On March 21, 2018

Hundreds of Special Olympians competed in Vermont Winter Games at Pico

KILLINGTON—For the first time, Pico Mountain hosted the Special Olympics Vermont Winter Games March 18-20.

“This will be my first Winter Games experience, and the first time Special Olympics Vermont has hosted the event at Pico,” said Sue Minter, president and CEO of the statewide organization, before the event. “We are honored by the warm welcome we’ve received from the Killington and Rutland communities and look forward to some amazing snow conditions for the Games!”

The Winter Games began on Sunday, March 18, with the opening ceremony and the parade of athletes at Pico. Community members cheer ed on the 300 athletes and unified partners that competed in the Games.

Competition in Alpine skiing, snowboarding, cross country skiing, and snowshoeing began the following day, March 19, and continued through Tuesday, March 20. Athletes also enjoyed a dinner and dance at the Killington Grand on Monday evening.

Eunice Kennedy Shriver started Special Olympics in 1968 as a backyard sports program for people with intellectual disabilities. This year, 2018, marks the 50th anniversary of what has grown into a global movement.

“Fifty years later, Special Olympics now involves 5 million athletes in 170 countries around the world with sports, health, and leadership programming,” said Minter. “This 50th anniversary year is an exciting pivot point: we are celebrating our past and how far we’ve come, while setting big goals for our future. In the next 50 years, we will expand the number of participants and build a new generation of understanding and inclusion.”

Photo courtesy of Special Oympics Vermont
A special olympian at the Vermont Winter Games celebrates his podium finish with a smile.

Do you want to submit feedback to the editor?

Send Us An Email!

Related Posts

Two members, including chair, resign from the Commission on the Future of Public Education in Vermont

June 25, 2025
By Corey McDonald/VTDigger Two members of the Commission on the Future of Public Education in Vermont, including the commission’s chair, announced last week they would be resigning, saying they no longer believed their efforts would make any impact. Meagan Roy, the chair of the commission, and Nicole Mace, the former representative of the Vermont School Boards…

Vt plastic bag use dropped 91% following ban, researchers find

June 25, 2025
In the midst of 2020 Covid measures, another change took place in Vermont: A law went into effect banning businesses from offering plastic bags to customers, with paper bags only available for a fee. A 2023 analysis of a survey of hundreds of Vermonters found the law appeared to have worked. Plastic bag use in…

Pride in Rutland: Flags, resistance, and showing up

June 25, 2025
By Emily Pratt Slatin Pride returned to downtown Rutland this June with more color, noise, and purpose than ever before. What began as a joyful celebration quickly became something deeper—something that felt like resistance. And belonging. And a promise that no one in this community has to stand alone. The day kicked off with the…

Plan to manage 72,000 acres of the Telephone Gap project is finalized

June 25, 2025
Staff report The U.S. Forest Service issued its final plan for managing 72,000 acres of public and private land on June 16. The proposed Telephone Gap Integrated Resource Project area is located on the Green Mountain National Forest (GMNF) within the towns of Brandon, Chittenden, Goshen, Killington, Mendon, Pittsfield, Pittsford, and Stockbridge. “The Telephone Gap project is…