Family members, former coaches and others showed up at the Minocqua Chamber of Commerce to welcome a busy Kevin Bolger home Wednesday.
"Seeing the support, and the continued support, it's been really emotional," Bolger said.
Just months removed from cross country skiing in the Beijing Winter Olympics earlier this year, Bolger has been able to relax in his hometown.
"For now, it's putting the feet up for a little while, hopefully that ice goes off the lakes and we can get some water skiing in," he said.
Bolger brought his girlfriend, Swedish Olympic skier Maja Dahlqvist along to the celebration to experience where he grew up, an area that has meant so much to him and his family.
"When we were in Park City to watch the event and we saw what was going on up here, I mean, it just brought us all to tears. We were just overwhelmed by it," said Kevin's mom, Sandy.
Kevin's schedule often consists of training for his next event, which is a year-round process.
Community members were able to donate to his future ventures through raffles and giveaways, but he says an acceptable donation could also be a simple sentence of encouragement.
"It doesn't matter what it is, and that's what makes this community so special. Because no matter what, people are coming out and supporting and that means the world to me. Without that support, whether little or big or whatever it is, I can't do what I love," he said.
Bolger's break from competing isn't lasting much longer, he says he is about to head out to Oregon on Sunday to start training for another worldwide competition later this year.
