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Statesville Teen Takes H01ne The Gold
At World Special Olymp~cs
by Cbarlene H. Carpenter;
Pet 0' Mine Editor
Born with multiple handicaps,
Delaney Hansen could not talk until she
was 10 years old. At age 4, her parents
were advised to institutionalize her, but
at 18, the Statesville teenager showed
the world that with enough practice and
determination, handicaps can indeed be
overcome: As part of the U.S. Special
Olympics Equestrian Team, Delaney
won two gold medals and a bronze in
the Special Olympics World Summer
Games in Shanghai, China.
Delaney rode to victory on a Western
Chinese pony she had never ridden until
arriving in China Oct. 2.
"Everyone had to use horses provided
by the Olympics. Some had only been
broken in for a year," says Delaney's
mother, Cathy Hansen. "These were
Western Chinese ponies with no necks
so they had short reins, but it worked to
our benefit because it showed Delaney's
6 peTo'mine LAKE/METRO'S ONLY NEWS MAGAZINE FOR PET OWNERS
abilities. She worked non-stop to get that
horse to do what she wanted it to do.
"She rode the best Ihave ever seen
her ride. If you didn't know she was
handicapped, you would not have known
watching her ride."
The theme of the 2007 Special
Olympics was "I Know I Can." Delaney
knew she could, and she did.
The Statesville High School junior
brought home Individual Gold Medals
in Equitation and Dressage and an
Individual Bronze Medal in Trail
Riding. The athletes competed in three
divisions according to their abilities.
Delaney competed in the division for
athletes who ride independently with no
assistance.
"I was floored by the level of
competition there, and at how Delaney
rose to the challenge and performed
exceptionally," says Marissa Brzescinski,
owner of Dixieland Farms in Mocksville
where Delaney has trained and taken
lessons for several years. Other members
February 2008
of Team USA also brought home a total
of six silver medals and four more bronze
medals. The team consisted of nine
athletes from around the United States.
A Roug·h Start
Delaney was born mentally
handicapped and hearing impaired
with four severe language disorders, but
when medical professionals advised her
parents she should be institutionalized,
Cathy and Dr, Hans Hansen would
not agree with that diagnoses. Since
then, Delaney's parents have made
sure their daughter got the education
and has been involved in activities to
help her grow and prosper. A former
nurse, Mrs. Hansen worked one on
one with her daughter and then worked
with the school system to insure it had
the programs necessary to educate
Delaney and other students with similar
handicaps.
Having showed and trained horses
while growing up on a ranch in
Mississippi. Mrs. Hansen enrolled
Delaney in riding' lessons when she was
8 years old.
"From the beginning, Delaney
loved riding and being around horses
because she had freedom at the barn.
I didn't have to watch her like a hawk.
The horses were a wonderful outlet for.
her: a place where she could be totally
independent," says Hansen.
In 2003, Delaney got involved in the
Davie County Special Olympics when
her mother and Dixieland Farms Owner
Brzescinski were recruited as coaches for
the county Special Olympics Equestrian
Team. Delaney competed in county
Special Olympic shows and went to
the North Carolina state finals where
she won a gold medal in 2006. She also
participated in horse shows that were not
Special Olympics. While many athletes
who go to the World Special Olympics
first compete in the nationals, Delaney
never competed past the state leveL
"Delaney skipped the National
Games. We heard that North Carolina
was going to be able to choose one
person to be on the Special Olympics
Team USA," explains Hansen.
"Someone on the committee knew
Delaney and said she would be a great
representative ofthe United Sates.
To be eligible, you had to have won
a gold medal, and you had to meet
certain criteria such as you had to be
independent and be able to handle being
around crowds and be able to handle
riding a strange horse."
After completing an intensive
interview process, Delaney was chosen
to be one of nine members of the
U.S. Equestrian Team. The team was
looking for two assistant coaches so her
mother and barn owner Brzescinski
applied and were chosen. As coaches,
they were assigned to train athletes from
different states for the Summer Games.
Hansen trained two team members
from Montana.
"There never had been two assistant
coaches from the same state much less
the same barn," says Hansen.
A Chance To See the World
Not only has Delaney become a world
Olympian during the past year, she
has become a world traveler. The nine-
member U.S. Equestrian Team traveled
to China on Sept. 27 and returned to
the United Sates on Oct. B. More than
7,000 athletes descended upon Shanghai,
China for the 12th Special Olympic
Summer Games. For four days prior
to the Oct. 11 opening ceremonies, the
Chinese Government entertained the
athletes. The teams were each assigned
to a Chinese province that provided
entertainment for them.
"The communities entertained the
teams. They had dinners and receptions
for us. We met the mayor, and they
arranged for us to g'o to the home of a
Chinese family and stay with them part
of a day. Each athlete was provided an
interpreter," says Hansen.
The American team members rangeel
in age from 15 to 42. During their time
together, the athletes became fast friends
and Delaney who her mother says is like
"a mother hen," took it upon herself to
watch over and help out the other team
members.
"One of the team members was
slightly paralyzed on one side and one
night, we found Delaney and a friend
helping her wash her hair," says Hansen.
Delaney would definitely like to
compete in the next Special Olympics
Summer Games, but they are four years
away. So, in the meantime, she has been
competing in the Special Olympics
highest division of Alpine Skiing. She
won a gold medal in the N.C State
Special Olympics and will compete in
the Southeast Finals Championship in
early February.
While at home, Delaney goes to the
barn almost every day to ride and help
with the horses.
"She is so independent at the barn.
She helps bring in the horses, feeds them
and deans the stalls, " says Hansen.
" A lot of people don't realize she has
disabilities. It has given her so much
confidence. The Delaney she was when
she was younger and who she is now is a
totally different person." ,j':