This week on "Wisconsin Life": A dancer finds her groove, a couple cooks up a tasty tradition a hobbyist with an unbelievable collection, and a church in an unexpected location. It's all ahead on "Wisconsin Life!" Funding for "Wisconsin Life" is provided in part by Alliant Energy, Lowell and Mary Peterson, and Friends of Wisconsin Public Television. Hello, and welcome to "Wisconsin Life." I'm Angela Fitzgerald. 'Let the games begin!' because I'm at the Special Olympics Wisconsin State Summer Games.
This event takes place every year in Stevens Point and brings together athletes from around the state to compete in 57 different athletic events in track and field, swimming, and soccer. Special Olympics Wisconsin is celebrating their 50th-anniversary providing year-round sports training and competitions for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. Their work extends to offering free health screenings, leadership opportunities, and educational programming. The State Summer Games is a three-day event that kicks off with an opening ceremony.
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chanting running cadence
Law en--force--ment torch run! Lighting of the torch.
crowd roars cheers and applause
And a parade of athletes. Then, it's off to the races! A unique aspect of the games is the unified sports teams where competitors with and without intellectual disabilities join together for track and field relays. We'll learn more about that program as we continue exploring here later on in the show.
But first, we leave the games and head to Verona, where a dancer and her teacher work to make the art form more accessible. We'll have preparation, and then demi pli, demi pli, grand pli. When I first did ballet, I was probably four and it was regular ballet. I did it with my best friend.
We're all, like, twirling around but we're having the times of our life. When I was four, my special needs kicked in. And... I mean, you don't really know how you're going to dance.
My mother put me into dance because she didn't think I was very coordinated. I do remember that I was about four or five and I remember being in my very first dance recital. I never really stopped until I had a life-threatening illness. It's the first time movement had ever been taken away from me.
It gave me insight, I feel, into what others experience when they can't move. As I was recovering, I thought, "Oh, I'll just join some accessible dance classes and I'll start getting some of that core strength back." I was very surprised to find that, at least in the Madison area, there really weren't any accessible dance classes. And that was one of the reasons why later on, I decided to start one. It took a while for us to find wheelchair ballet.
I mean, it took, like, years and years. When we found it, we were, like, overjoyed and we wanted to do it, like, immediately. Watch me, please. An accessible dance class is very much like any class.
The teacher comes. They show the step. They help the dancer feel what it's like on their own body. Is it okay?
Yeah, kinda hurts. - Kinda hurts? I don't want it to hurt. So do it as close to that as you can do it without having it hurt.
Every person is limited by their own body structure. Dance really lends itself to meeting everyone where they are, at their own ability. And tendu. Is your tiara touching the ceiling?
Little more, little more. Yeah! She's much more than a teacher to me. She's a friend that I get to hug every week and a person who I can laugh with and dance with.
She doesn't think it's sad that we have special needs. She makes it an opportunity to make us stronger. Arms in front, even a little more. Yes, look at that.
That flamenco attitude, yes! Here we go. First, we had our classical ballet dance. We had a Broadway-style dance.
This year, we're learning flamenco. -
"Al Padre Santo de Roma" Paco de Luca
Lalola Lolalo Lolalo iiOl! Tanya came in and choreographed a piece for Mari. What you want to think of with Spanish dance is that you want to really stretch out your arms.
Mari
It's different from the other dances that I've done. It's really fun to, like, just be... sassy in the dance, I guess. When you have your arms down, you want to stretch your arms away from your body.
And you tell me if there's anything I'm saying that doesn't work for your body.
clapping along
Mari
Lalola iiOl! I think that's pretty good. Now you just need to really... - Practice.
Wheelchair ballet, it's such a gift. It changed my life. - Lalola Going back to the first year, the feeling, it didn't mean that I had special needs. It meant that I could do something amazing and I didn't have to be ashamed of anything.
I didn't feel all lost because of my special needs. I felt hope. She likes to say that she just really loves dance. That it's in her heart and soul.
And I think it really is. Let's go.
backstage murmuring
Mari
Okay, guys, time to clear the stage. That's my favorite part of ballet is the performances. It's terrifying, but... I love it with all my heart.
Okay, I'm so nervous. It's stunning. I don't know what else to say to you. You know this dance so well.
Just have fun. All that year that I've been working, it all comes down to this moment. And after it, you feel so relieved and so happy because you've done your best. You've done your dance and it's amazing.
It is yours. You own it.
flamenco cante
Mari
Lalola Even though I had special needs, I could do something so incredible that not a lot of people can do. And that just made my heart really fill with joy. And that, I don't have to be a girl known as "a girl in the wheelchair." I can be known as the girl who can dance very well. I'm Mari, the dancer.
