Mission Mountain Empowerment athletes, who call themselves the Mission Mountain Grizzlies, attended their first Special Winter Olympics on the slopes and brought home multiple medals after years of lessons at Blacktail Mountain Ski Area.  

The Bitterroot Winter Games were held at Lost Trail Ski Area on March 4-5, with about 60 participants. The Grizzles enjoyed a two-day event that included practice runs, a banquet and the official games with five participants and five winners.  

MME clients participated in snowboarding and snowshoeing. Snowboarders Cody Merritt placed first and Danny Helmer took second. Snowshoers Jessica Kent took first, with Jessica Carter and Sylivia Bond trailing her in second place.  

Bond, a newer client to MME, had competed in snowshoeing many times before and advocated for the Grizzlies to take on their first year of the Winter Olympics. And after three years of skiing and snowboarding lessons at Blacktail, Special Olympics coach and Engagement and Vocation Director Kristen Wurster felt they were ready to take on the winter hills.  

Lauren Oliver, the executive director, said she got the idea for lessons while looking for an activity to do during the winter and now Blacktail has an instructor who has been training their group for four years and requests their clients.  

“One of the coolest things I've ever been a part of is to watch them do that, and to do something that I love and that I was able to introduce to them, that they've never tried before,” Oliver said.  

Wurster explained that Blacktail has been very accommodating and excellent to work with. The winter activity allows them to build an active lifestyle and experience the winter sports culture.  

Oliver explained that they were able to obtain grant funding from the state because the lessons are considered a therapeutic activity.  

Wurster said it’s hard to put into words how amazing the trip was. She explained the entire mountain was closed for the event and the area was full of caretakers, family members and the athletes.  

While the weather on day two was “brutal,” the small-town feel was topped with accommodating staff and local businesses, who supported their clients the entire time.   

The Bitterroot games also selected Helmer to carry the Olympic torch to highlight the new team and hyped them up for their first year as participants. Oliver also noted that the three staff members who went with the team went above and beyond to ensure their client's success.  

According to Oliver, competing in their sports helps build clients' self-esteem and achieve something that may have felt unattainable. Wurster added that they’ve watched a client who has struggled with consistency and now never misses a lesson and enjoys learning something new and sometimes difficult.  

Wurster said that the client is now seeing their own process and willing to persevere through the discomfort of the bulky gear.  

Clients have also witnessed MME staff learn to ski alongside them and struggle just like they do. When clients fall, Oliver says, “Why do we fall?” “To get back up!” It’s a quote she borrowed from Batman, but it wins her points with the clients. 

Wurster also said they have found ways to help clients navigate the slopes by building a large stop sign with pizza on it, to remind them how to stop on the mountain.  

Oliver said funding for this trip comes from the Special Olympics fund, which they do fundraisers for. The Montana Special Olympics Program collects the funds raised and divvies them among the teams to cover uniforms, travel and equipment costs.   

After hearing about their cold gold medal weekend, Oliver said they have skiers who are currently taking lessons now in hopes of attending next year’s games.   The Mission Mountain Grizzlies pose with the Mission Mountain Empowerment staff at Lost Trail Ski Area during the Bitterroot Winter Games. (Kristen Wurster/Courtesy of Mission Mountain Empowerment)