[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 23 (Wednesday, March 6, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E280]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     HONORING SAILING TEAMS FROM TEXAS A&M AT GALVESTON, TEXAS A&M 
                   UNIVERSITY AND UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. NICK LAMPSON

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, March 6, 2002

  Mr. LAMPSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the sailing teams 
from Texas A&M at Galveston, Texas A&M University, and the University 
of Texas for their heroism. I am amazed at the selflessness that these 
young people displayed.
  On Saturday, February 23, 2002, Texas A&M University at Galveston was 
hosting a sailing team-racing regatta. As the sailboats were 
maneuvering for the start of the race, a mini van carrying a total of 
six people drove at high speed off a dead-end road and flew 
approximately 80 feet out over the water and sank. The van landed 
within 30 feet of the starting line.
  Participants from the regatta yelled to shore for someone to call 911 
and then swam in the 60-degree water to the van and made repeated dives 
in an effort to rescue the people trapped inside. The rescuers called 
for rocks from the shore to smash the windows open and other students 
began swimming the rocks out to the site. An anchor from the regatta 
motorboat was also used to smash the windows.
  Over a period of ten minutes while the van was submerged the 
participants successfully rescued the five unconscious occupants, 
brought them to shore and administered first aid/CPR. The students 
rescued two adult women and three children, four years old, six years 
old and seven months old. The driver of the van, who purposely drove 
the van into the water and escaped on his own, is incarcerated and 
faces attempted capital murder charges.
  Mr. Speaker, these students, many of whom were injured themselves 
from broken glass, showed astonishing courage. Today, I would like to 
recognize them on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives. These 
brave sailors are:
  Coach Gerard Coleman, Brence Bedwell, Jenipher Cate, Megan 
Chrostowski, Kelly Cunningham, Capt. Jeffrey Daigle, Kelly Gallop, 
Kevin Gunn, James Loynes, Chris Noll, Robin Roger, Joseph Richardson, 
Bill Self, Julie Svaton, Danna Svejkosky, Lloyd Towns, Judkey Reed, Mr. 
Shannon Galway, Capt. Jake Scott, Jennifer Doreck, John Gross, Spencer 
Ogden, Mike Curtin, Sarah Lakhani, Varun Idnani, Jennifer Curtin, and 
Scott Marsden.
  On behalf of the city of Galveston, I would like to express my thanks 
to these courageous sailors who showed no regard for their own safety 
when it came to rescuing the people trapped inside that van. They make 
me proud to be a Texan. God bless.

                          ____________________