One Special Olympian helps another athlete get his groove on hula hooping while music plays in the background at the Kinston Community Center on Friday morning. Rudy Coggins/Neuse News

The gloomy, cloud-filled sky certainly didn't dampen the mood inside the Kinston Community Center on Friday morning.

Bright smiles, laughter and hip-shakin' music filled the gymnasium as Special Olympians from Lenoir County tested out their basketball skills during a winter camp.

"A fun day, right before they get out of school [for Christmas]...just want to have a lot of fun, learn the skills of basketball," said Andrew Spence, local program coordinator for Lenoir County Special Olympics.

"We changed it up a little bit this year. Instead of a normal-type competition to more of a fun community day. It's awesome seeing all these smiles, is amazing. It makes it all worth it."

Cheers erupted and high-fives were exchanged when the kids dropped in shots from different parts of the court. Groans of "aww, man" could be heard when shots either bounced or rolled off of the rim.

A total of 175 kids from nearly every county school participated.

Spence said the skills camp is one of two events offered by Lenoir County Special Olympics. The larger event is the Spring Games, an outdoor competition that draws a larger field of Special Olympians to Kinston High School.

It's an opportunity for the recreation department to establish a strong relationship with the school system as well.

"We want to start work on getting teams together so they can start competing," Spence said. "We're trying to revamp Special Olympics. We've got a lot of athletes in Lenoir County. It helps build personal skills, joy...brings out the best when teachers get to interact with their students and athletes.

"We get to see a lot of these kids that we normally don't see, so it's good for us as a recreation department. We get to help out. It's just a small part of our job."

Kelly Cannon, facility director of the Kinston Community Center, agreed with Spence that it's an amazing experience to interact with the kids.

"We're having a great time," Cannon said. "The kids are happy to be here, they're smiling, they're dancing. It's just a fun day."