GREAT FALLS — For Bryn Shine and Stephanie Rowley, Special Olympics Montana has never been about just one sport.
Over nearly three decades, the two Great Falls athletes have tried just about everything — basketball, bowling, swimming, track and field, snowshoeing and gymnastics among them — building friendships and confidence along the way.
Now, all of that experience has earned them a spot on one of the biggest stages in Special Olympics.
WATCH - Shine and Rowley headed to USA Games:
This summer, Shine and Rowley will represent Team Montana at the 2026 USA Games in Minneapolis as two of the state’s four gymnastics competitors. The others are Jenny Hill of Great Falls and Aspyn Schnetter of Billings.
Shine, who has participated in Special Olympics since she was 8 years old, will compete in floor exercise and vault. Around Great Falls, she’s also known for taking her golden retriever, Nana, nearly everywhere she goes and is never far from the company of her many friends.
“It gets me out and being active,” Shine said about Special Olympics. “Stephanie and Wynter and Jena and Jenny and Denise and everyone … it’s a whole group.”
Shine said she trains twice a week between practices at Golden Triangle Gymnastics and with her Special Olympics team. She said qualifying for the USA Games is something she never expected gymnastics would lead to.
“I get to go to the national USA Games … it’s in Minnesota. I’m getting excited for it,” Shine said.
Her goal once she arrives is simple.
“To show everybody how I can do it,” she said.
Rowley has been part of Special Olympics since 1998 and will compete in vault, uneven bars, floor exercise and balance beam in Minneapolis.
Over the years, she has competed in basketball, athletics, gymnastics, swimming, snowshoeing, bowling, cross-country skiing, equestrian and bocce. She also serves as a Special Olympics Global Messenger, speaking publicly about her experiences and advocating for inclusion.
“I love going on the bus with my team,” Rowley said. “My mom is one of the coaches.”
Rowley said gymnastics has become especially meaningful to her over the years, both because of the sport itself and the support she feels from her family.
When she competes, she often carries a handkerchief from her late grandparents underneath her uniform.
“I’m doing it for them,” Rowley said. “I love doing it for them.”
Away from competition, Shine works at McDonald’s while Rowley has worked as a housekeeper at the Comfort Inn for 15 years.
But together, they’ll soon share the national stage representing Montana. For both athletes, the opportunity is about more than competition.
It’s about the friendships, support systems and experiences Special Olympics has given them over the years.
“To spend time with … get to know new people,” Shine said of what she’s looking forward to most at the USA Games.
