The Special Olympics World Winter Games take place in Turin, Italy, this week and five Utah athletes will compete in the games, four in DanceSport and one in Snowshoe.
In total, over 1,500 athletes and Unified partners from 102 countries are expected to attend the World Games. Eight sports will host competitions, while the Special Olympics Motor Activity Training Program will host a noncompetitive program.
Utah’s delegation of five earned its way through a qualification process that included winning gold medals at state competitions.
Hyrum Palmer is representing the U.S. in snowshoe. The Kaysville native is known throughout the running community, often recording 50 miles of training per week. He’s as fast on snowshoes as he is on the track. He is also well known for logging extra laps after he finishes a race because he likes to get his miles in.
“Hyrum was a little disappointed because he wanted a 10K to compete in because he just loves to run and loves distance,” said Special Olympics of Utah president and CEO Scott Weaver. “The World Games’ longest snowshoe race is 800 meters so he’s adjusting his strategy to run faster for the shorter event.”
For Palmer, getting to the World Games has been a long time coming as he had qualified before, but then saw the games get canceled due to COVID-19 and other unforeseen circumstances.
“We are just excited for Hyrum to finally get this experience,” said Weaver. “He is an athlete who is so committed and he’s competitive.”
Utah’s four dancers make up the country’s DanceSport delegation. Trey Garrett and Natalie Green will compete in Performing Arts Duo, while Andy Melville and Nora Schultz compete in Performing Arts Solo. Garrett, Green and Melville are all members of the Salt Lake Stars while Schultz is on Provo United.
“All of our dancers are amazing athletes and artists, and really make a dream team,” said DanceSport head coach Brooke Maxwell. “Each dancer was assigned a coach who helped them make their routine their own, while also helping them really take off in their performance.”
Dancers selected the genre they wanted to compete with. Melville’s contemporary piece engages the audience from the start, sharing a heartfelt message through his choreography. He’s been dancing since he was 10 years old, his mom Yukie said, picking up choreography quickly.
“I so excited to show the judges my solo,” said Melville. “I love dancing.”
Garrett and Green have a jazz routine that is fun and embraced by audiences. Both dancers never stop smiling across their dance, and their moves and costumes add to the brightness.
“Each athlete had a say in their costume, and Natalie and Trey wanted a lot of sparkles, so we made sure they got a lot of sparkles,” said Walker.
For Schultz, ballet was the genre of choice, and it’s evident why. Her performance highlights the depth of her skills throughout the routine, which is equally beautiful and moving.
“I’ve been dancing since I was 6 years old,” said Schultz. “I love dancing because it allows me to be myself through movement without having to say anything.”
Schultz, like the rest of Utah’s delegation, trains several days a week while balancing work and other commitments.
“My work is very flexible, they love that I am dancing, and they support me,” said Schultz. “They’ve got me covered and always tell me to have fun.”
Green is as busy as anyone. She’s a member of the U.S. Soccer Extended National Team (CP Women’s soccer team) and part of the Utah Royals FC Unified team. She also hosts a Unified Nation podcast with her dad titled “Dad n’ Nat.”
“All of our athletes train a lot and are committed to their sports,” said Weaver. “They also are holding down jobs, are engaged in other Special Olympics activities and activities outside of Special Olympics, and are busy at home.
“They have worked hard to get to this point, and they are ready to compete.”
