Statesville City Council Welcomes Mr. Brent Troutman to provide an update on Special Olympics Iredell County

The Statesville City Council was pleased to have friends from Iredell County Special Olympics join the Council meeting on Monday, January 13, 2025. Bobby Williams was on hand to introduce Mr. Brent Troutman:

"We are very grateful from the support we receive from the City of Statesville." said Bobby Wiliams. "I feel very honored and very privileged to be the Local Coordinator for Special Olympics Iredell County". "Tonight, we are honored to have Mr. Brett Troutman with us and he is going to share some information with you about Special Olympics."

Brett Troutman Speech

Good evening, I would like to thank you all for allowing me and my fellow athletes to join you today. We proudly represent more than 300 athletes who train and compete in Special Olympics Iredell County. My name is Brett Troutman, and I have been an athlete for the past 17 years.

Each year I train in golf and bowling and compete in Special Olympics North Carolina Summer and Fall Games. So far, I have won over 12 medals. My favorite thing about being an athlete with Special Olympics Iredell County is representing my county and my team and showing the world that athletes like me have hopes and dreams just like everyone else. I like showing people just what we are capable of when given the chance.  I also like telling jokes. You want to hear a few? OK, great.

What is the difference between a golfer and a fisherman?  When a golfer lies, he doesn’t have to bring anything home to prove it!

And one more: What should you do if you’re caught in a lightning storm during a round of golf? Hold your 1-iron up high because even God can’t hit a 1-iron.

Well, that’s enough joking around.

We are here tonight to share with you what it means to be an athlete with Special Olympics and to invite you to join us for our annual Polar Plunge.

When people think about Special Olympics, many will recall the track and field event held at Statesville High School each year. Lots of people think that one day IS Special Olympics but I am here to tell you there is so much more to Special Olympics. It’s more than a day; it’s more than sports; it’s more than you would ever expect. Special Olympics offers people with intellectual disabilities a lifetime of engagement. Through Special Olympics, athletes develop physical fitness, remain socially engaged, demonstrate courage and experience joy.

Special Olympics Iredell County offers 15 Olympic style sports year-round.  From Alpine Skiing to Volleyball, athletes train for a minimum of eight weeks and compete in regional invitations and Special Olympics North Carolina State Games.  State games are held in winter, summer and fall. In 2024, 46 athletes and 11 unified partners from Iredell County competed in state level competition and brought home more than 95 medals.

Some athletes are lucky enough to be selected to compete in USA and World Games. I would like to recognize my friend and fellow athlete, Chase Stroud who won a silver medal in bocce at USA Games in Seattle Washington.

By the way, Chase and his family were named the Special Olympics North Carolina Family of the Year in 2023.

As I mentioned earlier, Special Olympics is more than sports. Did you know that our athletes gain valuable leadership and public speaking experience by training as Global Messengers, Health Messengers and by being selected to serve on the State Athlete Council? Tonight, we are joined by Reece Williams who has served in all of these roles. In February Reece will attend Capitol Hill Day in Washington, DC where he will speak with members of Congress about the impact of Special Olympics on his life. And in just a few short weeks, Chase will begin his term on the Special Olympics North Carolina Athlete Council.

So, as you can see Special Olympics really is more than a day and more than just sports. It is a place to have fun, to do your best and try new things. It’s a place where families can network and support each other. No matter the outcome of our competitions, athletes competing in Special Olympics are all winners. What we gain from training and competing helps us be more physically activity, allows us time to interact with our friends and opens the door for inclusion. The impact of this program is immeasurable and life changing.

Of course, none of this would be possible without the generous support of our community. Tonight, we want to extend our most sincere thanks to the City of Statesville and in particular Statesville Recreation and Parks Department for your support. The City of Statesville and Statesville Recreation and Parks are our only platinum level donors.  On behalf of all Special Olympics Iredell County athletes, I want to thank you for providing countless hours of staff support, the use of your facilities and vehicles so that my fellow athletes and I can train and compete without any financial stress. Without your in-kind donations, we would not be able to continue in the sports we love. Our local competitions, like Spring Games would be impossible. So, thank you again, to the City of Statesville and to Richard Griggs and his staff for being our biggest fans and our biggest supporters.

I am also here tonight to invite you to participate in our annual Special Olympics Iredell County Polar Plunge on Saturday, February 15, 2025. We challenge each of you to join us as we go Freezin’ for a Reason. Our goal for this one event is $27,000. You can help by creating a fundraising page in our honor as a team or as an individual. Every penny raised stays right here at the local level. We use this money to pay for uniforms, sports equipment, housing, transportation and meals for our athletes. As you entered the room tonight, you were given a flyer with a link to register to take the plunge. I hope you will join us.  

Again, I want to thank you for investing in us. Thank you for believing in us. Thank you for helping us show the world what we CAN do. Thank you for giving us a lifetime of engagement.

Polar Plunge benefiting Special Olympics

Join us for the 2025 Special Olympics Iredell County Polar Plunge on Saturday, February 15, 2025 at the City of Statesville Leisure Pool!!

Schedule of Events:

10am: Registration opens

10:30a: Opening Ceremonies

10:40a: Costume Contest

11am: PeeWee Plunge

11:10a: Plunge

11:45a: Awards

Learn More or Start Fundraising Now!

WATCH the Full Replay of the FULL January 13, 2025 City Council Meeting and Brett's Speech here:

Special Olympics Iredell County

The mission of Special Olympics is to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes and the community.

Learn more about Special Olympics Iredell County here.