[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 45 (Wednesday, March 14, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1732-S1733]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     RECOGNIZING VERMONT ATHLETES IN THE 2018 WINTER OLYMPIC GAMES

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, late last month, as I watched Olympic Gold 
Medal winner Jessie Diggins carry our flag in the Pyeongchang closing 
ceremonies, I was overcome with pride--pride in Vermont and pride in 
our great country. Throughout the games, athletes raised in Vermont and 
those who choose to train at Vermont's world-class winter academies and 
programs showcased the very best of our winter wonderland. Vermont, 
ranked 49th in population among the States, sent the most athletes per 
capita to the games. While there, they showcased Vermont values, 
including respect, personal achievement and excellence, civility and 
good sportsmanship.
  Vermont athletes were also incredibly successful during these games, 
bringing home three gold medals. Montpelier native Amanda Pelkey and 
the U.S. Women's Hockey Team capped a year battling for equal pay and 
treatment with a gold medal performance, stunning Canada in a thrilling 
final match. Burke Mountain Academy graduate Mikaela Schiffrin 
continued her stunning success, bringing home gold in the giant slalom 
and silver in the alpine combined. Jessie Diggins, from Stratton 
Mountain School's T2 elite team, lunged across the finish line in an 
exciting end to the women's cross-country skiing team sprint to grab 
the gold, the first cross-country gold medal ever for the United 
States.
  Between the golden moments of triumph, we also saw the grit and 
determination of Vermont athletes to simply compete at the highest 
levels of their sport. In the slalom, Ryan Cochran-Siegle demonstrated 
his ability to overcome injuries and the odds as he enjoyed--and then 
gracefully ceded--the lead to his fellow athletes. His teammate, UVM 
alpine racer Tommy Bisemeyer, had the courage to speak honestly about 
the profound disappointment of suffering a training injury that cut 
short his second Olympic attempt. Other Vermont Olympians include 
Sophie Caldwell, cross-country skiing, from Peru; Caroline Claire, 
freestyle skiing, from Wilmington; Kelly Clark, snowboarding, from West 
Dover; Emily Dreissigacker, biathlon, from Morrisville; Susan Dunklee, 
biathalon, from Barton; Lindsey Jacobellis, snowboarding, from 
Stratton; Nolan Kasper, alpine skiing, from Warren; Devin Logan, 
freestyle skiing, from West Dover; Kaitlynn Miller, cross-country 
skiing, from Elmore; Andy Newell, cross-country skiing, from 
Shaftsbury; Ida Sargent, cross-country skiing, from Craftsbury Common; 
Emerson Smith, freestyle skiing, from Dover; and Liz Stephen, cross-
country skiing, from Montpelier.
  We as Vermonters are so proud of each and every Vermonter who went to 
Pyeongchang to represent the Green Mountain State and our country. Each 
of them competed fiercely and truly

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represented the Olympic values of friendship, respect, and excellence--
which also happen to be some of our cherished Vermont values. I 
congratulate each and every one of them.

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