[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 144 (Thursday, November 3, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2255-E2256]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO RACHAEL SCDORIS

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. GREG WALDEN

                               of oregon

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, November 2, 2005

  Mr. WALDEN of Oregon. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and 
congratulate Bend, Oregon resident Rachael Scdoris. Rachael is a 
legally blind, competitive dog sled racer and cross-country runner who 
today was awarded the prestigious Casey Martin Award--an annual award 
that Nike bestows to any disabled person in the world who has overcome 
their adversity and pursued their sport of choice with the same passion 
and competitive spirit that renowned golfer Casey Martin has 
demonstrated in his career. Rachael was born with congenital 
achromatopsia, a genetic disorder that severely limits her vision. 
Nonetheless, she was the youngest musher to complete a 500-mile sled 
dog race, and the first disabled athlete to race the 1,161-mile 
Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in 2005.
  Introduced to the sport of dog sledding by her father, Jerry, at age 
3, Rachael's lifelong dream was to compete in the Iditarod. In 2003, 
because of her disability, Rachael was refused entry by the Iditarod 
Trail Committee, but after her determined appeals, the committee 
finally voted to allow her the aid of a visual interpreter on another 
sled in the 2005 Iditarod.
  Though Rachael's dogs became ill and she was forced to drop out after 
750 miles, she has already entered the 2006 Iditarod. She is the 
spokesperson for her vision foundation and the annual ``Race for 
Vision'' sled dog race in Oregon, which raises money for Healthy 
Beginnings, an organization that provides free vision screening, eye 
exams, and glasses to low-income individuals. She has twice been named 
one of the 100 Most Outstanding Female Athletes in the Nation, an ABC 
``Person of the Week'' and a 2004 Olympic Torch carrier.
  Rachael was selected from over 44 applicants to the Casey Martin 
Award because her story mirrors that of Casey Martin who in 1998 sued 
the PGA Tour for the right to be able to use a golf cart in 
competition. Casey, another Oregonian, has Klippel-Trenauny-Weber 
Syndrome, a rare, incurable and degenerative condition that causes 
chronic leg pain and makes it physically impossible for him to walk

[[Page E2256]]

during tournaments. I applaud Nike for sponsoring this award in the 
name of Casey Martin because he embodies the beliefs that we as 
Americans all hold dear--the importance of diversity, a commitment to 
sports, and the fact that everyone should have the right to 
participate.
  I've had the great pleasure of spending time with Rachael and, like 
countless others, am tremendously inspired by her strong sense of 
determination and amazing successes. It is my honor to represent 
Rachael in the U.S. Congress, and I congratulate her for her 
outstanding achievements.

                          ____________________