POST FALLS - Kirk Grogan returned from the Special Olympics State Games in Boise with two sparkly gold medals - one for each of the cycling events he had entered.

"It was a great time," the Rathdrum athlete recalled. "We're all friends. Special Olympics is a big family."

Pedaling a mountain bike hybrid, Grogan, 38, won the 500 meters and the 5k time trial. His hard training paid off as he crossed both finish lines at the head of the pack.

"I held up my hands in the air," Grogan recalled. "I dedicated my medals to the people that passed away in my family."

Two weeks ago, he said, his wife's father died of cancer, and he had lost other relatives in the past.

Attached to colorful ribbons, Grogan's medals sparkled in the sunlight on Saturday. He carried them with pride at Syringa Park in Post Falls, where about 75 Special Olympians from the Coeur d'Alene area, the Silver Valley and Moscow gathered for a celebratory barbecue.

Altogether, the athletes had collected 74 medals and two ribbons from the state competition - the largest haul in team history. They competed in track and field, swimming, cycling and basketball, battling Special Olympics teams from all over Idaho.

"I think they had a great time. They get to spend all the time together," said Carol Peck, head fundraiser and swim team coach for the Coeur d'Alene Eagles Special Olympics team.

North Idaho's athletes traveled to the Games on a pair of charter buses. It was a long journey, but the team enjoyed the camaraderie and competition.

"They have a blast doing it," Peck said.

The state games were a three-day affair, July 15-17. Special Olympians of all ages and an army of volunteers flocked to Boise. The intellectual disabilities varied; athletes with bipolarism, schizophrenia, Down syndrome and autism (all spectrums) competed.

Nikki Cotter of Post Falls, 23, a swimmer on the Cd'A Eagles squad, brought home three medals: bronze in the backstroke, silver in the freestyle and gold in the team relay.

"Long trip. Really hot," Cotter said. "It was fun. And the pool was really cold to compete in."

She was happy with her performance at the state Games.

"I swam really fast," she said.

Out on the basketball court, Trevor Kirsebom and his teammates played well and finished in fourth place. The 22-year-old from Post Falls hustled all over the floor, playing all the positions.

His defense was much-needed against the state's toughest teams.

"I got some steals," Kirsebom said proudly.

Coeur d'Alene's Special Olympics crew is always looking for new athletes. The season runs almost year-round, with both warm- and cold-weather sports.

The prestigious State Games is the marquee event of the summer.

"It's exhausting. It's three days of go, go, go," Peck said. "But it's so fun."

The team needs more volunteers, sponsorships and donations.

Information: Carol Peck, 651-7534