'This Isn’t A Daycare Camp’: DSACO Hosts Basketball Camp For Athletes With Down Syndrome

Basketball camp is an opportunity to sharpen your skills, learn new techniques and make new friends. That was happening all over the court on Friday at the DSACO basketball camp! 

The Down Syndrome Association of Central Oklahoma has hosted the basketball camp for eight years and the event continues to grow. 

“I’ve been a part of the camp since it started. I was actually the co-creator of the camp,” said Jerramy Dockery, camp facilitator.  

Dockery is better known as Coach Jerramy to the kids at the camp. Dockery spends most of his year coaching the players at Edmond Santa Fe High School. 

“It’s probably the best thing I’ve ever done outside of my son,” said Dockery.  

Coach Jerramy wants to make sure the athletes participating know that this isn’t a daycare basketball camp, they are going to seriously work on their skills! 

“We’re trying to teach them skills, you know that was the idea that Stacy Leniere, who helped me start it, the vision was to have it like as actual basketball camp,” said Dockery. 

The camp participants work on their dribbling, passing and shooting skills. The athletes also got a chance to talk to Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt as he watched the camp. 

“It always reminds me that kids with Down Syndrome have every opportunity to live a full life here in our city. You know my kids go to basketball camps and these kids should be able to go to basketball camps,” said Mayor Holt.  

“The misconception is, that they don’t have a lot of abilities, but these athletes have a lot of abilities. We try to have fun, but we also try to teach them some stuff too,” said Dockery.  

For more about DSACO and the services they provide, visit their website.