Special Olympic Winter Games champions!

Two Pike residents earned gold medals in the 2026 Special Olympics Southeast U.S. Winter Games held Feb. 8-10 in Boone, North Carolina. Matt Knowles of Williamson and Cooper Terry of Williamson both earned the gold in their respective alpine skiing divisions. They were coached by Terry Brooks and supported by his wife Rita who have supported thousands of special needs individuals over the years.

The Winter Special Olympics included a week-long competitions for skiing that allowed the athletes to have practice time with ski instructors at the Alpine Ski Center since many competitors get few changes to practice. There was even a blind skiier in this year’s games who had a coach and assistant who led him down the slope, tapping sticks together for echo location.

Matt Knowles, 39, has been competing in skiing for 14 years and also competes in softball and tennis during the rest of the year.

Matt has traveled all over the country with Special Olympics, including South Dakota, Virginia, Oklahoma, North Carolina and Florida. His dad Tony and he were chosen four years ago to represent the state of Georgia in tennis at the National Games in Orlando FL, where they won Bronze in men’s doubles and Matt won the gold in men’s singles. In the past, Matt has also competed in equestrian, kayaking, floor hockey, bowling, volleyball and basketball.

“Matt has competed in the Special Olympics since he was in kindergarten. He has a wall of medals – stretching down the entire hallway – and it holds all of his Special Olympics medals that he has earned over the years,” said his mom Sherra Knowles. “My husband and I don’t ski so we were his cheerleaders this time. My husband Tony has coached Matt for many years but Matt also has another incredible coach. Terry Brooks (also of Milner) has been coaching Special Olympics athletes for more than 30 years and he and his wife have been volunteering their time for decades. Our hope is that Terry can build a program in Pike County that will meet the needs of special needs adults here.”

Cooper Terry, 21, graduated from Pike County High School and has been participating with the Henry County Special Olympics and Therapeutic Recreation Department for about two years. He competes in tennis, pickleball, basketball, flag football, floor hockey, skiing and his favorite – softball and has traveled to Virginia, Pennsylvania, Alabama, Oklahoma and South Carolina.

“We have traveled all over the country for him to compete and he is constantly asking when our next trip is. He always says, ‘I love being around people like me.’ He likes not having to worry about people making fun of him and the atmosphere at Special Olympics is so amazing! The camaraderie all the athletes have and how they cheer each other on. We could all learn a thing or two from how they compete,” said Leeann Terry.

Leeann and her husband, Brent, aslo support Cooper’s music and performance interests. He has done Elvis impersonations and played guitar at Pike Manor where his mom works. Cooper also played a show in Atlanta with the Songs for Kids Band, an ensemble of kids and young adults with disabilities. He hopes to travel with the band to play in other major U.S. cities.

“Music and softball are Cooper’s favorite things to do. In the skiing event in North Carolina, he took gold in his bracket. He is very athletic so he typically places with a gold or silver medal. In September, we went to Nationals for softball and got second in the nation in Oklahoma. He is all about it! Terry Brooks is one of Cooper’s caregivers and he and his wife Rita are amazing people!”

The Brooks started helping with Special Olympics when their daughters were in high school and needed community service hours for Beta Club.

“We just loved it and decided to stick with it. We started in 2001 and have worked with thousands of athletes over the years. With our Pike program, we hope to be able to take these kids to places that some of them wouldn’t get to go to otherwise,” said Terry. “There are just so many things that kids – and adults – can get involved with. What touches my heart about working with Special Olympics athletes is just their love for everybody. It’s something you just don’t see everywhere.”
Terry and Rita hope to help Special Olympics athletes in Pike and the Pike County Journal Reporter will announce upcoming organizational meetings or needs.

“No matter what event we are at, athletes come to us from all over, hollering, ‘coach Terry, coach Terry!’ When he started out with Special Olympics, it was with softball, but over time he has done nearly all the sports and the state asks him to do clinics for all the different sports. When we moved to Pike, we saw how many people there were here who weren’t doing anything, so we decided to open up a program here,” said Rita.

“The one thing I’ve always said is these athletes are the ones who are normal and we are the ones who are different, because they love everyone unconditionally. We are planning on having a welcome and get together event to meet locals. Anybody is welcome and for additional information, contact the Pike County Recreation department.”