[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 7 (Thursday, February 5, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E114]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     STATEMENT IN SUPPORT OF NATIONAL GIRLS AND WOMEN IN SPORTS DAY

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. CAROLYN C. KILPATRICK

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, February 5, 1998

  Ms. KILPATRICK. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to state my strong support 
for the 12th Annual National Girls and Women in Sports Day. I have long 
been an ardent supporter of women athletes who use grace, strength, and 
discipline to break down barriers. Sports instill confidence in girls 
and women and equip them with important life skills such as teamwork, 
goal-setting, the pursuit of excellence in performance, and other 
achievement-oriented behaviors.
  National Girls and Women in Sports Day was established in 1987 in 
memory of the late Flo Hyman, the Olympic volleyball champion who died 
suddenly in 1986.
  Participants in this year's celebration include Tajama Abraham, 
Sacramento Monarchs center; Lillian Greene-Chamberlain, PhD, national 
track and field champion; Nancy Hogshead, three-time Olympic swimming 
gold medalist, Benita Fitzgerald Mosley, Olympic track and field 
champion; Nadia Comaneci, Olympic gymnastics champion; Robin Campbell, 
track and field Olympian; Dominique Dawes, Olympic gymnastic gold 
medalist; Camille Duvall-Hero, world champion water-skier; Kelly Dyer, 
world-champion ice hockey player; Wendy Hilliard, national rhythmic 
gymnastics champion; Rusty Kanokogi, highest ranking woman in judo; 
Nikki McCray, 1996 Olympic gold medalist and member of the newly formed 
WNBA Washington Mystics; Aimee Mullins, national track and field 
champion; Donna Richardson, fitness star, national aerobic champion; 
Chanda Rubin, tennis champion; Lyn St. James, champion auto racer.
  At a luncheon today in the Senate Hart Building, Nadia Comaneci was 
given the Women's Sports Foundation's 1998 Flo Hyman Award. Every year 
on National Girls and Women in Sports Day, the award is given to women 
who exemplify the dignity, spirit, and commitment to excellence of Ms. 
Hyman, captain of the 1984 U.S. Olympic volleyball team.
  Ms. Comaneci is the most celebrated gymnast in the history of the 
sport. She was the star of the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal, where 
she won three gold medals, two silver medals, and a bronze, and became 
the first woman ever to score a perfect 10.
  I congratulate Ms. Comaneci for her awe-inspiring achievements, and I 
applaud the Women's Sports Foundation for its recognition of the 
importance of sports for women and girls.

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