The Special Olympic Winter Games are back in Syracuse and athletes from all over the state are showcasing their skills at various locations.

Nearly 500 Special Olympians are taking over Central New York this weekend.

One athlete says he’s been dreaming of this moment from the minute he first put on skates.

When he’s on the ice, he’s right at home. Ryan Chin has been making his parents proud from the beginning and he continues to put on a show every time he performs. But even after qualifying for the Special Olympic World Games, his work is far from over.

"I’m working on my axil and I also want to keep improving on my spins, with three revolutions," Chin said,

For Special Olympians like Chin, this weekend is the crowning achievement of a lifetime of practice. His parents say his love for skating all started at a young age.

"He’s been doing this since he started," Ryan’s dad, Tak, said. "I think they had therapeutic ice skating when they started. They had that program so we wanted to have him learn to skate, basically."

Despite what the scorecards say, performing on a stage like this one makes it all worth it.

"It just went fantastic," Ryan said.

"He’s surprised me a lot," Tak said, "His coaches push him to do better."

The city of Syracuse was supposed to host the games last year, but due to COVID restrictions, the games had to be moved to this year.

Stacey Hengsterman, the president of the Special Olympics, says the wait made it all worth it.

"We knew it was going to be exciting, but I don’t think we thought it was going to be this exciting," Hengsterman said. "To see the athletes back again, having so much fun, doing so well, the competition and skill level is so high, it’s just blowing our minds."

Special Olympians performing this weekend outplayed thousands of their peers from across the state to earn a shot at a medal.