Contact: Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon
E-mail: dolores@wiclarkcountyhistory.org
Surnames: Shilts, Glaze, Suinoi, Guild, Jodarski, Meurett, Opelt, Pfeiffer
----Source: Clark County Press (Neillsville, Clark Co., WI) 11/27/2013
Shilts Heads to South Korea for Special Olympics World Winter Games (2013)
Shilts Heads to South Korea for Special Olympics World Winter Games
Daina Shilts (l) and her Special Olympics coach Dean Glaze pose outside Neillsville High School Friday. Shilts and Glaze headed out Wednesday to South Korea, with the young Special Olympian set to compete in snowboarding Jan. 29 – Feb. 5 at the World Games in PyeongChang. (Todd Schmidt/Clark County Press)
By Todd Schmidt
Daina Shilts, 22, tapped her toes with nervous excitement Friday as she discussed her trip to the 2013 Special Olympics World Winter Games to compete in the snowboarding event.
Daina, along with her coaches, family and friends, were scheduled to leave Wednesday for PyeongChang, South Korea, to participate in competition slated Jan. 29 – Feb. 5.
Other Special Olympics of Wisconsin (SOWI) athletes making the trip are Jason Suinoi, 23, of Hayward, who will compete in cross-country skiing, and Alex Guild, 22, DePere, who will compete in snowshoe racing.
Daina has been involved in SOWI for 14 years, participating in track and field, bowling, alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and snowboarding. She has received numerous medals.
“I have a lot of medals, more than I can count,” she said.
Daina said her involvement in Special Olympics has encouraged her to take advantage of new opportunities.
“It has challenged me to try new sports that I would not have done,” she said. “It has also helped me to decide on my future goals in career choices. I want to help other children like I’ve been helped through Special Olympics.”
Daina was also the top fundraiser for her local Polar Plunge® team. When not participating in Special Olympics, she enjoys hunting, working on the family farm and riding on her ATV.
Daina also credits going to the Wisconsin Lions Camp in Rosholt with her positive development as a person.
“I’ve been to Lions Camp a number of times,” she said. “I have been able to go there because of Special Olympics.”
“I have made more friends who encouraged me to be active, and I got exercise rock climbing, boating, fishing and tubing. Campfires and singing were also fun.”
She participated in a four-day training camp in Lake Placid, NY, last month and sharpened her skills during Special Olympics Winter Games the past weekend in Wausau. Daina is also a regular with downhill team coaches Dean Glaze and Sue Jodarski at the Bruce Mound Winter Sports Area, getting more mileage out of a season pass than most enthusiasts.
“At Lake Placid, the coaches were amazed at how well I was doing,” Daina said. “I got a new snowboard, that is awesome the way it carves. I beat all the boys’ butts going down the hill.”
“The coaches said my speed was good, but I need to squat more in my turns.”
Special Olympics helped Daina develop stick-to-itiveness.
“Many times, I got frustrated, but I kept going,” Daina said. “I looked for a brighter side every time. Like all snowboarders, I got smashed up knees and elbows at one time or another.
“My coaches always encouraged me not to give up. They kept me on track and told me to stop whining when I didn’t get my way.”
She is thankful for healthy competition with local Special Olympics athletes Jed, Desi and Ricky. Daina said her goals competing in the advanced group at the World Games include not falling, getting a medal and meeting people from all over the world.
This is the 10th Special Olympics World Winter Games, bringing together 3,300 Special Olympics athletes from 112 nations to compete in eight Olympic-type sports.
The event will be one of South Korea’s largest winter multi-sport venues ever held in the country.
Also making the trip to South Korea are Neillsville School District instructors and longtime coaches Steve Meurett and Glaze.
Daina said her family members (Mother Jan, Dad Lenord, sister Tricia, 32 and brother Sean, 29) are her number one supporters. Family friend and mentor Brandy Opelt is accompanying Jan to South Korea.
Helen Pfeiffer of Neillsville altered all of Daina’s Team USA garb to fit perfectly.
“Helen wouldn’t take a dime for all the work she did,” Glaze said. “She just wanted to be a part of this experience.”
Glaze, who has been a special education teacher in Neillsville for 30 years, summed up Daina’s top qualities.
“She is hardworking, energetic, helpful and is a real leader for the other students,” Glaze said. “She is just an awesome person.”
The travel itinerary includes getting a send-off and leaving from the Madison Airport on an American Airlines flight Wednesday and flying to Los Angeles, CA.
The next day they board a Korean Airlines jet for a flight to Seoul, South Korea. Before going to the Olympic Village, the group will tour a military base, have dinner with the U.S. Ambassador to South Korea, and participate in a Special Olympics promotion program at a local school and a host town event.
Then it’s time to board a bus for a three-hour trip to PyeongChang, which is the site for the 2013 Winter Olympics games.
“All the baggage handling will be a challenge,” Glaze said.
Daina’s mother, Jan Shilts, said Friday the whole Special Olympics experience makes the family proud to be from Neillsville.
“Soon we’ll be on our way,” Jan said. “We’ve been trying to find the perfect words of gratitude and keep falling short.”
We are thankful to so many people for following and supporting Daina’s journey and quest to go to the Special Olympics World Winter Games and compete in snowboarding.
“We have received many kind and encouraging words and many surprising and greatly welcomed monetary gifts assisting with my costs in going to South Korea to cheer her on and share in this most exciting experience of a lifetime.”
“You’ll be coming along with us in spirit, Daina says she wants to make everyone proud. She’s focused on winning a gold medal for the USA.”
To learn more about the 2013 World Winter Games and to follow Daina’s progress, check out the official website at http://www.2013sopoc.org.
Daina Shilts of Neillsville shows her sleek form in an earlier snowboarding competition. Shilts is representing Wisconsin and Team USA in the Special Olympics World Winter Games in PyeongChang, South Korea. (Contributed Photo)