It's part of me. iiOl!
audience
Whoo!
applause
cheers and applause
audience
Now, we catch up with a couple whose family traditions are influencing the taste buds of Madison.
mellow guitar strumming
audience
ngel: Yo crec en una granja. Y siempre cuando cocinaba mi mam, siempre me daba hambre porque este olor es autntico y te hace que te d hambre y que comas. Cuando empec a cocinar tena ocho aos. Yo aprend desde los diez aos cmo manipular las tortillas, cmo ayudarle a mi mam.
A saber lo de las tortillas porque nacimos en una granja. Con nuestros padres, todos son granjeros.
Leticia
El cambio para Estados Unidos fue muy duro porque la tortilla para nosotros es indispensable. ngel: Para nosotros... As realmente, con la necesidad de buscar buenas tortillas. Este, las tortillas de maz en el mercado se hacen sin el germen.
Y le agregan un poco ya ahora un poco de cal y tienen un sabor de tortilla. Pero se quiebran y tienen y les adhieren preservativos para conservarlas. Decamos, "Chines, que estos no hago nada." Compramos otra. "Chines, esta tampoco." Las hacamos de la harina.
"No, es que tampoco." Nosotros empezamos a traer algunas semillas de California, y algunas semillas de Mxico. Y mi esposa dice, "Oye, "Y no sera bueno sembrar este maz y hacer nuestras propias tortillas?" Y yo dije, "Fabuloso, eso est perfecto." Es una buena idea.
pjaros trinando
Leticia
I do some tricks sometimes. Lo que es el azul son partes que extrajeron de Oaxaca, Mxico.
chasquidos
Leticia
Okay, you want to start setting up.
el encendido se engancha, bielas del motor
Leticia
Y las empezamos a sembrar en algunos jardines comunitarios. Y yo emocionada. No importa. Yo trabajo.
Yo lo que quiero es comer algo que me guste, algo que me sienta bien. ngel: Fueron tan ricas nuestras tortillas y las empezamos nosotros a ofrecer a algunos familiares a amigos y dicen, "Oye, estn tan ricas que deberan de vender." So this would be a pack of tortillas. Ready.
msica
Leticia
Morning, how are you today? We have very delicious tortillas. Se llama Tortillas Los ngeles porque primero porque tenemos una pequea relacin con los ngeles. Mi nombre es ngel y mi hijo es ngel, entonces mi esposa deca, "Bueno, vamos a llamar Tortillas Los ngeles." Tenemos clientes que han estado desde que iniciamos nosotros y compran cada Domingo ya sus tortillas.
She's my best customer. Esta tortilla es autntica. Y lo autntico siempre siempre lo va a buscar las personas. Me siento muy feliz por ellos para que lo prueben.
It's very delicious! - Yes, they are. Y me da gusto que se lo lleven y siempre pienso, "Espero les guste." Thank you. Y mi esposa dice, "Oye, estamos vendiendo ms.
"Sabes qu? "Vas a tener que buscar ms tierra para sembrar."
tintineo
Leticia
iiS! - Estamos traendo algo que naci del centro de Mxico, de mucha tradicin. La receta es la misma. Procesamos el maz con cal, plantamos el maz y yo le llamo algo autntico.
Okay, just pass and make a taco. It's like a small buffet. Mi hijo el mayor, s, porque l... lo enviamos a Mxico para prender espaol dos aos.
Y sus abuelitos siempre les aban tortillas muy ricas. Y ahora l dice, "Oye, estas son igual." Entonces manejan la misma costumbre y sienten lo mismo que nosotros. Y eso me da mucho gusto. The activities are well underway here at the State Summer Games in Stevens Point hosted by Special Olympics Wisconsin.
I've been weaving my way through the events, learning about the organization and meeting some of the athletes competing here. Set.
fires starter pistol
Leticia
The start of a race. The sound of a crowd. The win of a medal.
Announcer
In first place, we have Jyana Noll.
Jyana Noll
Thank you, Wisconsin! There is nothing else like the Special Olympics Wisconsin State Summer Games. This event sees nearly 1,500 athletes compete each year. Marquis Garner is one of those athletes who was forever changed by the organization.
How did you get involved with Special Olympics? 2005, you know, I was kinda' depressed. Didn't have much to do. You know, had trouble fitting in with mainstream society.
