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Published: August 11th 2009
Brant Lake Camp 1989-2009.
So, how do I begin trying to explain this place Brant Lake Camp to the uninitiated? Short answer is I can’t. But being told I can’t do something, never stopped me before. In fact, it usually made me more determined, so here goes.
I would guess there are other camps that are equally meaningful to their own alumni, although I’m not so sure. I spent just 9 days back at my “other home” in early July and, yes, there were moments of frustration and despair, and times when I wondered if I’d get my voice back after repeating “call the ball” for the 6th straight time within a matter of minutes. However, offset these intermittent
minor drawbacks with the countless ‘moments’ of joy, fun, laughter and excitement, and you’ll begin to get a feel for why this place means so much to me.
My role at Brant Lake, or at least as I see it, is…
to have fun with kids and to find ways to make them feel good about themselves.
With a passion for pretty much all sports , competition, personal challenge, education and learning, Brant Lake Camp is a place where I am in my element. When I round up 9 kids for a
game of 5 a-side soccer, not only am I doing a great job as a counselor but I’m also doing exactly what I would choose to do, given all the choices available to me at that moment.
What makes Brant Lake so special is the shear number of ‘moments’ that you experience, many of which may go unnoticed or at least quickly slip from memory as you move on to the next thing. I am fortunate to have been able to
dip-in to Brant Lake for short periods, amongst other responsibilities I have in life. This often allows you to gain a better perspective on what goes on here, by giving you a little more time to reflect and absorb what has just happened. I guess the best way to try and do justice to defining and describing
“What is Brant Lake?” is to recount some of the ‘moments’ that I experienced there recently and let you form your own opinion…
For example,
where else in the world would you experience…
• Having about 10 kids you just met a week ago look genuinely disappointed when you say you’re leaving.
• An impromptu toast and hoers
d’ouvres when you drop in on two of the classiest ladies you will meet anywhere in the world. Then picking up conversation like you’ve never been apart, all in your favourite room on the whole planet.
• Helping a kid who’s just played an overhead volley-pass (or set) for the first time in his life 15 minutes previously, then learn how to spike a volleyball (and with some authority) in about 7 attempts.
• Seeing the smile of a 12 year old as he hits 8 straight serves in, having been unable to reach the net 2 days ago.
• Watching a 15 year old boy teach himself to throw a baseball with his weak arm, and within 15 minutes being able to throw it about 35 yards (twice as far as your own best efforts).
• Taking a photo of myself with a professional basketball player alongside a cut out of Spud Webb (who according the photo is actually smaller than me - the camera never lies) and Manute Bol.
• Spending 45 minutes working on
the passing game, then finishing with a 5-on-5 match, that begins with a textbook 6-man passing spree of
champagne soccer and results in a back heeled goal (nice work Mr Livers), exactly the things we had been working on.
• Playing goal keeper to a group of senior C’s (15 yr olds) on the ‘turf’ field and finally, after about 30 minutes and 50 attempts trying watching Hobie (one of about 5 brothers, all of whom I’ve seen grow from young kids, to young adults) beating me and drilling the ball into the top corner of the 3/4 sized goal from 20 yds!
• A late night drink on Richie’s lawn with two former campers reminiscing about former ‘legendary’ counsellors (the Conn College boys, Vey Range, Lester et al.).
• Watching a 15 yr old win a stuffed animal (the size of a small office building) with his 15th and last toss of a ring to land on the bottle, then have to throw it in the support vehicle because there’s no room for it on the bus.
• Teaching an American kid to bowl a cricket ball and catch a “high-fly ball” with his bare hands in about 3 minutes.
• Finishing the day out at 6-Flags theme park by catching your
breath with a quiet drink with 4 friends, 2 whom you've just met, from places such as Oregon, New Jersey, Armonk & Melbourne, Aus - and relaying stories like old friends.
• Taking the piss out of an Australian (who you just met 3 days prior) when it rains on the ashes and England have glimmers of holding on for the most ridiculous one sided drawer in cricket history.
• Scoring from 20 yards with your left foot, and realising that a group of 14 kids actually believe that you’re a soccer player.
• Being taught how to throw an off pace knuckle ball from a 15 year old who adapted the pitch himself, knowing that it could potentially transform bowling the “slower ball” in cricket.
• Taking an aerial pic of a pro-baller dunking from directly above, then hitting a half-court hook-shot at the Basketball Hall of Fame, then following that up with a round the back 3-pointer on attempt number 2.
• Fleeting conversations with my new housemate (for the week) that were so engaging that I invariably left the house sprinting to my next engagement.
• Using the
power of 40 friends whilst watching an
Arena Football game in a 10,000 seat stadium, that is about 20%!f(MISSING)ull to (i) start a Mexican wave that survived about 3-laps; (ii) make so much collective noise that
‘Spike’ the club mascot runs across to celebrate with you, & then dancing like a maniac whilst you're in close-up on widescreen in front of a couple thousand fans.
