Boone snowboarder will compete in Special Olympic World Winter Games

A snowboarder from Boone will be one of two North Carolina athletes participating in the Special Olympics World Winter Games this March. 

Trenton D’Agostino has been competing with Special Olympics North Carolina for 10 years. Now the 24-year-old will head to Turin, Italy, as part of the Special Olympics World Winter Games USA delegation.

The video game enthusiast says basketball was his original interest, and he took up snowboarding in middle school.

D’Agostino says that beyond representing North Carolina in the games, he’s excited about the cultural opportunity to visit Turin.

"My family is Italian, my last name is D'Agostino, my family came from Sicily," he says. "And just the experience, to go to Italy for my family, and then Special Olympics has become a new family too, so to experience that is more breathtaking than anything."

Also representing the USA delegation at the Special Olympics will be figure skater Ashley Tanner of Charlotte. Tanner has been competing in the games for over 23 years. 

Raleigh Police Department Lt. Ken Klos-Weller will join 82 other police officers and athletes in the Law Enforcement Torch Run.

The Special Olympics 2025 World Winter Games will take place in Turin March 8 through the 16th.