Contact: Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon
E-mail: dolores@wiclarkcountyhistory.org
Surnames: Shilts, Teter
----Source: Clark County Press (Neillsville, Clark Co., WI) 1/15/2020
Neillsville Native Vies for Gold Again at X-Games (Shilts - 2020)
Local snowboarder Daina Shilts has been number one at several Winter X-Games and other international snowboarding competitions. She hopes to win another gold medal at this year’s Winter X-Games. File photo
By Ryan Spoehr
Neillsville resident Daina Shilts, is going back to an international athletic platform which she has dominated in the past.
Late last month, Shilts was notified that she qualified for the Special Olympics Unified Snowboarding Race in the dual slalom in this year’s Winter X-Games in Aspen, CO. It is the same event she participated in during her five other X-Games appearances. This race will be at Buttermilk Mountain in Aspen.
“I’m getting excited,” Shilts said.
She has been training for this opportunity at Bruce Mound, Rib Mountain and Granite Peak.
“I’ve been training for speed and to go around the gates faster,” Shilts said.
She has again been paired with Hannah Teter, her longtime partner in these events and an Olympic gold medalist in her own right.
“We’re going for the gold,” Shilts said.
The duo received gold medals at the 2014 World Winter Games in PyeongChang, South Korea, and again in Styria, Austria, in 2017.
Shilts said she has been getting nervous about the competition.
“If you ask any of my coaches if I get nervous, they’d say I get nervous before every event,” Shilts said. “My nerves play a good pa.rt in my competing.
“My coaches are always good about getting my nerves calm and telling me when I’m doing well.”
Shilts said some of her Special Olympics teammates had a competition this past weekend in downhill skiing, and she felt as though seeing them compete may help her.
“It’ll be the first competition to see to get my nerves settled,” Shilts said.
ESPN will broadcast the X-Games live on its main TV channel, ESPN 2, ABC and the ESPN app. The local ABC affiliates in Clark County are WAOW 9 in Wausau, WQOW 18 is in Eau Claire and WXOW 19 in La Crosse, Jan. 23 coverage will be on ESPN and the ESPN app at 9 p.m. central time.
This year’s X-Games conclude Jan. 26.
Above is Neillsville resident Daina Shilts Competing in a prior year’s X-Games, which has become a familiar sight for those who follow winter sports in Clark County. She has appeared in five Winter X-Games/ She is poised to compete at the yearly event for the sixth time later this month. File Photo
