Edits: Minor edits, Added sub. headline

At first, when all the lights were still on, most of the people crowded into Hilton Coliseum were split into groups, talking quietly among themselves while the occasional child, squealing in delight, ran across the great expanse of concrete space between the seats.

Then, at 7:03 p.m., a disc jockey  walked out from behind a black curtain, picked up a microphone and said, “It’s about time we got this started, aye?”

Suddenly, the lights dimmed, the floor shook and music, before barely audible, became so loud no one could speak without shouting, and all of the shyness went out with the lights.

Matt Talbot, a member of the New Found Hope Team from Scott County, stood about two feet from a 10-foot-high stack of speakers and rocked with each beat, occasionally looking up and around to grin at the dancers around him.

Christine, an athlete from Cedar Rapids, stood in the middle of the dance floor, bathed in light, with her bottle of Sprite, shaking her hair back and forth and becoming even more excited when “Jailhouse Rock” blared through the stereo system.

The celebration dance in Hilton Coliseum is one of the many activities athletes from all over Iowa come to enjoy during the Special Olympics Summer Games in Ames.

The athletes will be meeting again Saturday to finish up the competition, with closing ceremonies starting at noon.