IA Special Olympic Athletes Return - CBS4 - WHBF Quad Cities, IL-IA News Weather Sports

IA Special Olympic Athletes Return

By Natalie Zarowny
nzarowny@cbs4qc.com

Special Olympic athletes Debbie McDaniel and Stuart Brown are back in the U.S., bringing home six medals between them.

The snowshoeing duo said they had the time of their life in South Korea.

"It's a fun experience and I'm glad I represent team U.S.A," said Stuart.

It was both Debbie and Stuart's first time out of the country.

But the culture shock wasn't the hardest thing to adjust to; it was the fifteen hour time difference.

"Learning the times, and learning your sleep habit, when you had to get up and when you had to sleep," said Debbie.

Debbie and Stuart were two of nearly 3,000 athletes with intellectual disabilities competing in South Korea, from over a hundred countries around the world.

"It's a chance I'll never get again," said Stuart.

Their coach, Marie Randol, wasn't able to join the pair.

But when she heard the news that they'd medalled...

"I went wow, you know they trained really well, they did their best, what more can you ask for out of athletes?" said Marie.

And Debbie and Stuart said they couldn't have done it without her.

"If it wasn't for her, we'd probably never get to go," said Stuart.

The next winter Special Olympics aren't for another four years, but both Debbie and Stuart said they're going to start training for next time right away.