{"id":114679,"date":"2024-09-04T15:48:19","date_gmt":"2024-09-04T20:48:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/?p=114679"},"modified":"2024-12-27T14:56:21","modified_gmt":"2024-12-27T20:56:21","slug":"mulligan-invited-to-special-olympics-winter-games-in-italy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2024\/09\/04\/mulligan-invited-to-special-olympics-winter-games-in-italy\/","title":{"rendered":"Mulligan invited to Special Olympics Winter Games in Italy"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Rachel Mulligan joined the track and field team in high school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During her freshman year, Mulligan would get lapped during the 800-meter race.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By senior year, she had improved. Mulligan was no longer finishing last.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When she joined Special Olympics after high school graduation, Mulligan kept improving, and her confidence skyrocketed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, Mulligan is headed to Italy for the 2025 Special Olympics World Games in early March. She\u2019s the lone Nebraska athlete to earn an invite to the winter games this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was shocking,\u201d Mulligan said of receiving her invitation. \u201cAnd there was a lot of joy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mulligan has been participating in Special Olympics for about 14 years. She\u2019s tried plenty of sports \u2014 basketball, bocce ball, bowling, floor hockey, swimming, soccer and softball.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But one of her favorite sports \u2014 and the one she\u2019ll compete in during the Italy games \u2014 is cross-country skiing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shortly after high school graduation, one of her coaches noticed that Mulligan liked getting outdoors. Cross-country skiing stuck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This will be the second time Mulligan has competed in the Winter Games. She received a silver medal in the 2017 games held in Austria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mulligan\u2019s ties to Special Olympics date back to her grandfather, who was a volunteer at the first Special Olympics World Games in Chicago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Italy, Mulligan will be joined by her parents and extended family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her parents, Pam and Mike Mulligan, have seen their daughter open up since joining Special Olympics. She\u2019s tried new sports and has a job at the Munroe-Meyer Institute.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShe\u2019s really blossomed,\u201d Mike Mulligan said. \u201cShe\u2019s way more outgoing. She takes on challenges. It\u2019s really outside of the competition where you see her growth.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And she\u2019s made scores of friends \u2013 some who keep in touch via social media and others who routinely mail holiday cards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To prep for Italy, Mulligan has already ramped up her training. She\u2019s added in running, walking and weightlifting. A season pass to Mount Crescent, in Honey Creek, Iowa, and trips to Minnesota or Colorado will give her practice on the snow. She\u2019ll focus on perfecting gliding downhill ahead of the games.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s about doing your best,\u201d Mike Mulligan said. \u201cThat\u2019s what she does. It\u2019s not about the medal, it\u2019s about the race.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mulligan\u2019s advice to other athletes: \u201cTry it and find what sticks.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Rachel Mulligan has competed in all kinds of sports through Special Olympics Nebraska. And for the second time, she’ll compete in cross-country skiing at the Special Olympics Winter Games.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":140,"featured_media":114680,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"33140,59937,40122,100187,48518,39585","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-114679","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","department-munroe-meyer-institute","author_override-kelsey-kirk-unmc-strategic-communications"],"yoast_head":"\nMulligan invited to Special Olympics Winter Games in Italy<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Rachel Mulligan has competed in all kinds of sports through Special Olympics Nebraska. 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