For 20 years, Big Mountain has played host to the Special Olympics Montana Winter Games. For each of those years, three Kalispell athletes have hit the slopes, representing their home town as they try to claim medals.

Sara Maldonado, Kristin Twet and Jamey Herron, residents of the Lighthouse Christian Home near Somers, are three of a select group who have competed in all 20 Special Olympics Montana Winter Games at the Whitefish ski area.

They will compete in the 2015 State Winter Games from Feb. 22 to 24 at Whitefish Mountain Resort. The sports on the mountain include alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, snowboarding and snowshoeing.

For Maldonado, Twet and Herron, alpine skiing is the sport of choice. 

The three embark from the Lighthouse Home every week during ski season to train at Blacktail Mountain.

“What we do at Blacktail is we go skiing, but it gets slick so we try to go slow,” Maldonado said. “April [Lund, who works at the home] takes us up there to practice every Thursday.”

The three are unlikely friends and teammates. Maldonado is extremely talkative, Twet is more measured with her responses and Herron always has a smile ready for whoever talks to her next. 

Twet said she skied for the first time when she was 3 years old. Maldonado has skied since she was able to stand up on her own, and Herron doesn’t quite remember but agrees that it has been a long time.

These three are among just nine athletes celebrating 20 years at the Special Olympics Montana Winter Games in Whitefish. 

Their motivations are clear.

“We want to get medals,” Herron said. “We want the gold!”

In warmer seasons, the three also compete in baseball, basketball and the summer games. 

Special Olympics Montana is a statewide nonprofit organization that “provides year-round sports training, athletic competition and health-related programming for individuals with intellectual disabilities,” according to the organization’s website. More than 2,000 athletes are registered in 121 programs from 65 Montana communities.

Twet, Herron and Maldonado have all won medals for their downhill skiing in the past, and are hoping to add to their trophy case later this month. Maldonado won gold in the past, Twet scored a silver medal last year, and to hear Herron tell it, she’s “won everything in the whole wide world.”

But winning isn’t necessary to their enjoyment on the slopes.

“My favorite part is we get to see all the athletes,” Herron said.

“We get hot chocolate every time we go out,” Maldonado said. “And lunch on Thursdays. It’s great.”

Hundreds of volunteers help make the Special Olympics Winter Games thrive every year. The trio at the Lighthouse Christian Home can’t say enough nice things about their favorite volunteers and how easy and fun they make the event. 

But it is a gathering for all the Special Olympics athletes in the state, and Maldonado has fun even when not strapped to her skis.

“We have friends up there we see every year,” she said.

“We usually have opening ceremonies for the Whitefish Winter Games,” Twet said. “We get to walk in and see a lot of people we don’t know.”

Lund, who has been at the Lighthouse Christian Home since June, said she is approaching her first Special Olympics Winter Games with just a hint of fatigue.

“I’ll be glad when they are over,” she joked. “It’s a lot of work. We’re involved in a lot of things, so it’s just getting over the next hurdle.”

The Special Olympics Parade of Athletes begins at 4 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 22, in Whitefish. Those interested in volunteering for the games should visit www.somt.org/volunteer or contact Karen Kimball at dryflyk@gmail.com or 250-8481.

Competition will be Feb. 23 and 24 at Whitefish Mountain Resort.

The Lighthouse Christian Home is a Christian ministry formed in the late 1980s for adults with intellectual disabilities. The 40-acre farm allows these adults to take part in a working farm and helping them live in a supportive environment with nearly two dozen other intellectually disabled adults. It is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. 

The home is hosting its annual fundraising event, the “Come Light Up Your Hearts” dance at 7 p.m. on Feb. 14 at the Red Lion Hotel ballroom in Kalispell. The event will feature a big band and swing dancing. Tickets are $30 each or $200 for a table. Call 857-3276 for more information or for tickets.

Online:

www.somt.org

Reporter Ryan Murray may be reached at 758-4436 or by email at rmurray@dailyinterlake.com.