Dakota Dukes: Summer Adventures

DAVIDSON, N.C. — Davidson women's basketball sophomore forward Dakota Dukes, who was named to the All-SoCon Freshman Team this past season, stepped away from the court a bit this summer to experience a new chapter in her young life.

She helped work at Camp Burnt Gin in Wedgefield, S.C., and below tells of her fun experience working with the kids at the camp...

Dakota: "So the second semester of my freshman year, i received an email from our Pre-Med advisor Dr. Putnam about an opportunity to work at a summer camp this summer for children with Special Needs. I thought this camp would be an awesome way for me to learn more about each child's diagnosed disorder, while still making money, and getting to work with children everyday... WHICH I LOVE! After a long application process, I found out I got the job and headed to camp on June 3. We had a week of orientation, which quite honestly terrified me. We learned how to properly change diapers, lift children/adults out of wheelchairs and into a bed or a pool, how to put in a catheter, and how to use a G-tube. It was a lot of information very quickly, but I learned so much!

The camp is a state owned camp in Wedgefield, S.C., called Camp Burnt Gin. It was a seven-session camp. The first four sessions were 7-15 year-olds and then there were two teen sessions from 16 to 19 year-olds, and a young adult camp from 20 to 25 year-olds. Our daily schedule looked something like this: We woke up at 7:15 a.m. every morning, breakfast at 8:15, committee work and exercise after that. Then we would go to program rotations, which consist of either Arts and Crafts, Nature, Sports & Games, and Fine Arts. We play games like kickball and soccer (and a modified version of noodle hockey called pillow polo). We would make things like toy cars, American flags, ornaments, and silly putty in Arts and Crafts. We dressed up, sang, and danced in Fine Arts and we made things like cloud dough and bubbles, and learned about the outdoors in Nature. In the afternoon we would go to both boating and swimming. Then after dinner, we had our evening program, which was either a talent show or camp wide dance or campfire. It was a lot of fun, but required a lot of energy as well.

Now, my basketball workouts have been going strong. There are a group of guys who play pickup during our rest hour and I always play! I'm also a very popular pick to play one-on-one because they all

want to see if they can beat the college athlete. I'm also currently using an abandoned cabin as my weight room. It may be ant-infested, but it works for its purposes. Lifting in the South Caroina heat with no air conditioning is grueling, but it's going to make lifting with strength coach Rowan in our weight room that much easier! Also in the mornings before wake up, every other day I tried to do a few sprint ladders. The court is a dirt court with about 200 year-old baskets that could fall apart at any second, but I haven't broken them yet... it just encourages 100 percent accuracy (hit the backboard too hard and you're out of an entire goal, haha!)

I'm so so thankful that I've been given the opportunity to work here. The medical side of learning the disorders and actually working with children with diseases I may one day face, has been such an awesome experience. The children are hilarious, fun, and huge-hearted, and I would give anything to make them happy for the one week that they are here. This summer has definitely pushed me to study hard next year so that I can reach that med-school goal and to also practice at 100% all the time because their are kids who would die for the opportunity to be able to run and dribble and shoot. Practice should not be taken for granted, its a privilege not a right."

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Dakota Dukes: Summer Adventures

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