Schulz reflects on Games

• Image

Chris Olson / The Sun Blaine Schulz shows off the silver medal and placement ribbons he won at the 2013 Special Olympics Winter World Games in PyeonChang, South Korea.

Talk about it

Five-time Special Olympics World Games’ competitor Blaine Schulz said Sunday he is glad to be back in Jamestown.

“It was a lot of fun meeting new people, the different food,” he said.

Schulz was in PyeonChang South Korea, for the 2013 Special Olympics Winter World Games. He ran in the men’s snowshoe 200-meter, 400-meter races and was the third leg of the 4x400-meter relay team.

Schulz earned a silver medal in the Division M20 200-meter final, took fourth in the Division M1 4x400-meter relay final and was seventh in the Division M8 400-meter final.

“It felt really good that I did my best and that is all I could ask for,” he said about how he fared in his events.

Schulz’s family hosted a welcome home reception at the Quality Inn on Sunday. About 40 family, friends and supporters stopped by to talk with Schulz about his experience and to welcome him home.

Schulz said the most difficult time he had during his preliminary races was in the 200.

“It rained that day. We were the only venue open,” he said.

He said he felt his best performance was in the 200-meter final. He came in second to a man from Saudi Arabia.

“I didn’t get a chance to talk with him, he was fast,” Schulz said.

Schulz’s father Terry said he learned the snowshoe runners from Saudi Arabia train in sand.

“That was kind of neat,” he said.

Blaine’s family traveled to South Korea to watch him compete. Terry said the South Korean people were friendly and very organized.

“They had school groups and people from retirement homes come in to fill the stands,” he said. “They would cheer and clap and a lot of them met with the athletes afterward. That was very nice.”

Blaine said he also enjoyed spending time with his teammates from the United States. All the U.S team members got together in Lake Placid, N.Y., in December so they could get to know each other. The Lake Placid meeting was the only time Schulz got the chance to train with the other members of the relay team.

While he enjoyed most of the food he tried while in South Korea, there was one food item he didn’t care for.

“I didn’t like kimchi, it didn’t taste good,” he said.

Kimchi is the Korean version of sauerkraut.

Schulz was back to work Monday at Walmart and will be back rooting for his favorite team in college sports, the Jamestown College Jimmies.

Sun reporter Chris Olson can be reached at 701-952-8454 or by email at colson@jamestownsun.com

Tags: special olympics, sports