[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 102 (Wednesday, July 21, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1449]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    PAYING TRIBUTE TO TAGE PEDERSON

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. SCOTT McINNIS

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 21, 2004

  Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a dedicated 
sports-medicine pioneer and U.S. Ski-team trainer from Aspen, Colorado. 
Tage Pederson has helped to train athletes and promote the sport of 
skiing in Colorado for years, and I am privileged to stand here today 
before this body of Congress and this nation to recognize his 
accomplishments.
  Tage initially immigrated to Aspen from Denmark in 1956 where he 
became the assistant director, and then director of the Aspen Institute 
Health and Fitness Center until 1983. While at the Institute, Tage's 
Danish schooling in physical education to develop ski training and 
physical therapy regimens caught the attention of several Olympic 
racers. He believed that motion was a requirement for a speedy recovery 
from injury and is actually responsible for many of the early 
rehabilitation programs that existed before orthopedics and medicine.
  In 1968 Tage was invited to become the official U.S. Ski Team trainer 
and worked with the U.S. Alpine team until 1980 and the Nordic Team 
until 1985. He accompanied the teams to four Olympic games and four 
World Championships as an unpaid volunteer. One of the biggest moments 
of his career as a sports-trainer was aiding Billy Kidd to overcome 
back problems in the 1970 Amateur World Championships to win the gold 
medal in the combined event that contained the longest slalom in the 
history of the sport. Tage was recently inducted into the Colorado Ski 
and Snowboard Hall of Fame for his service to the sport of skiing for 
over four decades.
  Mr. Speaker Tage Pederson has committed decades of his life to 
rehabilitating hundreds of Roaring Fork Valley skiers and getting them 
back on the slopes. He is a caring and humble individual who I am 
honored to recognize before this body of Congress and this nation. 
Congratulations on your induction Tage, and I wish you all the best in 
your future endeavors.

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