[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 126 (Thursday, October 7, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1828-E1829]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




RECOGNIZING SPIRIT OF JACOB MOCK DOUB AND EXPRESSING SENSE OF CONGRESS 
THAT ``NATIONAL TAKE A KID MOUNTAIN BIKING DAY'' SHOULD BE ESTABLISHED 
                       IN JACOB MOCK DOUB'S HONOR

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                            HON. MARK UDALL

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, October 5, 2004

  Mr. UDALL of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House 
Concurrent Resolution 480, expressing the sense of Congress that 
``National Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day'' should be established in 
honor of Jacob Mock Doub.

[[Page E1829]]

  The youth of today's America are becoming less and less active. The 
U.S. Surgeon General reports the percentage of overweight children has 
nearly tripled in the past two decades. Forecasts also predict the 
current generation of children in the United States could actually have 
a shorter life span than their parents as the epidemic of childhood 
obesity expands.
  Promoting physical activity and diet are critical in addressing the 
rise of childhood obesity and youth inactivity and Congress should be 
supportive in addressing this important issue. Certainly more needs to 
be done but this resolution is a step in the right direction to raise 
awareness and move the discussion forward.
  The resolution also honors Jacob Mock Doub, a young man who had a 
great passion for life and for cycling. He encouraged many young people 
like himself to get involved with the activity.
  I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.
  For the information of our colleagues, I am attaching an item from 
the International Mountain Biking Association, IMBA, that provides 
additional information about Jacob Mock Doub.

                        Jacob Mock ``Jack'' Doub

                     Jul. 11, 1985--Oct. 21, 2002.

       One year ago this October we unexpectedly lost a great 
     friend and brother when Jack Doub died from complications 
     from an injury received during practice for the Snowshoe 
     NORBA National downhill race last June. To honor Jack's 
     spirit and love of biking we have in association with IMBA, 
     helped to establish the Jack Doub Memorial Fund to promote 
     and encourage other ``kids'' to learn and live to ride. To 
     understand Jack and his love of biking is to understand our 
     wishes to continue his memory. Jack was born to two energetic 
     and loving parents who greatly enjoyed the outdoors and early 
     on Jack enjoyed the same. Skiing at age 18 months, he became 
     an unbelievable freestyle and backcountry skier . . . the 
     best. In life Jack learned to climb, to kayak, to motocross 
     race, and to fly fish. By age 11 Jack's fly-fishing skills 
     and abilities to see and catch fish were legend. It was 
     almost unbelievable that he literally could do anything he 
     wanted and at levels of skill that others only dream about, 
     all of this while quiet, reserved, and humble.
       Ultimately Jack was introduced to biking at age 11 near 
     Grandfather Mountain, N.C. He saw a friend riding, doing a 
     few tricks and he wanted to learn to wheelie. He was hooked. 
     Within a week he could wheelie like crazy and soon obtained a 
     new Gary Fisher Super Caliber on which he won essentially 
     every cross-country race he entered for two years. Although 
     remaining the best fly fisherman around at age 13, biking had 
     become Jack's obsession. It was at age 13 that Jack obtained 
     a Santa Cruz Super 8 and began racing downhill as well; again 
     nothing but success. One of Jack's greatest sparks was 
     participating in mountain bike ``dirt'' camp during the 
     summer of 1998 at Snowshoe, WV, and this is also where he 
     raced his last race.
       From age 14 to 17 Jack rode primarily downhill and dual 
     slalom. He found it difficult to train and ride downhill and 
     dual slalom and have the energy to race cross-country on the 
     same day. Cross-country was great but Jack was an adrenalin 
     junkie . . . fast and furious. The neat thing about Jack 
     however was not his desire to race and to win but his 
     absolute love of being on the bike. Whether he podiumed or 
     came in 23rd, his response was always, ``it was great.'' He 
     never complained or had excuses and no matter how bad the 
     mechanical failure or the crash, he always finished . . . 
     never a DNF or withdrawal. For Jack, it was all about the 
     bike . . . cross-country, downhill, dual slalom, trials, or 
     as always just playing in the yard; there were very few days 
     that he didn't touch the bike.
       Jack rode many bikes and greatly loved his Spooky, his 
     intense M1, and his Santa Cruz Heckler but his real favorite 
     was his Foes Zigzag on which he came in second at the NORBA 
     Snowshoe National in junior expert dual slalom in his last 
     race ever. His accident occurred the next day in downhill 
     training where as usual he was trying to air a major jump and 
     obstacle . . . he later rode but never raced again. His 
     accomplishments were extensive and are too numerous to detail 
     nor would that be his focus.
       Jack's last ride occurred approximately one week before he 
     died. He was excited to ride a new trail with a group of us. 
     Out of shape but never out of energy, he wheelied the mile to 
     the trail including down a 200 yard hill all the way on a 
     wheelie manual to a nose manual. As usual we were all amazed. 
     During the two hour ride we rode hard, played hard and had 
     worlds of fun. Jack rode through the pain and upset stomach 
     while laughing and smiling and could only talk of getting 
     back in shape and coming back. God, do we miss that next ride 
     with Jack.
       Despite all of Jack's great accomplishments and skills, his 
     greatest strength was involving and encouraging others to 
     ride, especially children. Jack would skip chances to hang 
     out with his peers just to go to Hobby Park and teach young 
     kids to ride and jump dual slalom . . . he did this even 
     while injured. On occasions he was known to stop in a race 
     and help other individuals. During one 12 hour race he rode 
     two extra laps just to give his friends a break and lessen 
     their pain so as to have more fun. Most importantly he 
     greatly enjoyed seeing his friends do well, especially ``Tone 
     Dog'', ``Magoo'', Jonathan, and Will. Jack's smiles were as 
     big or bigger for their successes than for his own. Jack at 
     heart wanted others to encounter and love life and biking as 
     much as he did.
       Jay de Jesus wrote in a letter to Jack's dad, Jay after 
     Jack's death; Jack was . . . ``up all night doing manuals and 
     wheelies all the way across the courtyard at Snowshoe 
     Village, the same nice, intelligent, bike-crazy kid with the 
     ever present smile . . . every night, just riding on and 
     on.'' There are no real answers to Jack's passing away, just 
     a huge void. May that void be filled with our smiles and 
     those of other kids experiencing the awesome joy of biking 
     and as Jack would want us to do . . . ``riding on and on''. 
     The Jack Doub Memorial Fund hopes in some small way to 
     continue his spirit and memory to that end. Jack Doub . . . 
     orange helmet, red hair and blue jeans . . . rest in peace 
     brother as you ride in our hearts and memories forever.
     Friends of Jack Doub.

                          ____________________