[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 32 (Tuesday, March 19, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Page S2072]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    TRIBUTE TO MICHIGAN'S OLYMPIANS

 Ms. STABENOW. Mr. President, I rise to commend the residents 
of the State of Michigan who participated in the recently concluded 
2002 Winter Olympics.
  ``Swifter! Higher! Stronger!'' That's the Olympic motto.
  I am proud to say that at least 13 athletes who call or have called 
Michigan their home followed that motto and competed with the world's 
best in this year's Winter Olympics. Among them was Naomi Lang, the 
first Native American to compete in the history of the Winter Olympics 
and who placed 11th in ice dancing.
  Athletes included members of the men's Silver Medal hockey team: 
Chris Chelios, of Detroit; Mike Modano, of Livonia; Brian Rafalski, of 
Dearborn, Brian Rolston, of Flint; Doug Weight, of Warren, and Mike 
York, of Waterford.
  Other athletes from Michigan were: Women's hockey team Silver 
Medalists Shelley Looney, of Brownstown Township and Angela Ruggiero, 
of Harper's Woods; Mark Grimmette, of Muskegon, and Chris Thorpe, of 
Marquette, who won the Silver and Bronze medals respectively in the 
men's luge doubles; Jean Racine, of Waterford, who placed 5th in the 
women's bobsled, and Todd Eldredge, of Lake Angelus, who placed sixth 
in men's singles figure skating.
  I am so proud of all of them!
  Besides these wonderful athletes, I am pleased to say that another 15 
Olympic competitors and one coach came from the U.S. Olympic Education 
Center based at Northern Michigan University in Marquette.
  These athletes didn't just do Michigan proud, or the Nation proud; 
they made the whole world of amateur athletics proud.
  They, and all the great athletes who participated, gave us a chance 
to share together in another motto of the Winter Olympics, 
``Celebrating Humanity.''
  It was impossible to watch these games without marveling at all the 
hard work and dedication these young people brought to the games.
  So, again, let me congratulate the athletes from Michigan as well as 
the athletes from across our Nation and around the world who gave us a 
chance to watch the best compete against each other and together 
celebrate the spirit of humanity, the spirit of the Olympics.

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