6

For Summer Camps inquiries:
TEL: (905)479-9388

EMAIL: info@olympiasportscamp.com

RR4, 2400 Limberlost Rd
Huntsville, ON P1H 2J6

For Summer Camps inquiries:
TEL: (905)479-9388
EMAIL: info@olympiasportscamp.com


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