So, in high school, I wanted to do Special Olympics, but because of transportation problems, I wasn't able to sign up right away. But when it was available, I signed up. It's a blessing because I made a lot of new friends. And so, like, when I compete with my teammates, that's like my brothers and sisters, so it's nice.
Very nice. So what are the sports that you compete in? Basketball, track, bowling. And now this year,
I'm just trying a new sport
bocce. So, I look forward to it 'cuz I'm always trying to expand my mind and do different things. Another focus of the games is the Healthy Athletes Program. It offers free health screenings and education for competitors.
Special Olympics Wisconsin board member and former athlete, Martha Hill, advocates for athletes' health and well-being at the event. It is so important that athletes stay healthy and be healthy and live healthy lifestyles throughout their whole lives. Can you tell us more about what Healthy Athletes is? Healthy Athletes' offers free health screenings, such as opening eyes, fit feet, special smiles.
It's amazing. What is the impact been that you've seen? The impact that I have seen is that a lot of athletes are so joyful and they love being in Special Olympics. They enjoy it.
It changes their lives. It changes their families' lives and opens their eyes. And people understand people with intellectual disabilities and my mission as an athlete leader is to be a voice for other athletes and to advocate on behalf of people with intellectual disabilities.
cheering
I'm just trying a new sport
A vision shared with many who participate and volunteer here.
applause
I'm just trying a new sport
Congratulations. - Thank you. The energy and inclusiveness found here is inspirational. Next up, we travel to Darlington to find a collector who preserves his city's past in a big way.
gentle acoustic guitar
I'm just trying a new sport
Darlington's got a great, great Main Street. It's got a beautiful courthouse at the top and a river at the bottom.
ignition cranks, engine starts
I'm just trying a new sport
Along this historic street, you can find life-long resident Ted Thuli driving what he describes as, "one step above a horse and buggy." This 1927 Franklin Limousine. This came out of Mountain City, Tennessee. It's just one of his many collectibles. I guess when I was a kid I started getting this stuff.
We'd go to auctions and anything that was left over and went for a nickel or a dime I'd grab, and it just evolved from there. "Evolved" would be an understatement. 1895 facades, that's off of a local business. I've been in most every building in Darlington, basements, upstairs.
They'd be in and out of different hands and I'd go in and buy up anything I could. Collecting has become way more than a hobby. It's an addiction definitely. Motorcycles, cars, and stuff.
Ya', it's bad. Ted is so good at something he describes as bad that he caught the attention of some TV executives.
" American Pickers theme song"
I'm just trying a new sport
Was on American Pickers, 'ya. They bought stuff. I see you got your porcelain Goodyear sign up there with the winged foot. That one, $300.
$300? - Complete. How about $200? - I should've started higher.
laughter
I'm just trying a new sport
The TV show's cool. American Pickers was neat. It was also in this small town that Ted's father set up shop. I own Darlington Dairy Supply with my brother, Tory.
It's a family business Dad started in 1958 in Darlington here downtown. Years later, downtown is where Ted launched his first big adventure. My thoughts really, "Darlington needs a draw." Visitors to the Thuli Family Creamery are greeted by a prop from the movie Jaws, another one of Ted's collectibles. Across the street, construction is underway on another pet project.
The Driver Opera House is a flat floor opera house upstairs. It was built in 1876, I believe. Last used in '58 maybe. He notices something workers discovered under the stage.
And Ted can't resist the chance to investigate. Oh, this is one of the original Badger State Mineral Water bottles. Would have been one of the original sodas here, made in Darlington. I've been doing that for 'ya since I was a little kid.
As a kid, Ted got his first real job in this historic downtown gas station. When I turned 16, I started working here. Pumped gas, checked oil, washed the windshield. Mostly tell people how to get to Yellowstone Lake.
That was a big thing. And then I bought it. Ted helped renovate the gas station into a new brewery serving coffee in the morning and local beer at night. Ahh!
I want a destination. Sit in the beer garden right on Main Street in Darlington. You hear the traffic. You see the sights and you know, just kind of imagine what this place was like 150 years ago.
That's awesome. Ted has made a name for himself at the Darlington City Council.
jovial laughter
I'm just trying a new sport
I'm probably the loud guy that they hate seeing coming. Don't get rid of history. People know that, but somebody's gotta voice it. Somebody's gotta stand up and say that.
Even with all his ambitious plans, Ted had one more surprise for the city.
chuckling
I'm just trying a new sport
Our house. I bought that property from the city. Visitors are greeted by columns acquired from a Missouri courthouse. His house is a story in and of itself.
I ended up buying a cooling unit that was Swiss Colony's up in Madison. You heard right. He lives in a former cheese cooler rebuilt around his collection. Step into his house and you will step back in time.
