Twins are ski-race veterans

When the Special Olympic state winter games kick off Sunday on Big Mountain, there will be a pair of athletes there who are anything but new to the slopes.

Twins Anne and Ryan Trout, 32, have been playing in the games since they were just 7 or 8 years old. And this year they're hoping to add more accolades to their already impressive cache of medals that includes several golds.

"Yup, I'm trying to medal this year," Ryan Trout said.

His expression indicates he's serious about the competition aspect of the games. He and his sister say they've been praying they'll do well in the games. But they quickly point out medals aren't the real purpose of Special Olympics.

"If you don't get a medal, that's OK," Anne Trout says, "you did your best and you tried."

Nonetheless, as longtime Special Olympics athletes, the twins know practice helps them play the game well, even if what matters isn't winning or losing.

They, along with five of their housemates at Lighthouse Christian Home in Somers, have been practicing for the games for several weeks. The Trouts' training regimen includes weight training and skiing twice a week, once at Big Mountain Resort and once at Blacktail Mountain Ski Area.

The twins will participate in the intermediate class of the alpine races held Sunday.

"The adrenaline's flowing," Anne Trout says.

She and her brother, though, say they're most looking forward to (other than maybe a gold or two) the opportunity to be a part of something so special.

"It's just a great experience," she said, "just seeing the smiles on athlete's faces."

The twins give much credit to the many volunteers and coaches who make the games happen. They also acknowledge another special set of helpers.

"Pretty much all the credit goes to our parents for getting us involved," Anne Trout said.

Their father is Jim Trout, Whitefish resident and president of Mountain West Bank. Their mother and stepfather are Lynda and Gerry Osborne of Whitefish. She works for an educational research testing company and he is a retired U.S. Forest Service employee.

"It's been a real big part of their social life," Lynda Osborne says, "and has been good for them physically, mentally and socially."

They initially got Ryan and Anne involved for social interaction, their father says. The twins stayed active in the games, although they've taken an occasional year off. They participate in summer games also with activities such as biking, running and basketball.

Their parents started Ryan Trout in Special Olympics before his sister because they discovered his disability earlier. Teachers suggested the games to enhance Ryan's physical and occupational therapy for gross motor skill development.

The Trouts put Anne Trout in the games to encourage her to pursue outdoor activities and to build her confidence, her mother said.

Ryan Trout is a natural athlete and has enjoyed the games for the athletics. He participated in the international games in Reno, Nev., in 1989 and earned a gold medal in cross country.

Special Olympics has given his sister confidence and made her more outgoing in addition to letting her be athletic, Jim Trout says.

"In a lot of ways," he says, "it gives them some identity to be an athlete."

Jim Trout served on the Special Olympics board of directors for four years the mid-1990s. In December 2004, Anne Trout finished up her three year term as an athlete member of the board.

The twins find that the attitude of the Special Olympic athletes is what keeps them participating year after year. People are positive and focused on fun, they say.

That's certainly the attitude fellow athlete Greg Kandas, 21, has going into the games.

"I don't care if I win or lose," he says. "All I want to do is have fun."

Kandas, who lives in Kalispell and works for Flathead Industries, will compete against the Trouts in the intermediate alpine events. Kandas has participated in past winter regional games, but this is his first time at state.

This is the ninth year Big Mountain has hosted the winter games.

Kandas has been skiing for about three years and already is competing in the intermediate class. But learning to ski took some time and plenty of tumbles, he says.

"But finally, one of the coaches said, 'That's enough, you're skiing down, not falling down,'" he jokes.

About 250 athletes are expected to come to the games, said Sue Bonin, the day service program manager for Flathead Industries, which provides programs, job training and housing assistance for disabled people.

While Kandas and the Trouts have healthy competitive edges, they'll be focusing on the positive energy and the many smiles that will exude from this year's Special Olympics winter games.

For more information, visit www.somt.org or call Special Olympics at 1-800-242-6876.

Reporter Camden Easterling can be reached at 758-4429 or by e-mail at ceasterling@dailyinterlake.com