Athletes headed to Denver

BOISE -- Two dozen Special Olympics athletes are bound for Denver today.

They’ll meet up with Team USA to train for the 2009 Special Olympics World Winter Games to be held in Idaho on Feb. 7-13.

The athletes will be in Colorado for five day and don't know what kind of training to expect, but their excitement is high.

At the Boise Airport this morning, they all had their boarding passes, luggage, funny hats and blue jackets that read Idaho Special Olympics.

Corby Goade over sees coaching for Idaho Special Olympics. He says this trip is very similar to the one Olympic athletes take before the summer and winter games.

"Just like the other Olympics, there's a team USA training. They meet their teammates. They work hard and get ready for their events. And these guys are doing the exact same thing," said Goade.

The U.S. Special Olympics team has around 500 athletes -- Idaho is sending 23 of them. One of those athletes is Reuben Murray.  He's a snowshoer from Rigby.

"I've been snowshoeing since I moved up here.  I moved up here a long time ago,” said Murray.

The athletes that make up Idaho's team come from Boise, Fruitland, Meridian and Caldwell.  Caldwell is sending an entire floor hockey team.

"Why floor hockey, why do you like floor hockey so much?" asked NewsChannel 7.

"It's little bit more fun experience. You get to get knocked around you get to have fun," said hockey player Zach Braun.

With the games a little more than two months away, these athletes say they're ready to compete.

Special Olympics organizers are still accepting donations to reach their goal of $31 million to put on the games in Idaho.  Organizers say they are still $3 million short.