Valley snowboarder second best in world

march 13, 2005

GENE JANSEN/For the Frontiersman

Gold is great but silver and bronze are not too shabby. Wasilla Special Olympics athlete Joseph Pratt brought home two bronze medals and one silver medal after competing in three snowboarding events at the 2005 Special Olympics World Winter Games in Nagano, Japan, earlier this month.

Eight Special Olympics athletes from Wasilla, Seward, Fairbanks and Anchorage participated in the event, which was held Feb. 26 - March 5. The Alaskan athletes joined nearly 1,900 participants from 80 countries around the world. The World Games, which were held in Anchorage and Girdwood in 2001, featured competitors vying for medals in six sports - snowboarding, cross-country skiing, downhill skiing, snowshoeing, speed skating and figure skating.

The Special Olympics program has recently seen a surge in local volunteer commitment, which has paid off for the Valley athletes.

"The community is becoming more involved," Valley Special Olympics spokesman Marty Metiva said. "That is so refreshing."

Metiva attributed the success of the Special Olympics program mostly to parents and providers who take care of the athletes and their training needs.

"Parents and caregivers should get all the credit," Metiva said. "That's what gives me goose bumps. They give and give and give."

The Valley's annual budget is about $40,000, according to Metiva. The program depends on fund-raisers like the upcoming Alaska Law Enforcement Torch Run, which will be held May 21. Metiva said the event will hopefully raise $20,000, or about half of the Special Olympics Valley's annual budget.

Another recent event raised money for the Valley's athletes too, but money earned from the Special Olympics Polar Plunge in December at Wasilla Lake was earmarked for the one thing Valley athletes needed the most - uniforms. The new garb is sorely needed so that when the athletes compete, they will be a visible representation of Mat-Su athletes, Metiva said.

"These athletes compete for the right reasons - for the pleasure of competing," he said. "That's what makes the little bit I do for them so special."

Results from the 2005

Special Olympics World Winter Games

Snowboarding, Advanced

Joseph Pratt (Wasilla) - Giant slalom, 3rd place; Super G, 3rd; Slalom, 2nd.

Cross-country skiing

Richard Champion (Seward) - 100-meter classical, 4th; 50m classical, 3rd.

Snowshoeing, novice

Desire Kelso (Anchorage) - 25m, 1st; 50m, 2nd.

Amy Murrills (Fairbanks) - Giant slalom, 1st place; Super G, 3rd; Slalom, 1st.

Alpine, intermediate

Stephanie Palinski (Anchorage) - Downhill, 5th; Giant Slalom, 3rd; Slalom, 2nd.

Speed skating

Amy Stevens (Fairbanks) - 500m, 5th; 222m, 4th.

Snowboarding, intermediate

Shannon Sullivan (Anchorage) - Giant slalom, 2nd; Super G, 4th; Slalom, 4th.

Figure skating

Alyssa Tucker (Anchorage) - Singles, 1st; Guest dance, 1st.