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WOODS CROSS — The Woods Cross High School basketball team held their fifth annual special needs camp and basketball game Saturday morning.
Each year the team invites youth throughout Davis County with special needs to take part in the event.
Here the youth got a chance to be a part of a team and experience what it’s like to play basketball. The kids began the camp with drills and with some help from the Wildcats players. They practiced their free throws, layups and dribbling skills. After warmups, the game began.
The idea began back in 2003 when the Wildcats head coach Kasey Walkenhurst was a player at West Jordan. A teammate of his decided to organize a special needs camp and game for his Boy Scout Eagle Project. West Jordan has done a similar event ever since. Walkenhurst brought the event over from his alma mater.
“It means so much because it means the most to these kids,” Walkenhurst said. “This is an opportunity for our players to open their eyes and see the opportunities they have that a lot of other kids don’t. They can’t take things for granted and I can’t take things for granted as a coach.”
The Wildcats are in the middle of their region season but on Saturday their focus wasn’t on winning or losing, it was to bring the kids joy.
”It's a day where they don’t have to worry about basketball,” Walkenhurst said. “They can just have fun and can worry about basketball on Monday.”
Nancy Prosence, a resident of North Salt Lake, had her two adopted daughters Alvina and Emma playing in the game. They have been attending the event every year since its inception.
“Our girls love it!” Prosence said. “It’s so much fun for them. This is our favorite basketball game of the year.”
As for the Woods Cross players, they learn some lessons from being spectators. Walkenhurst said his players also learn a little humility and gratitude from the experience.
“We take a lot of what we have for granted, we learn to look outside ourselves and that's really important for us to help someone else instead of focusing on ourselves,” said Woods Cross senior Mason Cowley. “This tradition has been very fun for us. It's one of the favorite times of year for us. We love coming in and its fun for everyone; it's been a great experience for us all to spend time with these kids.”
Tyler Cowley, a senior for the Wildcats, has been a part of the tradition for four years.
“It's a cool experience to be able to give back to these kids. We get to experience this every Tuesday and Friday night, but they don't get to experience it so it's fun to give them the opportunity to play the game.”
For sophomore Quad Knell, the event was his first time being apart of the tradition.
“This makes us more unified and humble,” he said. “We realize it’s more than just us on the team. My favorite part was seeing their face when they score and seeing their face lights up it's really special.
Walkenhurst is in his final year as the Wildcats head coach. He will become the athletic director at Farmington High School next fall. He said Saturday’s event was a bittersweet moment, but the tradition will carry on wherever he goes. Lexi Lewis is studying public relations at Utah Valley University. You can follow her on twitter @lex_lew1018.
