Alpine Skiing
Catlin Bray of Watauga County
Matthew Carpenter of Johnston County

Figure Skating
Caitlyn Belk of Mecklenburg County
David Wilches of Mecklenburg
County

Caitlyn, 13, has been competing in aquatics, ice skating and bowling since 2003. She loves Special Olympics because it makes her feel good about herself! She is very excited to go to Idaho, a state she has never visited before. She is looking forward to meeting new friends there.

Catlin, 22, has been involved in Special Olympics North Carolina for more than 13 years. She participated in Florida before moving to North Carolina. She is very excited to move into a new group home in Boone. Catlin competes in Alpine skiing, aquatics, basketball, cheerleading, soccer and volleyball. She loves making new friends and is excited to meet people from all over the world at the Special Olympics World Winter Games. She also loves to travel and listen to music. She is especially proud of all of her Special Olympics North Carolina gold medals! She is currently the treasurer of the Aktion Club, a Kiwanis community service club for people with intellectual disabilities. She enjoyed being co-emcee at the Opening Ceremonies for the 2008 Special Olympics Southeast Region Alpine Skiing & Snowboarding competition. She is currently is participating in a follow-along program at Watauga Opportunities as she finds a new job.

Matthew, 24, has been participating in Special Olympics for eight years. He keeps busy training year-round in Alpine skiing, basketball, bowling, golf, tennis and volleyball. For the past five years, Matthew has worked as a lobby attendant at the Bojangles Restaurant in Selma. He is very active in Special Olympics. In addition to training and competing; Matthew participates in Special Olympics fundraisers, helping the Knights of Columbus sell hotdogs, tootsie rolls, wash cars. He enjoys working rodeos and equestrian events as a volunteer too. Special Olympics has given him some terrific opportunities over the years as well. He has played basketball during the halftime of a NC State University Men’s Basketball Game, participated in the annual SONC/UNC Basketball Clinic and a clinic with the Campbell University Women’s Basketball Team and even a clinic hosted by the UNC Women’s Volleyball team. He is very excited to meet people from all over the world when he goes to Idaho. He is also excited to try the skiing on the powder you find on the slopes in Idaho. He is quite proud of his ability to get faster skiing around posts without falling down and he wants to continue to work on increasing his speed before the World Games. He has won several honors throughout the years, he won the 2008 SONC Johnston County and SONC Triangle Area “Athlete of the Year” awards. In 2005, Matthew’s family won the 2005 SONC “Family of the Year” honor.