Lawton kids find ways to stay active, learn new skills during summer break

LAWTON, Okla. (KSWO) – With summertime finally arriving, many kids and teens will take the time to lounge around but some will take the opportunity to learn something new and this week in Lawton, close to 75 kids got to do just that.

Dayspring Community Church’s Recreation Ministry hosts a handful of athletic camps throughout the summer months to teach kids about Jesus but also sklls that will last them a lifetime.

Wednesday morning the Ministry wrapped up “Jiu Jitsu for Jesus” which taught the kids how to stand up to bullies.

“We want our kiddos to be confident if they run into a situation where they’re being bullied or at school maybe or even another situation in public,” explained Dayspring Recreation Director Daniel Wall. “So Mr. Derek, he’s a black belt in jiu-jitsu, as well as Mr. Tom. So they’ve taught them some concepts of how to look a bully in the eye, to be confident, to speak boldly, and to tell them “Leave me alone.”

The kids were put through a series of routines that taught them how to properly take someone down and maintain control all while being defensive.

“When you’re wrestling, you have to bring them down and hold their arms.” said camper Elijah Shafer.

“We learned to fight a bully.” stated camper Gracie Smith. “It was really fun.”

Elijah and Gracie say they had lots of fun learning the takedown techniques.

In addition to the activities, they also were able to hear brief devotionals from camp organizers.

Wall says he’s glad to see the vehicle of sports being used to help share the Bible and hopes that both the skills they learned on the mat and from each other stick with them.

“My hope is that some of these things the kiddos have been able to learn, not just with the jiu-jitsu, but also with our character, our commitment and confidence, that that sticks with them long term.” Wall voiced.

Dayspring plans to host a handful of other summer camps throughout the next few months with the next one being a basketball camp scheduled for June 23-25.

If interested, you can visit the Dayspring Community Church Facebook page by clicking here or emailing Recreation Director Daniel Wall at [email protected].

Copyright 2025 KSWO. All rights reserved.