A Hero's Journey

A Hero’s Journey Beyond Little Norway and Olympia Sports Camp is a compiled history of the Olympia Sports Camp in Huntsville, Ontario, through the lens of its founder and inspiration, Dave Grace, the hero of the book’s title. The hero’s journey of the title is Dave Grace’s adaptation of the writings and teaching of philosopher Joseph Campbell. The basic tenet of the Dave Grace’s hero’s journey is that heroes all go through a 12-step journey—from their own comfort zone to the unknown and all its challenges—to a new normal where the hero bestows knowledge learned on others in order to help them on their journey. Dave Grace’s foundational belief is that we are all heroes on our own path and who we become on our journey is more important than the accomplishments we achieve.

A Hero’s Journey chronicles the people and places that make up the history of the camp, while also serving as an inspirational guidebook for readers to each become the hero of their own journey. This book also examines the history of the land on which the camp has been built, from its Indigenous origins to the European settlement of the 1800s, and to the use of the land by the Norwegian Air Force during World War II. The book takes readers on a journey through the various stages related to the development of the camp, first established in 1974. The book is built on a collection of stories related to mentorship, sports psychology, and community building, as well as interviews of past campers, coaches, and others with a longtime association with Olympia. With this book, author Chris Dooley honours Dave Grace and the many others who have been integral to the history of the camp and its land.