[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 113 (Wednesday, July 13, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1108-E1109]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          RECOGNIZING THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF BRANT LAKE CAMP

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. ELISE M. STEFANIK

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 13, 2016

  Ms. STEFANIK. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and recognize the 
100th Anniversary of the Brant Lake Camp in Warren County, New York. 
Located in the beautiful Adirondack Mountains, the Brant Lake Camp has 
served as a summer retreat for boys looking to enjoy their vacations 
while learning the core values that accompany individual and team 
sports.
   In 1916, three young teachers traveled to Brant Lake from New York 
City searching for a spot to establish a summer camp. Bob Gerstenzang, 
Jack Malloy and Joseph ``Unc'' Eberly decided to buy a plot of local 
farm land, and had the camp up and running by the summer of 1917. For 
the next 100 years, Brant Lake Camp has stayed in the hands of the 
Gerstenzang family. The family's legacy continues thanks to the current 
camp directors Robert Gersten (Emeritus), Karen Gerstenzang Metzler 
(Emeritus), Richard Gersten (Executive Director), and Max Gersten, all 
of whom are descendants of founder Bob Gerstenzang. The camp has grown 
from the original thirty-two campers during that first summer to the 
330 campers now annually hosted. As the camp has grown, directors Dave 
Cramoy and Andy Berlin, both long-time Brant Lakers, have joined the 
leadership team.
   Brant Lake Camp has four core sports programs along with secondary 
sport instruction and waterfront activities. The camp fosters the idea 
of ``appropriate competitiveness'' in order to instill the benefits of 
competition while still encouraging a friendly environment. The focus 
of the camp is not necessarily sporting itself, but the values that 
come with competing and learning in a safe arena.
   All of the activities offered are aimed at fostering the feeling 
that Brant Lake Boys are a family. For a century now, the tight knit 
community of Brant Lake Camp has been helping campers to expand their 
horizons and challenge themselves to push beyond that which they first 
thought possible.
   Congratulations to the Brant Lake Camp on the 100th anniversary of 
its founding. I want to wish the camp, its campers, and its alumni 
continued success heading into its next hundred years.

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