The entryway to the house is an old gas station that was in Darlington. The Standard Service Station was built in 1929. When you walk into the house, it would look like you're coming out the front entrance to the gas station. We've got a 1942 theatre that was in Darlington.
I went in and asked the owner, Jim, if I could buy it. He gladly sold it to me for a $100. The whole facade off of that is on the second story of our house. This unique house was Ted's ticket to even more TV appearances.
Ya', we've been on HGTV on three different episodes.
"HGTV reZONED theme song"
I'm just trying a new sport
Welcome to Schaum Heim. That means "foam home." So, what's the motivation behind Ted's obsession with collecting and preserving?
record player needle scratching across album
I'm just trying a new sport
Yeah a lot of people ask that. My wife asks that. "Why 'ya doing this?" I don't know. It's a passion.
It's a respect for what other people have gone through. I mean, I love Darlington. Most of the stuff when I was growing up is gone now. Hopefully, people look back and say, you know, "I'm glad Ted Thuli saved this or that." That's what I would hope.
I might buy things and turn them into something but it takes everybody to make this community turn. Our final story takes us to De Pere, where an unlikely pair of neighbors work to raise the spirits of their patrons. The neighborhood pub. One of Wisconsin's favorite places to get together for friends and fellowship.
On Dickinson Road in De Pere, the Chicago Street Pub and Grill is a hopping, happy hour spot.
chattering
I'm just trying a new sport
There's a saying that Wisconsin has more bars than grocery stores, but this may be the only one that shares their building -
"Because He Lives" Bill Gaither
I'm just trying a new sport
God sent His son ...with a church. They call him Jesus The only thing on tap at New Hope United Methodist Church is hymn practice.
singing hymn
I'm just trying a new sport
Pastor Rebecca Rutter is a Wisconsin native. She's served at a number of churches around the country, but none quite like this.
bouncy synthesizer music
I'm just trying a new sport
The district superintendent called me to let me know about this appointment and he said, "Oh, and by the way, New Hope is sharing a building with a bar." So, I thought, "Well, this is a fun thing."
chuckles
I'm just trying a new sport
One building, two very different tenants. The pub and church share the building and the parking lot, but otherwise, have separate entrances and maintain mostly opposite schedules. Pub manager Austin DeCleene says his customers often find it humorous. Yeah, you would never think that those two things would be right alongside each other.
Usually, they're on opposite sides of the spectrum, whereas here, we do well together. Especially considering the history of the Methodist Church. Founder John Wesley was a staunch opponent of drinking. And so he really emphasized abstinence from alcohol.
buzzer alarms
I'm just trying a new sport
And the Methodist movement in the U.S. was similar in that they were part of the prohibition movement. Today, the Methodist Church preaches moderation, so New Hope isn't pushing prohibition. So, while churchgoers have a spot to spend Sunday afternoon praising the Packers, bar patrons are always welcome to walk over and give church a shot.
singing hymn
I'm just trying a new sport
Oh, my soul Instead of worrying about their differences, these two unlikely neighbors have learned to celebrate their similarities. We do well together. We definitely complement each other in a lot of ways. We're both places that are welcoming to all people.
We're both places where people feel connection and a sense of family, and while they feed people and quench thirst in a very physical sense, ya' know, we do that spiritually and so, in a way, there's a lot of overlap. And that's a sermon that should raise everyone's spirits.
laughs
I'm just trying a new sport
It does seem to fit together pretty well, doesn't it? With church and a bar right by each other, you can't get any more Wisconsin than that. That's for sure. I've had a blast learning about this great event and meeting the athletes that make it all possible.
If you'd like to learn more about Special Olympics Wisconsin or the stories you've seen here, visit WisconsinLife.org. And as always, we want to hear from you. Share your Wisconsin Life with us by sending an email to [email protected]. I'm your host, Angela Fitzgerald, and this is our"Wisconsin Life." Bye.
Hey!
crowd
Whoo! -
encouraging cheers
crowd
Good game, good game. Go, go, go, there we go!
cheers, applause
crowd
Whoo! Thank you! Next Division 39. One, two, three!
Team Milwaukee! So I see you're wearing a medal here. Right. - What sport did you compete in?
Bocce. I'm sorry-- Whoa!
laughs
crowd
That's alright, we were just talking about bocce. Sorry! That was a blooper.
laughter
crowd
Funding for Wisconsin Life is provided in part by Alliant Energy, Lowell and Mary Peterson, and Friends of Wisconsin Public Television.
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