KEARNEY — Craig Schutt couldn’t stop grinning as he showed the two gold medals and one silver medal he earned in powerlifting at the 2022 Special Olympics USA June 5-12 in Orlando, Florida.
Allie Moore was all smiles, too, as she showed the three gold medals she won in Orlando in bowling: one for doubles, one for singles and one for team competition.
Moore was “shocked” to learn she had won even one gold medal, never mind three. “It didn’t hit me until they put it around my neck,” she said. “It was always my dream to win one. I always do the best I can.”
Schutt, 29, of Shelton, and Moore, 30, of Kearney, earned six of the 42 medals that 24 members of Team Nebraska brought home from the Special Olympics two weeks ago. That included 14 golds, seven silver and six bronze.
The event had 5,500 participants from all 50 states and drew 124,000 spectators.
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“It was an amazing experience for them,” said Jenn Behlmann, head of delegation for the Special Olympics in Kearney. “Both Craig and Allie are versatile, talented athletes in a lot of different sports.”
Special Olympians are people over the age of 8 who have a cognitive or intellectual disability, or who have an Individualized Learning Plan at school. This area’s 84 registered participants come from Kearney, Shelton, Ravenna, Pleasanton, Elm Creek and Minden.
Schutt and powerlifting
A Special Olympics participant for eight years, Schutt has been doing power lifting for nearly five years. He works out from 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. five days a week at Kearney CrossFit. His personal trainer there is Josh Thompson. “Competition has made me stronger,” he said.
His best lift is the squat. On his first attempt, he lifted 248 pounds, but he’s since raised that to 300. At the Special Olympics, he pulled 413 pounds on the deadlift and took first place in the overall, which is a combination of the squat, bench press and deadlift.
“I think it is so cool to see a young man commit to his fitness and goals like Craig did,” Trevor Brown, owner of Kearney CrossFit, said.
Schutt, who is employed at Casey’s, competed at Shelton High School in track and field, cross country and basketball, but he is passionate about powerlifting. “I was very happy to get chosen for the Special Olympics, and I’d like to go again. I’ll try to get the bench up doing the 200,” he said.
Strikes and spares
For Moore, the games were especially rewarding because she injured her knee last October. In January, she began working with physical therapists Jen McBride and Elizabeth Muller to strengthen her knees and legs so she could delay surgery and participate in the games.
“Without both of their help, I wouldn’t have been able to go,” Moore said. “Now, because of how strong I am, there’s a good chance I won’t need surgery.”
Moore has been competing in the Special Olympics for 10 years. She had always enjoyed bowling, but by the time she was 15, she began to focus more seriously on her form and skills. She trained at, and was supported by, Big Apple Fun Center.
“To me, bowling isn’t about bowling a perfect game or getting a gold medal. It’s just the experience, making friends and memories and playing in all the tournaments,” she said. “Bowling can just be a fun night with family and friends.”
She now bowls 32 weeks a year with three bowling leagues three times a week and also bowls for the United States Bowling Association. For three years, she has been involved in USBA national competitions. This week, she was at one such competition in Addison, Ill.
Behlmann’s passion
As head of delegation, Behlmann organizes the 12 Special Olympics sports offered in Kearney, finds coaches, submits paperwork and makes sure Special Olympics guidelines and rules are followed. “It’s a huge undertaking,” she said.
She has held her current title for eight years. She got involved in the Special Olympics 22 years ago because her special-needs son wanted to be involved, “and it was just easier for me to be there. Now it’s just a part of who we are as a family,” she said.
Sports include basketball, bowling, equestrian, flag football, gymnastics, powerlifting, soccer, swimming, track and field, unified bowling and volleyball and, new this year, softball and bocce. Bocce has taken off, attracting 43 players, Behlmann said.
“I’ve always been kind of a coach, too. I do more with bowling, but I am there for the others,” she said. “I am pretty involved in everything.”
Road to Orlando
Athletes who went to Orlando first competed in local and state rounds. To be eligible for the national competition, they had to win a first or second on the state level in one particular sport. Then they had to apply to state officials to go to Orlando to compete in that sport only.
Schutt, for example, excels in track as well as power lifting, but athletes could compete in just one sport at nationals.
A Nebraska committee examined the applications and decided who would represent Team Nebraska in the national competition. “It’s a very intense environment.” Behlmann said.
The physical demands of the event were “tremendous,” she added. “They walked five to 10 miles a day in 95-degree heat and 95% humidity. They have to be able to meet demands, take direction and more,” she said.
Along with 42 medals, Team Nebraska athletes won other recognition, including six fourth-place awards, four fifth-place, three sixth-place, and one each for seventh and eighth place.
As a side benefit in Orlando, athletes had their hearing and vision evaluated and were given dental checkups. If needed, they received free hearing aids, free glasses and free sports goggles. They were also counseled on how to stay hydrated during competition, and more.
“A lot of people don’t have access to good health care. Nebraska does a good job with that,” Behlmann said.
Like the Special Olympics USA, the World Special Olympics are held every four years. They will take place in Germany in 2023. “For the World Games, it’s hard to qualify and hard to participate,” Behlmann said.
But in 2019, Kearney resident Katie Philpot won two gold and two silver medals in swimming in the World Special Olympics in Abu Dhabi. The city of Kearney held a joyous parade for her when she came home.
Fun and friends
To Special Olympics athletes like Moore, benefits of participating go far beyond medals. “Bowling to me isn’t about bowling a perfect game or getting a gold medal. It’s just the experience, making friends and memories and all the tournaments,” she said.
She said she has never won at USBA competition, “but I’ve met people from all 50 states. If I do well and win money, great, but going to places I’ve never been and meeting new people is the real reward,” she said. “It’s the experiences you have, the people you meet, the long friendships you can make. Those memories last forever.”
She also credits the support from friends, the staff at the Big Apple and her mother and stepfather, Janet and Steve Anderson.
Last month in Orlando, “A dream came true,” she said. “Even if I hadn’t brought home a medal, I can always be proud of what I did.”