Ashley Stasulis, third from left, poses for a picture with some of her teammates in March at the Special Olympics Winter World Games in Turin, Italy. Submitted photo

LEWISTON — Ashley Stasulis of Lewiston has become somewhat of a hometown hero after winning third and fourth place in two different snowshoe competitions at the Special Olympics Winter World Games in Turin, Italy.

“I work hard, play hard, whenever I do sports at program, and I always strive to do my best. But getting the opportunity to represent the state of Maine with the sport that I did, snowshoe, was an opportunity of a lifetime,” she said.

And represent Maine well, she did.

She was the only snowshoer from the Pine Tree State, out of 30 total competitors from the United States, to compete at the international competition, winning a bronze medal in the 200 meter snowshoe race and finishing fourth in the 100 meter snowshoe race.

When she got off the plane after arriving home in Maine she was greeted by news crews and family members who eagerly waited to hear what her experience was like, she said.

Stasulis grew up in an athletic family, with three older brothers who played hockey, she said. She started competing in Special Olympics as a child in elementary school participating in the 50 meter and 100 meter dash, softball throw and the standing jump.

Ashley Stasulis shows off the medals she won at the 2025 Special Olympics Winter Games in Turin Italy. She is standing in the backyard of her home March 26 in Lewiston. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal
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She first started competing on her elementary school’s Special Olympics team, but her coach ended up leaving shortly after, she said. So for most of her childhood she competed solo, with her mother taking her to competitions and managing her sports schedule.

After she graduated high school she joined her day program’s Special Olympics team, The Navigators, she said. She was relieved to be able to compete on a team again, and cites that as one reason she likes sports so much.

“I like doing sports because I very much enjoy the being part of a team aspect, like all of us working together as a team and encouraging each other when we’re running,” she said.

From the start, her parents taught her to just do her best when competing, she said. They are words she took to heart, instilling a strong sense of good sportsmanship and healthy competition mindset.

It is that very positive attitude that makes Stasulis stand out in coach Duane Hall’s eyes, he said. He has known Stasulis for a long time now through the Special Olympics Maine circuit. She has a way of staying cool under pressure when she is competing, he said.

“Ashley is probably the nicest person you will ever meet, and I’m being 100% honest,” he said. “When we were in Italy, she had a smile on her face every time you looked at her, and she was pumped up and ready to go for everything. Which was great, because, you know, I think her positive spirit lifted other people up. … Even when they were behind in a race, or whatever, she just was always positive.”

When competing, Stasulis focuses on just doing her best, rather than her desire to win a medal, she said.

“I try not to get in my head too much when I compete, like, I try to not focus on who’s in my lane, or if I’m going to get first or second,” she said, “because to me, I just enjoy going out there running hard and doing my best.”

Ashley Stasulis, center, gets ready for the start of one of her snowshoe competitions in March at the Special Olympics Winter World Games in Turin, Italy. Submitted photo

Located in the Bangor area, Hall helped Stasulis train virtually and then they both attended a training camp last year in Salt Lake City, Utah. Special Olympics Maine paid for the travel and hotel both in Utah and Italy.

Stasulis had been selected to compete in the Special Olympics World Games twice in the past, but plans fell through both times for safety reasons, she said. She finally got her opportunity this year, competing alongside athletes from around the world among jagged snow-covered alpine peaks from March 6-17.

As she flew into Milan with fellow Maine Special Olympics alpine athlete Ajay Beaudoin, she felt anxious but not nervous, she said. She spent a lot of time before the trip looking at weather reports for Turin, trying to get an idea about what it would be like.

Mementos from the 2025 Special Olympics Winter World Games adorn the door of Ashley Stasulis’ bedroom March 26 at her home in Lewiston. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal
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Her first experience abroad, aside from a couple of tropical cruises, was filled with making new friends, eating lots of pasta, sightseeing and competing hard in her races — though through it all she always encouraged others to do their best, she said.

There was a lot of downtime for athletes between riding on the bus up to the competition site or waiting in line to compete, but Stasulis stayed positive and encouraged everyone the whole time, according to Hall.

“She just was always cheering her teammates on, always positive about everything,” he said. “I never heard anything negative and we spent a lot of time, you know, sitting on buses, waiting in line. So even then, everything was positive, ‘have a good time,’ ‘this is great,’ ‘I’m so excited,’ you know, that type of thing.”

She carries the positivity she expresses while competing in Special Olympics beyond the field or snow-covered trails, she said. Through those competitions and teamwork, she has learned how to encourage others and herself in all aspects of life.

“It basically helped me stay positive as a person and never be negative, like I’m always finding some way to encourage my friends,” she said. “And when they get discouraged, I’m always finding that way to encourage them.”