YMCA Camp Cory

YMCA Camp Lawrence Cory, better known as "YMCA Camp Cory" or simply "Camp Cory," is a resident-style summer camp in the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York. It was founded in 1892 and established at its current location in 1921. The name comes from Lt. H. Lawrence Cory, an American World War I soldier who was killed in action.

Camp Cory is certified by the American Camp Association (ACA).

Location

Camp Cory is located on Keuka Lake, one of the Finger Lakes in Upstate New York. The 27-acre property is convert|2|mi|km south of the village of Penn Yan, in the town of Milo, New York. It is about an hour south of Rochester, New York and about an hour and a half southwest of Syracuse, New York.

The camp occupies a significant amount of waterfront property.

Significance

YMCA Camp Cory is one of the oldest camps in the State of New York; however, its predecessor was a Rochester YMCA camp called Camp Iola. Since Camp Iola was founded in 1892, including this as a part of Camp Cory's history places it among the oldest continually-running resident camps in the nation. At current, it would appear that Camp Cory is the seventh-oldest camp in the world. [ [http://www.ottertooth.com/Camps/camps-world.htm World's Oldest Camps - Ottertooth.com ] ]

Camp Cory's sailing program utilizes, among other models (such as JY15s and Lasers) the Wright-built K-Boats. These boats, named after the famous Kohinoor Diamond, are no longer manufactured. Although its fleet has been significantly reduced in recent years, Camp Cory once had - and possibly continues to have - the largest fleet of K-Boats in the world. In 2008, the camp received a donation of two J-24 boats.

The camp draws its attendance predominantly from Rochester and its suburbs, although campers often come from Syracuse and other towns in New York. In the past, campers have come from such places as Missouri, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Virginia, Florida, Columbia, Sweden, Brazil, Spain, and Japan.

Facts and figures

Campers are both male and female, and may be anywhere between 7 and 17 years of age. 7-10 year olds are predominantly assigned to Craig Village, 11-12 year olds to Wells Village, and 13-16 year olds to Walmsley Village. 12-16 year olds who wish to participate in an intensive sailing program live in Maijgren Village, on the waterfront. All of the villages are named after persons who once attended or significantly affected the camp. In addition to the resident camp program, Camp Cory recently added a Day Camp for children 5-12 from the area around the lake.

15-16 year olds can participate in a 2-week Leader-in-Training (LIT) program, and 16-17 year olds can participate in a 4-week Counselor-in-Training (CIT) program.

Camp Cory has a capacity of over 220 beds. In recent summers, there have been around 1300 camper-weeks registered per summer (this means that one camper registering for three weeks is counted three times).

Camp Cory's facilities are expansive, including two waterfronts (one for swimming and one for kayaking & canoeing), a three faced climbing wall with a zip-line, an archery range, tennis courts, open fields for athletics, and outdoor basketball courts.

The summer of 2008 saw renovations of the Leroy Health Lodge as well as the addition of a high ropes course.

External links

* [http://www.campcory.org Camp Cory's homepage]
* [http://www.campcory.org/general_info_history.asp A Very Short History of Camp Cory]
* [http://www.campcory.org/generalforum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=32 The History of Camp Cory - Forum]
* [http://www.rochesterymca.org Rochester YMCA's homepage]
* [http://www.ottertooth.com/Camps/camps-us.htm List of the Oldest Camps in the U.S.]

References