• Being asked if you played pro volleyball when you serve 6 straight line-drive float serve knuckle balls that swerve across the court.
• Chuckling to yourself as you watch two young counsellors snog in a local bar, whilst 20 or 30 of his buddies look on, then realising that about 20 years ago, you were the dumbass doing the exact same thing.
• Watching a 6ft 7 inch pro-baller dance with the ‘less pies, more salad’ chick.
• Dancing to some great live music on July 4th in one of your favourite bars in the world, with one of your favourite people on the planet who happens to be the father of boys in the band, and all of whom you’ve known over 10 years.
• Having a friend of over
15 years confide in you his plans to propose to his girlfriend, then meeting up for dinner with both of them a few days afterwards to share the tale & see the finger rock! Nice work Matty!
• Introducing friends and students from home to this wonderful place seeing my students have a blast and two of them receive a mention at the first counselor meeting for their outstanding work.
• Trying to contain your laughter as the goofiest camper sprints down the first base line whilst simultaneously doing an impression of Chewbacca.
• Sitting down in a restaurant in the Adirondack Mountains of New York with my best buddy’s daughter, (accompanied by a new friend - top bloke from Melbourne, Aus) recounting stories of the fun she’s having with her kids at this place that I’ve never been able to fully describe to her dad.
• Knowing that the big fella always has a place for me to crash, at short-notice, without question and with free reign of the house, and the fridge.
• Playing golf with two guys in their early twenties I’ve known about 10 years, shooting an almost perfect driving game
resulting in a gross of 88, yet still managing to lose to both of them despite one of ‘em hitting about 2 fairways all day and them both barely breaking 100.
• Working with a bloke who I’ve known 20 years who invited me to visit him in his home country, then wouldn’t allow me to put my hand in my wallet all weekend, and wondering how many other people know that in addition to his
regular name he also goes by ‘John’ & ‘Rashid’ when necessary. I guess a number of you know now! Sorry John!
• Mooning the time-lapse camera for the camp promo-DVD (sorry Jason/Jen, I wish) but time ran out on me.
• Arranging a couple of NYC rendezvous’ with old friends. One of whom you knew 20 years ago as a 12 year old boy, and who is now a Doctor of plastic surgery.
• Crying with laughter at
big Mac Weiner playing soccer in his bkb sneakers, as he ran about 10 yds to marginally beat a guy coming from 30 yds away to a soccer ball, only to come sliding off his feet onto his belly, handle the ball
and come up caked in mud - then come up screaming, “hey who cares, if they don’t make cuts I made the B team baby, yeah !!”
• Meeting up for a bite to eat with 3 old-timers, at a Jewish restaurant in NYC and taking a shot of Jamieson's whisky with lunch.
• Belly laughing at the ramblings of a 32 year old man who, 17 years later is still so consumed with bitterness at not being selected as Green Captain in 1992 that he spends 20 minutes recounting the story until he nearly chokes on the bile in his mouth. Adaboy Halpdawg!
• Knowing that the door is always open, and you’ll step inside like you never left and you never want to leave again. Thanks Rich.
Life is made up of such ‘moments’ and I’m proud to say that over the past 20 years of my life, many of my memorable, meaningful, moving, and joyous moments have been
Brant Lake moments. Yet, here I’ve just listed a handful that happened in my brief 9-day trip to BLC. Now, I’m no different from the majority of other counsellors. Sure, this is my 18th
summer, but I’ve never been counsellor of the year, I’ve never single-handedly coached a team to tournament victory, I’ve never won any accolades for spirit or onstage antics (Lloyd Snedeker/Irwin Cohen, T-Wise Awards) and I was one of the worst Green/Gray captains in history. However, if you add up my average experiences in just 9 days to the (I dunno) 80? or so counselors experiences across 7 weeks - imagine the number of 'moments' that everyone at Brant Lake Camp has experienced throughout its 92 year history. I hope that at least begins to explain ‘what is Brant Lake?’
And I know plenty of people wonder why I continue to come back to summer camp when most of my friends have settled down with a wife & children? Is it the Brant Lake corporate lure - the 5 year jacket - the 8 year sweatshirt - the 10 year watch - the 15 year bag, etc etc? Of course not. These are just some of the many perks of the job. I come back because there is no place like it on earth, and the more time you spend there, the harder it becomes to express just what it
means to you. The only thing I can say with absolute certainty is…
I'm a Brant Laker.
😊
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Pete
non-member comment
brought a tear to my eye. Try sheer - not shear! this is what Dad's are for! Probably American word processing prog. Can Mum get your blog on her laptop?