An Arlington woman is heading to the Special Olympics World Winter Games in South Korea this week as a coach for the alpine skiing team.

“I’m just beside myself that I was selected to go on this journey with them…it’s pretty surreal,” said Andrea Molfetto, 36.

Molfetto said she has been skiing for “as long as I can remember,” and started coaching the Northern Virginia Special Olympics team about four years ago.

“They are amazing people and amazing athletes,” Molfetto said. “The one benefit that I find with Special Olympics is that they really want to be there and work hard. When they are so motivated it makes your job as a coach easier.”

The Winter Games last from Jan. 29 through Feb. 5 in Pyeong Chang, South Korea. The approximately 150 athletes and 60 coaches representing Team USA come from all over the nation. The athletes that Molfetto was assigned for the duration of the games happen to live on the West Coast.

“I’ve been communicating via email and phone for the last couple of months. It’s worked well, surprisingly,” Molfetto said. 

Molfetto travels to South Korea on Friday. While they are overseas and not on the slopes, the team will meet with the American ambassador to South Korea, and will go to a local school and talk about the Special Olympics program.

“The whole experience is new to me, so I’m looking forward to everything and being along on this journey with athletes and members,” Molfetto said. “I’m looking forward to seeing how they perform on this level.”

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