Special Olympics Alaska sends off 2 athletes to compete in 2023 World Games in Germany

A pair of Alaska athletes are ready to embark on the trip of a lifetime, competing for the United States in the 2023 Special Olympics World Games in Berlin.

Eagle River’s Bobby Hill III and Palmer’s Gretchen Winter were celebrated at a sendoff in Anchorage last week as they prepare to compete on an international stage starting Saturday.

Emily Tymick, director of sports development and competition for Special Olympics Alaska, said the pair qualified based on events that were hosted in the state over the past year. Now they’ll showcase those skills halfway around the world.

“It is just going to be tough not to be over there cheering them on, but we’ll certainly be here in Alaska cheering them on all hours of the day and night,” she said.

Hill and Winter were selected to be among 133 U.S. athletes who will travel to Germany for the World Games.

For most of the World Games, Special Olympics Alaska typically sends one or two athletes, although on one occasion the state sent an entire basketball team.

“At the USA Games, we’ll typically send a larger delegation because it’s stateside,” Tymick said.

Hill has been involved with the Special Olympics for 36 years and will be taking part in his third World Games. Previous Games he participated in took place in Shanghai and the U.S.

He will be competing in powerlifting at this year’s Games and says “it feels good” to be able to represent his state and country.

Hill will take part in all three disciplines of powerlifting, which are bench press, deadlift and squat.

Hal Lloyd helps him train four times a week and has been coaching Hill since 2009.

“He’s performing at a higher level even though he’s older now at 44,” Lloyd said. “He’s lifting less weight, but he’s lost a lot of weight and by formula, he’s better than he used to be.”

He said Hill’s form and technique have allowed him to continue to compete at a high level as he’s aged.

“He’s what we call textbook perfect on squat,” Lloyd said. “It’s not a question of how much weight. For some of these people, just going through the motions with balance and control is huge.”

When they first met, Hill could squat around 315 pounds, and Lloyd believes that his loss in body mass has helped him live a better lifestyle.

“He’s setting a good example for being healthy in your 40s,” Lloyd said. “I’m proud of him.”

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Winter has been competing in the Special Olympics for about nine years and can’t wait to show off all her hard work on the world stage.

“It is very exciting and a little nerve-wracking at the same time,” she said.

She’ll compete in mid- and long-distance running races, as well as her first sprint relay.

Winter tries to run almost every day and prefers to train in the evenings because she doesn’t like waking up early.

“I’m super proud of Gretchen, and she is going to make the Mat-Su program super proud and they’re all going to be cheering for her,” Tymick said.

While she’s traveled out of the country, and specifically to Germany, multiple times as sort of a birthday tradition, this will mark her first trip overseas for a competition. Winter said it’s “pretty amazing” that she’s been able to come this far in her sport.

She went to Germany most recently in 2021 and celebrated her birthday there. The 2023 Games happen to overlap with her 31st birthday, and when she’s not competing, Winter plans to spend time with family and enjoy her favorite dessert.

“I don’t remember everything that’s in it, but it consists of a lot of apples and cinnamon,” she said. “It is very sweet and very rich.”

Although she won’t be traveling overseas with them or the rest of the U.S. delegation, Tymick will be monitoring their competitions and supporting them virtually — and wants to encourage the rest of Alaska to do the same.

Special Olympics has a partnership with ESPN, so several events will be broadcast on their networks and Special Olympics Alaska will be posting and sharing links and reminders about event times on its social media platforms.

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