Tuesday's With Dave

The twists and turns a journey can take.  I had the good fortune of meeting Brendan Morris, forever  known as Brendo, many years ago as a counsellor  at Olympia. When I was writing  my book, and realizing the impact of staffing from around  the world, I knew I wanted to interview Brendo and Martin Paul .  Chapter Six  of A Hero's Journey : Beyond Little  Norway and Olympia Sports Camp . is entitled   Allies and Ogres. Brendo has been an ally for hundreds. Did Brendo find Olympia, or did Olympia find Brendo? Either way, the camp is a better place because  of him. Here is an excerpt from that interview from 2019: Originally from Sydney, Australia, Brendo had just finished his undergraduate degree and was looking for what most international applicants are looking for: a combination of a life experience in a different culture and working in sports, something Brendo had done his whole life. He thought he would be heading to the U.S. but he f...

 Happy 30th Birthday Double D There is a story written in Chapter 1 of A Hero's Journey: Beyond Little Norway and Olympia Sports Camp under the subtitl e "When I left the ordinary world and Found The People Who" which describes the day at Olympia on Aug 30 1994 that I was told by a counsellor to call my brother John in Waterloo. John told me that our mom had died that morning. The people of Olympia saved me that day. For that I will be forever grateful. I also thank God that I had Joy and Nicole there with me. They saved me too. Looking back, that day started with such great excitement. It was our 14th wedding anniversary and we were heading into town for an anniversary lunch, and our 4 year old daughter Nicole was having a blast at a place that she considered home, with fellow coaches who were like family, watching over her. . Joy was also six months pregnant with our second child. Life was  good.  That second child?  That child who was at Olympia before he was at O...

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 a...

 Some sports fans may have seen the commercial that involves several  young NHL players making comment on a characteristic of  Gen Z.  Such as "They don't work hard" and then a clip of Connor Bedard showing how insanely hard they work out, or " they feel  entitled" and then Connor McDavid shows the intensity with which he plays the game and how he earns everything he has accomplished. Then 'old man' Sidney Crosby ends the ad by saying " Kids these days" So well done. Sid should meet Sofia Nguyen  For generations, Olympia Sports Camp has run a three-week leadership camp that has often been called ' a three week interview' as the Hero's Journey plays itself out over those three weeks.  The leader finds out real quick if this leadership stuff is for them, and they learn a lot about themselves. In my time with Olympia I have seen what that three week course is like. My daughter Nicole did it and that eventually led her to want to travel...

 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, em...

Long-time week 7 Coach Passes Away Some sad news to share. Longtime Olympia week 7 volleyball coach Ed Millard passed away last week. I first saw the word of his death from the "Godfather of Week 7" Rod McHugh. Rod sent me the link to Sudbury.com where I read the obituary. Never having met the man, I was amazed at the journey of this world-class athlete who just happened to be a weekly coach at Olympia Sports Camp for many years. As with most heroes, Ed seems to have taken that champion pedigree to helping others strive to reach their goals.  Dave Grace always took great pride in getting the best of the best to coach at Olympia and in Ed Millard he sure accomplished that goal. I spoke to other week 7 veterans and they called Ed " A Gentle giant" who was loved by the campers. A coach who had an infectious laugh and a passion for volleyball that inspired other coaches and campers alike. To Ed's family and all members of his week 7 family who knew Ed well, all Olym...

 Kiwanis Camper Perspective on life at Interlaken A Hero's Journey: Beyond Little Norway and Olympia Sports Camp  explores the history of the land that we have all called Olympia Sports Camp for the last 50 years. The book looks at the Indigenous beginnings of the area, the European settlement process from 1850 to 1920, and the purchase of the land in 1942 by the Royal Norwegian Air Force to be used as Vessel Skaugum,  a training adjunct to their training base at the Muskoka Airport. The land was sold in 1945 to the Kiwanis Club of Toronto, which ran a camp for underprivileged children until 1975, and then ultimately the property was bought  by Dave Grace for his permanent location of OSC in 1979.  The Kiwanis years bring another layer of the use of the land for the good of others, and we're sure that the stories from those 30 years mirror what has taken place at Olympia since. People who love Olympia Sports Camp will love the story of Doug Pasley. Just a few we...