Special Olympians claim gold at World Winter Games

Brandon Burtis and Shaine Yoder have a few good reasons to hold their heads high. Both athletes won gold medals during the 2005 Special Olympics World Winter Games in Nagano, Japan, in February. Burtis and Yoder are two of five Idaho Special Olympians who represented the United States after qualifying for the World Games during state games in 2004.

“It means quite a bit,” Burtis said. “It makes me feel like I actually did something, I guess.”

While modest about their wins, they faced nearly 2,000 athletes from 80 countries and each brought home gold.

Burtis, 21, won first place in the Men’s Advanced Giant Slalom snowboard competition with a time of 1:47.82. In addition, he rounded up a silver medal during the Men’s Advanced Slalom with a time of 1:42.19, and he took fifth place in Men’s Advanced Super Glide.

Yoder, 31, won a gold medal in Nordic skiing after picking up the sport three years ago. She scored first place in the 100-meter Nordic ski race with a time of 43.85 seconds. She also won a bronze for the 50-meter Nordic ski race.

“I wasn’t expecting anything in return, but whatever I got I was good with,” she said.

Yoder said the best part was the experience of being in a different country. The athletes stayed with host families in Japan and got a few tastes of Japanese food. Her parents, Earle and Sue Walker, watched from home, checking her times online as they were updated. They often got up before dawn hoping for the best.

“At that point in time there was no one faster in the world than she was,” said Earle. “That was real exciting for us.”

Burtis said the competition was more than he expected from the get-go. He said he was nervous, but he didn’t let it faze him at the starting gates.

“It’s not a good thing to race and be nervous at the same time,” he said. “It’s like having too much chocolate in one day.”

His parents, Roxann Burtis and Rainer Kisle, traveled to Japan to watch him race. Kisle said he thought his son’s trip to the World Summer Games in Ireland during 2003 for cycling was a once-in-a-lifetime chance. During that competition, he took third- and fourth-place finishes.

With more competitive athletes on the slopes and fewer practice runs because of low snowfall this year in North Idaho, Burtis stepped up his skills for the winter games and still came out on top.

“When they get up on the podium, they were absolutely ecstatic,” said Kisle.

Burtis said his next challenge will be to get a good job so he can begin supporting himself. Yoder, who works on a janitorial crew and volunteers at Kootenai Medical Center, attempted to practice on the weekends. But without much snow, she was only able to practice two days this year.

She said she was happy to be going and to have the chance to have fun with friends and fellow athletes.

“Even if you lose, you win,” she said. “It doesn’t matter.”

Kisle said all the athletes showed a strong sense of sportsmanship, giving each other hugs and high-fives after their races.

“They’re cheering every other athlete whether they’re in their competition or not,” he said.

The trip lasted about two weeks, and Burtis said he was glad to be back home to American food and milkshakes. Both athletes plan to mount their medals beside other trophies and awards.