From chip shots and trail walks to shooting targets and shooting the breeze, the 2022 Idaho Governor's Cup was warmly welcomed back to North Idaho following a pandemic hiatus.

Over three days, from Thursday to Saturday, 650 participants enjoyed shotgun sports at the Coeur d'Alene Skeet and Trap Club, fly fishing on the Coeur d’Alene, Clark Fork and St. Joe rivers, hikes on Tubbs Hill, cooking demonstrations, dining on cruise boats, and, of course, Governor's Cup golf tournaments, all to support Idaho students in their pursuit of higher education.

"It’s a beautiful week to be up in Coeur d’Alene raising money for our children," Gov. Brad Little said Friday. "I always enjoy my time here with the North Idaho community."

The Idaho Governor’s Cup alternates annually between Coeur d'Alene and Sun Valley. It was last held in Coeur d'Alene in 2018 and before the pandemic in Sun Valley in 2019.

“We have a lot of happy people after the cancellations the last few years," said Governor's Cup Executive Director Carlie Foster. "It's definitely great to see our sponsors come back and stick it out with us and give money to Idaho students."

The three-day event usually brings in more than $1 million for the Idaho Governor’s Cup Scholarship fund. The scholarships are awarded to graduating seniors who are involved in extracurricular activities, keep at least a 2.5 grade point average and contribute their time and talents to improve their communities.

This year's record-breaking event, with a theme of "Forces of Nature," brought in more than $1.1 million that will be distributed to 40 scholarship recipients across the state who will attend Idaho colleges and universities. The awardees were selected out of more than 3,500 applicants.

"We are so proud of these students for choosing to further their education and training in Idaho," Little said. "I have said many times that success in our lives and careers depends on our willingness to continually learn. These students have clearly taken the right steps so far — and will continue to do great things with everything they will learn during college. We are proud to present them with these scholarships, which they rightly deserve."

Of the 40 students, 25 are academic scholarship recipients who will receive $5,000 per year for up to four years. This includes one student from Post Falls High and two from Coeur d'Alene High.

The other 15 students will receive career technical scholarships of $3,000 per year for up to three years of their program. One Kootenai High School student is a career tech recipient.

"It’s such a wonderful thing," Foster said. "Gov. Little has been so instrumental in making sure one of his main priorities is to make Idaho a place where kids want to stay or come back to if they leave.

"The Governor's Cup is part of that priority that we're keeping Idaho's best and brightest here in Idaho and they have a place where they know they're supported."

The Governor’s Cup is a longtime tradition in Idaho started by Gov. Cecil Andrus in 1974. Foster said the application window for next year's scholarships will open in November.

Info: idahogovernorscup.org