Above, Jacob Hoppe and Olivia Scott are pictured here with the medals they won at the Special Olympics in Dubuque earlier this month.

Olivia Scott, Anthony Ortiz and Jacob Hoppe recently had the chance participate in the Special Olympics. The Olympics were held from January 12th through 14th at the Grand Harbor Hotel in Dubuque.

All three children are Dysart residents and attend River Hills School in Cedar Falls, which they represented at the event.

Olivia, 15, is a sophomore this year, while Jacob, age 14, is a freshman. Anthony is 21 and will be graduating this May. Despite their differing age levels, all three students are veterans of the Oympics, as they have competed for several years.

Being an athlete isn’t easy – it takes a lot of hard work, practice, and dedication – but it is also very rewarding, and the Special Olympics are a great cause for children to show off their skills with their peers.

The Olympics are the world’s largest sports organization for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, hosting over 4.3 million athletes around the world annually.

January’s event was the winter Olympics edition, where Scott, Ortiz and Hoppe all competed in speed skating. Scott competed in the 25- and 100-meter events. She placed second, earning a silver medal in the 25-meter, and third for a bronze in the 100-meter.

Hoppe competed in the 25- and 100-meter events also, working hard and earning a gold in the 25-meter. He also took home the bronze in the 100-meter.

Ortiz participated in a few different speed skating events, where he also earned some medals.