Senate Resolution No. 1514 BY: Senator STEC CONGRATULATING Gretchen Braun upon the occasion of capturing the Girls 100 Yard Backstroke title at the NYSPHSAA Girls Swimming and Diving Championship on November 18, 2023 WHEREAS, Individual and team championships are highly sought after in high school sports; this Legislative Body commends rare athletic achievements and pays special recognition to those who pursue such excellence and become examples for the youth of this great Empire State; and WHEREAS, Athletic competition helps to enhance both the moral and physical development of young athletes, preparing them for the future by instilling in them the importance of teamwork, encouraging a standard of healthy living, and developing a sense of fair play and competition; and WHEREAS, This Legislative Body is justly proud to congratulate junior Gretchen Braun upon the occasion of capturing the Girls 100 Yard Backstroke title at the NYSPHSAA Girls Swimming and Diving Championship on November 18, 2023, held at the Webster Aquatic Center in Webster, New York; and WHEREAS, Earning the number one seed in the 100 Backstroke and 100 Freestyle, Gretchen Braun reshaped the Section 10 Record Board for swimming in the first day of the state championship with her times of 55.61 and 50.53 respectively, ranking first for finals; and WHEREAS, In front of a capacity crowd and a fan base of family, friends, and teammates, Gretchen Braun won the championship in the Girls 100 Yard Backstroke with an outstanding time of 55.46, setting a Section 10 record and beating her closest opponent by five hundredths of a second; her remarkable finish earned her All-American Consideration; and WHEREAS, The first performer in Section 10 to win a state championship, Gretchen Braun is from Lisbon Central and competes for Canton Central through a merger agreement; setting and lowering a myriad of Section 10 records throughout the course of the season, she also finished her first year of Section 10 swimming with the 200 Freestyle record 1:51.57, the 100 Butterfly record at 57.84, and the 500 Freestyle record at 5:14.92; and WHEREAS, The athletic talent displayed by Gretchen Braun is due in great part to the efforts of Coach Conrad Stuntz, the team's expert coaching staff, and skilled and inspirational tutors, respected for their ability to develop potential into excellence; and WHEREAS, Gretchen Braun's overall record is outstanding; she was loyally and enthusiastically supported by her family, teammates, friends and the community at large; and WHEREAS, Athletically and academically, Gretchen Braun has proven herself to be an unbeatable combination of talents, reflecting favorably on her school; and WHEREAS, Sports competition instills the values of teamwork, pride and accomplishment, and Gretchen Braun has clearly made a contribution to the spirit of excellence which is a tradition of her school; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to congratulate Gretchen Braun upon the occasion of capturing the Girls 100 Yard Backstroke title at the NYSPHSAA Girls Swimming and Diving Championship on November 18, 2023; and be it further RESOLVED, That copies of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be transmitted to Gretchen Braun and Coach Conrad Stuntz.