Florida Athlete Shines Bright at World Games
Let’s hear it for Special Olympics Florida athlete Kellie Matthew!
This week, Kellie captured two gold medals in Alpine skiing at the Special Olympics World Winter Games in Turin, Italy.
Kellie competed in a total of three events:
- Giant Slalom - GOLD - finishing four seconds ahead of the second-place finisher from Finland
- Super G - 4th PLACE - in a competition of 8 athletes, with her Special Olympics USA teammate receiving the gold
- Slalom - GOLD - finishing just 1 second ahead of the second-place finisher from Switzerland, with her Special Olympics USA teammate receiving the bronze.
A Broward County athlete, Kellie has been competing in Special Olympics since she was 9 years old. Now 29, she works at Park Summit Retirement Facility and enjoys volunteering in her community.
So how does an athlete from sunny South Florida become a gold medal Alpine skier? Lots of determination and ingenuity.
To simulate snowy slopes, coaches roll out sheets of plastic on a short downhill run. Then they spray the plastic with water and add lots of liquid dishwashing soap. It’s a surprisingly effective way to learn the fundamentals of skiing. As athletes progress, they often head to colder parts of the country to experience the real thing.
Kellie’s parents traveled to Italy to watch her compete. Her mom, Annmarie Matthew, said the experience has been “amazing” for everyone. After Kellie’s winning runs, she said, her daughter was “absolutely beaming.”
“We were right there watching the run,” she said. “She was so happy. She was beaming from ear to ear.”
Way to go Kellie!
