The third annual “Free to Dream” basketball camp put on by Elite Shot will take place Jan. 15 at South Park Recreation Center in Elyria.
The camp runs from 9 a.m. to noon for first- to fourth-graders, and from 1-4 p.m. for fifth- to eighth-graders at 101 S. Park Drive.
For $50, participants get a camp T-shirt and lunch in addition the basketball instruction led by trainer Sharod Brown.
The Martin Luther King Jr. Day camp is headed by 12-year-old Sean Gettis, who documents his basketball journey on social media under the name The Elite Shot, and his father, Stephen.
Stephen Gettis gave his son credit for organizing the event.
“Sean is an entrepreneur,” the father said. “He’s the leader of the camp and the CEO of Elite Shot.”
Gettis said his son’s goal of becoming a professional basketball player drives his interest in the camp.
“His goal is to be an elite NBA basketball player, but our conversation is that if you don’t make it, you can you still be involved in the game of basketball,” the father said.
Even at a young age, Sean knows this experience organizing the event can prepare him for becoming a trainer when the time comes that he can no longer play, Gettis said.
The “Free to Dream” name for the camp has a double meaning, he said.
It is about Sean’s dream of becoming an NBA player or an elite trainer, but also honoring the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who is well known for his “I Have a Dream” speech, Gettis said.
“A dream doesn’t cost you anything,” he said. “You can dream as big as you want to, and that’s what we’re pushing as well.”
One of the goals for the camp is to make it affordable for local families.
Gettis said the event’s sponsor, Jones Bones BBQ & Grub, has made it possible to offer scholarships for families with financial hardship.
“The cost for some of these things is astronomical,” he said. “What we wanted to do is create that same type of learning environment in our community so that people don’t have to travel to Cleveland, or out of state, to get quality training.”
Gettis also gave credit to the Elyria Parks and Rec for making the process of hosting the event go smoothly.
The department will provide the basketballs for the youngsters who do not bring their own, he said.
“They’re great about opening up the facility and making sure we have everything we need,” Gettis said.
