Special Olympians seek medals in skating
Editor's note: A photo caption has been updated to identify Special Olympics figure skater Mary Bruck of Naperville.
Special Olympians with a need for speed or a taste for grace will be wrapping up their races and performances today in a statewide skating competition in Romeoville.
Fifteen speed skaters and 28 figure skaters began taking to the rink Wednesday at Canlan Ice Sports, aiming to snag a medal as one of the top Special Olympics ice athletes in the state.
From the Northwest and West suburbs, 21 skaters with intellectual or developmental disabilities are hoping to medal in events including races of 111, 333, 500 or 777 meters and figure skating competitions at several levels.
Among them are speed skater Mallory Taylor of Naperville, who loves to go fast, and figure skater Abby Stanton of Lake in the Hills, who loves to dip and dance - and win medals.
Mallory, 18, who has Down syndrome, is competing in the 111-, 333- and 500-meter races with her long-bladed skates to aid in speed. She got her start on the ice at age 4 with a club now called Chicago Blackhawks Special Hockey and began racing for speed at age 8.
"I like to do the 100 and 300 - short distances," Mallory said. "I love being on the ice because it makes me feel like I'm a good hockey player and I'm a good skater."
Abby, 16, who has Down syndrome, is all about the hardware. She'll compete in compulsories, a performance of a predetermined set of skating moves to demonstrate skills, and also in a short program set to her choice of song, "Shut Up and Dance" by Walk the Moon.
"I want to win a medal," said Abby, who scored a gold last year during her fifth competition in Special Olympics.
Participating suburban athletes come to the event representing Western DuPage Special Recreation Association in Carol Stream, Northern Illinois Special Recreation Association in Crystal Lake, Elite Stars in Schaumburg and Northwest Special Recreation Association in Rolling Meadows.
After one day of skating, things were looking good for figure skaters Grace Hseih of Hoffman Estates, who hit her technical elements to her satisfaction, and Mary Bruck of Naperville, who loves the crowd and feeds off applause.
Grace, 16, who has a cognitive impairment and autism, said she turned in a solid performance at her third skating state finals without any nerves.
"I did my waltz jump and my other skills well and I did good," Grace said.
Mary, 22, who has Down syndrome, had her parents and a few friends in the audience to watch her complete compulsories and short program without falling. And she did it all on a work day before heading to her job as an assistant to skating coaches at All Seasons Ice Rink in Naperville.
"I like to do my skating moves," Mary said. "I stayed on my feet."
Parents of these skating Special Olympians say they're happy they don't have to travel far for the state championships.
"It's worked out great for our family," said speed skater Mallory's mother, Bonnie Taylor. "We had to leave it for a few years and now we're back."
Ice skating contests used to take place in Galena along with Special Olympic snowshoeing and cross-country skiing until officials changed venues in 2014, said Alexandra McMillan, manager of communications for Special Olympics Illinois.
"We've seen growth in our numbers thanks to this move," McMillan said, about the skating competitions, which has 31 participants at the lowest in 2013 before growing to 42 last year and 43 this year. "It made it possible for a lot more skaters to be competing, which is fantastic."
The festivities began with an opening ceremony hosted by Rob Johnson of CBS 2 Chicago. Some athletes and their families then attended a dinner and dance Wednesday night at the Holiday Inn in Bolingbrook. Awards will be handed out after the skating wraps up today.