Contact: Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon
E-mail: dolores@wiclarkcountyhistory.org
Surnames: Shilts, Glaze, Teter
----Source: Clark County Press (Neillsville, Clark Co., WI) 2/08/2017
Daina Shilts Proves to Be Beacon of Light (Spec. Olympics - 2017)
By Todd Schmidt
It was another medal-winning performance by Daina Shilts, 26, of Neillsville.
Daina earned a silver medal in unified snowboarding at the recently concluded Special Olympics 2017 X-Games sponsored by ESPN in Aspen, CO.
Daina stopped by The Press office last Wednesday to share many exciting experiences of her third annual trip to the X-Games. This one was made extra special, as her Special Olympics Coach Dean Glaze of Neillsville traveled along and was able to watch her compete for the first time.
Daina Shilts of Neillsville (right) and her coach and mentor Dean Glaze strike a pose near the snowboarding course at the Special Olympics 2017 X-Games in Aspen, CO. Shilts is now training for the Special Olympics World Winter Games to be held in Austria in March. (Contributed photos)
Her most recent competition dates back to December 2016, when Daina traveled to Killington, VT, to begin training camp for the Special Olympics USA Team.
“I was so excited” she said. “There was little sleep for this girl.”
After a long travel day, the athletes began their journey to Aspen by getting fitted for uniforms and shoes and having individual photos taken.
They went through an assessment process, which for Daina included gait training and fundamentals.
“That went very well, with all my snowboarding peeps,” she said. “I thought I did amazing. It all came back to me after a couple of runs.”
After a full day of work on the practice slopes, everyone got to relax for a few hours, enjoy a nice supper and have fun at a dance.
On day two of training, Daina suffered a minor injury and was held out of the rest of practice. She caught up on her sleep before dinner at a university.
Fast forward to the X-Games rip. Daina said the plane had to circle a few times before the bumpy landing in Aspen. ESPN people greeted them at the airport and shared welcome hugs.
She and Glaze then boarded a coach bus for the trip to a host house (mansion) in Aspen.
The second day featured practice on her alpine board with critiques by Glaze.
“It was a real honor to have him there,” Daina said of her mentor. “I have known him since I was 8 years old.”
After practice they went to the Athlete Lounge, where they hung out with other competitors and coaches from Russia, Austria, Australia, Japan, and the USA.
“We are all going to the Special Olympics World Games in Austria in March,” Daina said. Of the six snowboarders from the USA, Daina is the only advanced athlete.
The group also got their credentials for the entire week.
“Everybody recognized me from last year,” Daina said. “That was pretty ‘cool.’”
They got up at 7 a.m. Jan. 26 for a huge buffet breakfast at the Athlete Lounge. Then they donned their gear for competition.
Daina and her snowboarding idol and unified dual slalom partner Hannah Teter did interviews with ESPN.
“I was excited and nervous,” Daina said. “We were representing ‘girl power’ as the only full female team. We wanted to go for the gold, but winning a silver medal was nice. It’s all about having fun.”
Competition was held on a beautiful sunny day. The blue and red courses were both in very good shape.
Daina Shilts of Neillsville makes a run down the snowboarding course at the Special Olympics 2017 X-Games in Aspen, CO. Shilts earned a silver medal in unified snowboarding.
“I was pleased with both of my races,” Daina said. “I beat my competitor both times. It was an awesome experience.”
After the official races, Daina and Teter went down the super pipe course on their snowboards. Most everyone else took a snow cart or a snowmobile ride down the hill.
ESPN gave each of the athletes a $50 voucher for X-games merchandise. The athletes walked around the venue, taking in every moment of the experience.
A photo session was held during the awards ceremony. Daina received a silver guitar made by the D’Angelico Guitar Company in New York as part of her winnings.
With her snowboarding partner and idol Hannah Teter at her side, Daina Shilts of Neillsville displays the silver medal and silver guitar she won Jan. 26 at the Special Olympics 2017 X-Games in Aspen, CO.
“I just felt pumped and excited,” Daina said. “I was on top of the world. They are shipping the silver guitar to me. It looks pretty cool.”
Later that evening, Daina got into the VIP section and could watch the men’s super-pipe competition from the top of the hill.
Friday featured a fun snowboarding race on Aspen Mountain. Daina said her red team won.
After doing some free riding, they mingled with the Perfect Sense digital people and ESPN representatives. It was also Teter’s birthday that day. Daina gave her a necklace and a plaque featuring a photo of them both from the 2016 X-Games.
“I told her how much she means to me,” Daina said.
Daina showed her security pass and got a snowmobile ride to the top of the hill to watch the men’s super-pipe skiing competition. Then it was on to a concert.
It was our last night together as an X-Games team,” Daina said. “We said our tearful goodbyes. The concert was phenomenal.”
On Saturday, she and Glaze watched the snowmobile big air competition. They also did some downhill skiing and snowboarding and watched Teter compete on the super pipe course.
On Sunday, they used up some lift tickets and did more free riding. They also watched the snowmobile best trick competition.
“We saw some pretty awful accidents,” she said.
Monday featured a fun day at Snowmass. Daina and Glaze enjoyed skiing and snowboarding most of the day.
“My legs were about like Jell-O by the end of the day,” Daina said. Then it was time to get everything packed for their trip back to Neillsville the next day.
Daina slept almost the whole way home on flights to Chicago and CWA in Mosinee.
They were greeting in Neillsville by the big digital sign at the car wash congratulating her for winning the silver medal.
“That made my day, it was so cool,” Daina said.
Daina said she is looking forward to seeing everybody at the World Winter Games in Austria. She brought home a gold and two silver medals from the World Winter Games in South Korea in 2013.
She will join nearly 3,000 athletes from 110 countries in the Austrian cities of Graz, Schladming-Rohrmoos and Ramsau to compete in Special Olympics’ premiere winter sporting event, which like Olympics, are held every four years in a different location around the world.
Daina will be joined by her parents, two sisters and their husbands and a niece, who are traveling to Austria to root her on in unified dual slalom, giant slalom, and super giant slalom competition.
Until then, Daina’s plan includes “practice, practice, and more practice” at Bruce Mound near Merrillan and Granite Peak in Wausau.
Glaze said Daina is an amazing person who exemplifies courage and hope in the face of a disability.
“Daina uses her platform to share the importance of playing Unified, and living Unified,” Glaze said. “Special Olympics is really encouraging people from all walks of life to include others with and without disabilities in all aspects of their daily lives.
“Daina has been an outstanding spokesperson for this and will be speaking in Washington DC, in mid-February, at a U.S. Senate committee meeting. I am so excited for her and what she is helping to accomplish.”
Daina will channel some of her energy at the annual Polar Bear Plunge in Neillsville Saturday, Feb. 25, hoping to raise a lot of money for Special Olympics.
It will be her 14th year at the event. She is collecting pledges, and she recently sent out a group text announcing the event and is in the process of assembling her 8-person jumping team.
“I don’t think twice about doing it,” she said. “It is my chance to give back to the local Special Olympics program, which made me what I am today.”
Daina is also grateful to her parents, family, coaches, and the community for all the support she has received over the years.
“Neillsville may be small, but it is a big-hearted town,” she said.
In particular, she said Special Olympics has given her confidence, the ability to speak in front of big groups and the belief it is OK to have a disability.
“I never let my disability define me, but I let my disability push me further,” she said.
For more information about the Polar Bear Plunge effort to support Special Olympics, contact Daina at 715-819-0521. A pledge envelope is also available on the front counter at The Press office.
