Kutsher's Sports Academy
Encyclopedia
It is amazing!
Kutsher's Sports Academy (KSA) is a summer sleepaway camp
in Monterey, Massachusetts
for children ages 7-17. It was originally "conceived and developed by Milton and Joseph Kutsher and legendary basketball coach Clair F. Bee
in 1968." The Kutsher family owned and operated the academy until 2005 when they sold the camp to Marc White, the long time Executive Director. Until 2007 it was located in Monticello, New York
. The camp moved to the Berkshires at the start of 2008, and is now located on Lake Buel
, just outside Great Barrington, Massachusetts
. The former site in Monticello is being leased by an Orthodox Jewish camp.
Part of the reason for the move may be because the site was considered for a casino before the deal between the Kutsher family and the St. Regis Mohawks
was cancelled in favor of another site.
Campers chose from a variety of sports, tailored to their own interests, either to increase their skills in a particular sport(s) or to try a sport they had not tried before. There were also opportunities for campers to play sports on a purely recreational level. Ten of the camp’s coaches have been there for more than 20 years. In 2007, Wil Cordero
spent the whole summer there as a coach; other famous athletes have come to participate in a clinic for a day. Creative and Performing Arts activities were available as well.
As seen in the Times-Herald Record on December 26, 2007, the Sullivan County site was leased to a Satmar group for five years beginning in 2008.
The reputation was so stellar among athletes that Joe DiMaggio
and Wilt Chamberlain
trained here in the off season. Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul Jabbar (then Lew Alcindor) faced each other for the first time in the Maurice Stokes Game, which was held each summer at the KSA Field House..
Kutsher's Sports Academy (KSA) is a summer sleepaway camp
Summer camp
Summer camp is a supervised program for children or teenagers conducted during the summer months in some countries. Children and adolescents who attend summer camp are known as campers....
in Monterey, Massachusetts
Monterey, Massachusetts
Monterey is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 934 at the 2000 census.- History :...
for children ages 7-17. It was originally "conceived and developed by Milton and Joseph Kutsher and legendary basketball coach Clair F. Bee
Clair Bee
Clair Francis Bee was an American basketball coach, who led the team at Long Island University in Brooklyn, New York to undefeated seasons in 1936 and 1939, as well as two National Invitation Tournament titles...
in 1968." The Kutsher family owned and operated the academy until 2005 when they sold the camp to Marc White, the long time Executive Director. Until 2007 it was located in Monticello, New York
Monticello, New York
Monticello is a village located in the Town of Thompson in Sullivan County, New York, United States. The population was 6,512 at the 2000 census. It is the seat for the Town of Thompson and the county seat of Sullivan County...
. The camp moved to the Berkshires at the start of 2008, and is now located on Lake Buel
Lake Buel
Lake Buel is a great pond in Berkshire County, Massachusetts just south of Route 57 and east of Great Barrington. It is surrounded by over one-hundred summer home and a few dozen year-round homes in about a dozen separate, tight-knit neighborhoods, each with its own private or semi-private road....
, just outside Great Barrington, Massachusetts
Great Barrington, Massachusetts
Great Barrington is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 7,104 at the 2010 census. Both a summer resort and home to Ski Butternut, Great Barrington includes the villages of Van...
. The former site in Monticello is being leased by an Orthodox Jewish camp.
Part of the reason for the move may be because the site was considered for a casino before the deal between the Kutsher family and the St. Regis Mohawks
St. Regis Mohawk Reservation, New York
St. Regis Mohawk Reservation is a Mohawk Indian reservation in Franklin County, New York, United States. It is also known by its Mohawk name, Akwesasne. The population was 2,699 at the 2000 census. The reservation is adjacent to the Akwesasne reserve in Ontario and Quebec. The Mohawk consider the...
was cancelled in favor of another site.
Campers chose from a variety of sports, tailored to their own interests, either to increase their skills in a particular sport(s) or to try a sport they had not tried before. There were also opportunities for campers to play sports on a purely recreational level. Ten of the camp’s coaches have been there for more than 20 years. In 2007, Wil Cordero
Wil Cordero
Wilfredo Cordero Nieva is a former first baseman/outfielder in Major League Baseball. He was best known as a member of the Montreal Expos . Cordero made his Major League Baseball debut in 1992 and last played in...
spent the whole summer there as a coach; other famous athletes have come to participate in a clinic for a day. Creative and Performing Arts activities were available as well.
As seen in the Times-Herald Record on December 26, 2007, the Sullivan County site was leased to a Satmar group for five years beginning in 2008.
The reputation was so stellar among athletes that Joe DiMaggio
Joe DiMaggio
Joseph Paul "Joe" DiMaggio , nicknamed "Joltin' Joe" and "The Yankee Clipper," was an American Major League Baseball center fielder who played his entire 13-year career for the New York Yankees. He is perhaps best known for his 56-game hitting streak , a record that still stands...
and Wilt Chamberlain
Wilt Chamberlain
Wilton Norman "Wilt" Chamberlain was an American professional NBA basketball player for the Philadelphia/San Francisco Warriors, the Philadelphia 76ers and the Los Angeles Lakers; he also played for the Harlem Globetrotters prior to playing in the NBA...
trained here in the off season. Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul Jabbar (then Lew Alcindor) faced each other for the first time in the Maurice Stokes Game, which was held each summer at the KSA Field House..