Youth and adults living with intellectual disabilities are invited to attend the I Did, You Can Basketball Camp this Saturday and Sunday.
The camp, consisting of a pair of two-hour sessions at Juneau-Douglas High School, is led by Gregg Brittenham, a former strength and conditioning coach in professional basketball who now lives and teaches in Haines.
The camp is designed to provide both physical and social skills to the “differently-abled,” according to a camp flier.
“With a ratio of one coach per three athletes, I Did. You Can. is distinctively positioned to provide abundant opportunity for all participants to develop self-esteem, fundamental movement patterns … socialization, confidence and of course basketball skills,” the flier states.
JDHS special education teacher Janette Gagnon has helped with the camp for the past three years. She said the camp is ripe with opportunities for building friendships and skills alike. Gagnon added Brittenham has a special way of connecting everyone there.
“He’s kind of a little kid at heart himself, so all the campers and all the volunteers are just engaged by him with everything he does,” she said. “He is great at on-the-spot adaptations so if he sees someone struggling, he can really quickly come up with a different way to try something to make sure everyone’s engaged at the same time.”
The clinic is from 9-11 a.m. both days and open to everyone 10 and up. There is no charge for the camp. For more information and to pre-register, contact Janette Gagnon at janette.gagnon@juneauschools.org or Greg Brittenham at gdotbritt@gmail.com.
