Meet the Minnesotans competing in the 2025 Special Olympics World Winter Games

Seniors and staff at the Waters of Kingsley Shores in Lakeville gathered last week, waving small American flags to send off Bethany Mussell before she left for Italy on Tuesday.

Mussell, 42, is a Bloomington resident who’s worked as a concierge at Kingsley Shores for two years. She’s one of four Minnesotans competing at the 2025 Special Olympics World Winter Games in Turin, Italy. Mussell and Chris Knoll of Stillwater will represent the U.S. as alpine skiers alongside 28 other skiers from the U.S.

“I’ve never been to Italy, and this is my first time going to the World Games,” Mussell said. “I’m hoping to be on the podium, too.”

Drew Hennen of Shakopee and Michael Froehling of Hastings will compete in snowshoeing. Froehling began snowshoeing six years ago, and Hennen started about three years ago. It has been difficult to train for snowshoeing recently due to the lack of snow, but Froehling said he has continued running and working out to stay prepared. On the other hand, Hennen went to Salt Lake City for his snowshoe training, but Utah was short on snow, as well, so he just snowshoed on grass.

The Special Olympics are huge for fostering friendships among athletes. Froehling said he met Hennen for the first time recently and the two became fast friends.

“Special Olympics has really been the core of Christopher’s social life, and I know it’s true for other people,” said his mother, Barbara Knoll.

Mussell said she got into the Special Olympics because of her friend Mark Pfeifer, whom she met in elementary school. Mussell started learning to ski when she was 15, and it wasn’t long after that that she began competing in the Special Olympics, though this is her first time competing on the world stage.

“We do try really hard to give new athletes the opportunity,” said Kelly Monicatti, vice president of sports, health and schools for Special Olympics Minnesota.

Athletes are selected for the World Games after the games committee and Special Olympics North America send a quota of athletes to different states, Monicatti said. This year, Minnesota was given two alpine skier and snowshoer slots, so they started to fill those spots by looking at athletes who medaled at the Special Olympics locally.

Penny Froehling, Michael’s mother, and Barbara Knoll both thanked the coaches and volunteers involved in the Special Olympics for what they offer the athletes.

“We need a lot of volunteers in order to make this happen, and so I don’t think that a lot of folks know that there’s Special Olympics going on every day of the year everywhere in this state and across the country,” Monicatti said. “So, you know, more than anything, we just want to help people know that we’re here and they can be part of this, too.”

Other than competing, the athletes said they are excited to do some sightseeing, try some new foods and — of course — make new friends. For athletes like Hennen, this will be the first time he has ever left the country.

The opening ceremony for the World Games in Italy is on Saturday, with training and competition starting on Sunday. The opening ceremony will be broadcast on ESPN, along with other select competitions throughout the week. You can find the event schedule and the channel selection at turin2025.org.

Mussell said she hopes to compete in the 2026 USA Special Olympic Games, which will be held in the Twin Cities. As those will be the summer games, Mussell would be trading in her skis for golf clubs along with her golf partner Jay Noel. Froehling qualified for swimming, track and field, and golf, but selections haven’t been made yet. Froehling’s partner in golf is his father, whose name is also Michael.

Learn more about volunteering by visiting specialolympicsminnesota.org and clicking “Get Involved.”