James Turk

Athlete of the Month

James has recently become a Special Olympics Colorado athlete and has been competing for about 6 months. He first got involved after his mom, Brittany, researched special needs sports and found out that he was able to participate in Special Olympics. Since joining, he has loved every activity he has done!

So far, James has competed in bowling and basketball. He had an amazing time competing in bowling in the fall and is now learning new skills at basketball practice.

James’ favorite part about competing in Special Olympics Colorado is making new friends. He loves seeing the same kids week after week and building relationships with them.

His favorite memory from bowling was scoring over 100!  He figured out how to position the ramp and push the ball to score high. “His celebration dances are pretty amazing,” said Brittany, who also mentioned that Regional and State Bowling were especially fun with so many friends bowling around him.

In his free time, James likes to watch Colorado Sports on TV and pretend to play for the Broncos and Avalanche. He’s fully invested in playing football and hockey when he’s older. He also enjoys watching sports highlights on YouTube, going to school and swimming.

Congratulations, James, on being recognized as the January Athlete of the Month!

The Krems Family

Family of the Month

When Rylan, a Special Olympics Colorado athlete, was looking for an opportunity to continue playing soccer after high school, the Krems family was introduced to Denise Hustrom, a Spectrum Coach at the time and now the Volunteer Manager for Special Olympics Colorado. “The rest is history,” exclaimed Deb Krems, Rylan’s mother.

Soccer led to flag football, which led to Alpine Skiing, then basketball and softball. “Before we knew it, Rylan enjoyed Special Olympics so much, she was competing year-round,” said Deb.

Time went by and eventually, Rylan’s father, Cole, joined in on the fun. “After cheering her on at all Regionals and State Games, Cole volunteered as a member of the Alpine Course Support Crew for SOCO, setting up and tearing down the racecourse every practice weekend and at the SOCO State Winter Games in Copper Mountain,” explained Deb.

The Krems family has done it all and made many incredible memories along the way. “We enjoyed traveling to Orlando, FL to support SOCO at the USA National Games, enjoyed watching the Rapids Unified Team on multiple occasions and always, always enjoy all the State Games,” said Deb. “Many of our best memories come from meeting Rylan’s outstanding teammates and coaches and from the many friends we have also made along the way.”

Deb said that they have enjoyed the opportunity to watch such talented athletes, invested parents, awesome coaches, and thankless volunteers interact and support this unique and inclusive community.  “The competition and sense of accomplishment all athletes get from giving 100% effort and having fun, makes it such an amazing thing to experience as spectators,” she said.

Overall, Deb said that Special Olympics Colorado has paved the way for many wonderful things for their family, and especially Rylan. “SOCO has provided a welcoming environment to compete, be herself, make lifelong friends and it even led to her meeting her boyfriend and now husband, Michael!”

Congratulations to the Krems family! We are excited to recognize you as the January Family of the Month!