[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 105 (Wednesday, September 8, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1537]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   CONGRATULATIONS TO WISCONSIN FIFTH DISTRICT OLYMPIC MEDAL WINNERS

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                    HON. F. JAMES SENSENBRENNER, JR.

                              of wisconsin

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, September 7, 2004

  Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pride that I take 
this opportunity to extend my congratulations to four Americans who 
went to Athens to compete in the 28th Olympic Games last month, and 
came back as Olympic medal winners. With ties to Wisconsin's Fifth 
District, they are: Chris Ahrens (Whitefish Bay), Paul Hamm and Morgan 
Hamm (Town of Waukesha), and Beezie Madden (Bayside).
  Winner of the gold medal in the U.S. Men's Eight (rowing), Chris 
started rowing by going out with his dad to the Milwaukee Rowing Club 
at 6 years of age. After finishing fifth in the 2000 Olympics in the 
Men's Eight, Chris retired and took 3 years off. Fortunately for 
America, in 2003, he changed his mind and returned to the sport to 
represent his Nation with success.
  In the sport of gymnastics, Wisconsin was represented by Olympic gold 
and silver medal winner Paul Hamm, and his twin brother, Morgan Hamm, a 
silver medalist. Growing up on a farm in Waukesha, the Hamm twins 
practiced on makeshift equipment--a pommel horse constructed out of a 
maple tree, and the upholstery of a car; rings hung up in the attic; a 
trampoline set up in the barn, and parallel bars made from a stairway 
railing. This goes to show that you don't need state of the art 
equipment to create champions--you need heart.
  In Athens, Beezie (Elizabeth) Madden was an integral part of the U.S. 
equestrian team that took the silver medal in Team Jumping. Nicknamed 
after her great-grandmother, Beezie took her first riding lesson at the 
age of 3. She got her first horse as a Christmas present when she was 
4, and 2 years later, she competed in her first horse show.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank all four of these athletes for 
representing our country with such honor, and congratulate them on 
their success.

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