Woodbury Resident Prepares for Special Olympics in Athens

Woodbury resident Kristina Fritz will soon be on a plane bound for the country where the first Olympics began thousands of years ago.

Fritz, 33, will join seven other Minnesota athletes and many more participants from across America for the 13th Special Olympics World Summer Games, which unite 7,000 Special Olympics athletes from 180 nations to compete in 22 Olympic-type sports June 25 through July 4.

Fritz, who suffered with epilepsy before having brain surgery to correct the malady, said she’s been involved with Special Olympics for a decade, competing in local events, such as bowling, swimming, bocce, basketball and softball.

During the games, Fritz said she will compete in two track-and-field events: the 800-meter walk and the 400-meter walk.

“It will be my first time traveling outside of the U.S., and I’m pretty excited,” she said.

A Training Trip

Fritz and the other U.S. athletes competing in the games recently returned from a training session in San Diego, Calif., which ran March 27-31.

The Special Olympics athletes met with coaches, learned training techniques, and even had some downtime to soak up the West Coast sun and enjoy the sites.

Kristen Lancaster, marketing and communications manager for Team USA Special Olympics, said the training camp was a good way for those participating in the games to get an idea of what to expect before they set foot on the tracks, dive into the pools, sprint out onto the courts or enter any other fields of play for their particular sports in Athens.

Events for the camp included an opening ceremony featuring Olympic decathlete and founder of Special Olympics Southern California Rafer Johnson and a Closing Ceremony/Greek Night featuring Olympic softball player Amanda Freed. Athletes from Special Olympics Team USA were also be fitted for their uniforms and had team photos taken during camp.

Fritz said she’ll make use of the training she learned from the coaches during the camp at the University of San Diego, and she thoroughly enjoyed the sites and sounds the city had to offer when she and her team members got to tour the area.

A World Experience

Fritz said she’s eager for June to arrive so she can travel to Athens and begin competing in the games. She hopes to medal in one or both of her events, but even if she doesn’t, the experience will likely be worthwhile.

“Medaling would be good, but I’m just anxious to see how many countries are going to be there in Athens,” she said.

When Fritz signed up for the Special Olympics games, she needed a multiple letters of recommendation to compete. Friends, family members and coworkers—Fritz works as a greeter at the Woodbury Wal-Mart—all expressed their written support for her, and she said they’re happy she got selected, but possibly a bit envious of the trip she’s about to take.

“They were a little jealous," she said with a laugh. “They wish they would be getting packed into my suitcase.”

For more information on Special Olympics Team USA, click here, or visit the Special Olympics World Summer Games official website.