[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 51 (Monday, March 31, 2014)]
[Senate]
[Page S1867]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             2014 OLYMPIANS

  Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, every 4 years elite athletes from across 
the globe gather together to share their prodigious talent and skill 
with a world audience through friendly competition. This year's Winter 
Games in Sochi, Russia was no different. Indeed, it is a tradition 
families across the Nation have gathered together to watch on TV and 
shared for generations.
  We are transfixed by the Winter Olympics and the athletes who take 
part for many reasons. We enjoy the intense competition that is the 
hallmark of the games. We enjoy the gravity-defying athletes who only 
seem to get more daring with each passing year. And, we enjoy the speed 
and precision that is required to excel at the Olympic level. There are 
also many personal and heartwarming stories of triumph and perseverance 
that are highlighted at the games. They remind us of what is possible. 
We witness athletes both in victory and defeat, but always at their 
best. We admire their journey and the Olympic spirit that is embodied 
by each of them.
  To become an Olympian is no easy task. Each athlete has sacrificed 
much to earn a spot at the Olympics. These games and the performances 
we bear witness to are often the capstone of careers that have spanned 
many years and are the product of an enormous amount of training, 
dedication, and focus. This year, as in years past, we glimpsed into 
the lives of these athletes, which includes parents, coaches and family 
members who shaped these athletes from the very beginning, spending 
countless hours and effort in training, travelling from competition to 
competition, and molding young athletes into the competitors we see 
before us.
  The Winter Olympics seamlessly blends the events and traditions we 
have come to enjoy for many years with newer, fresher disciplines that 
leave us in awe and bravely test our limits. Young people are shaped by 
these moments. Some will even grow up and follow this impressive path.
  Michigan was well-represented at the 2014 Winter Olympic Games. One 
area where Michigan shined was in ice dancing. Impressively, 15 of the 
24 teams participating in the ice dancing trained in metro Detroit in 
one of three rinks: the Detroit Skating Club, Novi Ice Arena, and 
Arctic Edge in Canton, which is where the Gold and Silver Medal teams 
trained. This reflects the level of coaching and talent that resides in 
Michigan.
  There were many inspired performances at these games. Fittingly, the 
couple that captured our imagination for the second straight Olympic 
Games, Meryl Davis and Charlie White, capped their Olympic career with 
a captivating, Gold Medal performance in ice dancing, adding this to 
their Silver Medal performance in 2010 and their team Bronze in Sochi. 
The list of ice dancers with strong ties to Michigan is long and 
includes Maia Shibutani, Alex Shibutani, Evan Bates, Madison Chock, 
Tessa Virtue, Scott Moir, Kaitlyn Weaver, Andrew Poje, Alexandra Paul, 
Mitch Islam, Anna Cappellini, Luca Lanotte, Charlene Guignard, Marco 
Fabbri, Nathalie Pechalat, Fabian Bourzat, Pernelle Carron, Lloyd 
Jones, Nelli Zhiganshina, Alexander Gazsi, Julia Zlobina, Alexei 
Sitnikov, Isabella Tobias, Deividas Stagniunas, Danielle O'Brien, Greg 
Merrian, Cathy Reed and Chris Reed.
  Olympic hockey also showcased the talent Michigan has to offer. 
Players with ties to Michigan represented a number of different 
countries. They included Americans Ryan Miller, Ryan Kessler, Cam 
Fowler, Jimmy Howard, Patrick Kane, Phil Kessel, Justin Faulk, Kevin 
Shattenkirk, Ryan Suter, James van Riemsdyk, Max Pacioretty and Dan 
Bylsma. Those who skated for other countries included Henrik 
Zetterberg, Daniel Alfredsson, Niklas Kronwall, Jonathon Ericsson, 
Johan Franzen, Jonas Gustavsson, Pavel Datsyuk, Tomas Tatar, Tomas 
Jurco, Duncan Keith, Chris Kunitz, Mike Babcock and Brian Lebler. Each 
made a significant contribution and provided us ample reason to be 
proud.
  In addition to these incredible athletes are Narumi Takahashi, 
Ryuichi Kihara, Jeremy Abbott, Valentina Marchei and Patrick Chan who 
competed admirably in figure skating. Jessica Smith, Jilleanne Rookard, 
Shani Davis, Jordan Malone, Kyle Carr, Chris Creveling and Anthony 
Lobello graced the speed skating track. And there were snowboarders 
Karly Shorr, Danny Davis and Nick Bumgartner whose style and flair was 
unmistakable.
  Rounding out Michigan's contribution in Sochi was Lauryn Williams, a 
Summer Olympic star who became the first woman, and fifth person 
overall, to medal in both the Summer and Winter Olympics. Her Silver as 
part of a two-person bobsled team was one of the most memorable moments 
of the games.
  I join many across Michigan in congratulating each of these athletes. 
It was gratifying to watch and reminds us all, especially young people 
across Michigan, that reaching for the stars, or in this case the 
Olympics, is firmly within their grasp. As one Olympic figure skater so 
aptly put it, ``To be able to come up here and feel stiff and white as 
a ghost but stare fear in the face is what I'm all about.'' That's the 
true Olympic spirit we tune in to watch, and that is a fitting way to 
describe the grit, grace, and athletic prowess we witnessed day after 
day in Sochi. This is why I am delighted to honor these athletes here 
today by placing their names in the Congressional Record.

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