[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 62 (Thursday, April 7, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Page S2087]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  TRIBUTE TO IDAHO PARALYMPIC ATHLETES

 Mr. CRAPO. Mr. President, along with my colleagues Senator Jim 
Risch and Representative  Mike Simpson, we congratulate Idaho-connected 
athletes Jake Adicoff, Dani Aravich, Jesse Keefe, and Josh Sweeney for 
their hard work and dedication in representing the United States at the 
2022 Winter Paralympic Games. We also congratulate Sam Wood, Jake 
Adicoff's friend and guide, on his important role in helping to earn 
three medals.
  Jake Adicoff, of Sun Valley, with Sam Wood, earned three medals in 
Nordic skiing. They were instrumental in earning a gold medal in cross-
country skiing for the U.S. 4x2.5-kilometer mixed relay team. They also 
earned two silver medals: one in long-distance cross-country skiing and 
one in sprint cross-country skiing. These were the third Paralympic 
games for Jake Adicoff, who also won a silver medal in the 2018 Winter 
Paralympic Games. Jake, now a four-time Paralympic medalist, graduated 
from Wood River High School before Bowdoin College and earned three 
medals in cross-country skiing in the 2021 World Championships: gold in 
middle-distance, silver in sprint, and bronze in long-distance.
  Boise native Dani Aravich competed in Nordic skiing in her second 
Paralympics. She finished eighth in the sprint cross-country, ninth in 
the middle-distance cross-country, 11th in the middle-distance 
biathlon, and 13th in the sprint biathlon. Dani graduated from Bishop 
Kelly High School in Boise, where she competed in cross-country running 
and track and field, and later she competed in these events at Butler 
University.
  In his Paralympics debut, Jesse Keefe, of Bellevue, competed in 
multiple Alpine skiing events. He placed ninth in the slalom, 15th in 
the super combined and giant slalom, and 22nd in downhill. Jesse, an 
avid outdoorsman who started skiing at age 2 and won his first race at 
age 3, placed first in the 2021 U.S. National Championships in the 
giant slalom and slalom and placed third in the super-g.
  Retired U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Josh Sweeney, who received a Purple 
Heart for his service in Afghanistan, competed in Nordic skiing in his 
second Paralympics. He earned 16th in the long-distance cross-country, 
19th in the sprint cross-country, and 24th in the middle-distance 
cross-country. Josh Sweeney is originally from Arizona and currently a 
Boise resident. He also earned a gold medal in the Paralympic Winter 
Games Sochi 2014 on the U.S. sled hockey team. From 2010-2013, he 
played on the San Antonio Rampage, a club sled hockey team made up 
entirely of injured military athletes, and he played on the Dallas 
Stars club team in 2012, helping the Stars earn the 2012 USA Hockey 
Sled Classic title.
  These athletes have pushed themselves remarkably far to compete in 
their respective events. Their examples of strength and triumph serve 
to inspire fellow Americans and people around the world. As we share in 
congratulating them on their achievements, we are reminded of the 
remarkable work it has taken each of them to reach their goals.

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