Special Olympics athletes and coaches in the Montana received a leadership boost over the weekend.

Special Olympics Montana hosted a three-day leadership conference in Great Falls which included speakers and activities for coaches, athletes and family members.

"The atmosphere today was really charged up because we heard a couple of wonderful presentations: a group from Chester, Montana came and talked about spreading the word to end the use of the word retard in social dialogue" said the group's Tammy Peterson.

Special Olympics Montana will host its state basketball tournament coming in November, and the state Summer Olympics Games will be held in Bozeman in early May.