[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 15]
[House]
[Pages 20936-20937]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                  COMMEMORATION FOR THE HOUSTON COMETS

  (Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, back to back to back. The 
Houston Comets are phenomenal women, and I am here this morning to 
congratulate them for their terrific victory against the New York 
Liberty. But more importantly, Mr. Speaker, I am here to congratulate 
outstanding sports players and women who played last Sunday at the 
arena in Houston before a sold-out crowd, and yes, this team has had 
its trials and tribulations, its ups and downs, but they took the 
bottom of their spirit, and they brought it to the top, and their 
perseverance and their strength, and they dedicated their game to Kim 
Perrot, the spiritual leader of their team who flew with the angels and 
looked down and said, ``you've got to win this for Kim.''
  And so this crowd has shown us along with the Houston Comets what it 
means to be strong in one's soul and to win a game because they really 
won it and they deserve it. All the little girls of Houston and the 
Nation can now look up to this phenomenal team and these phenomenal 
women.
  To Cynthia Cooper and Sheryl Swoopes, to Tammy Jackson, to Janeth 
Arcain, Cynthia Cooper, Sonja Henning, Tammy Jackson, Monica Lamb, Mila 
Nikolich, Jennifer Rizzotti, Sheryl Swoopes again, Tina Thompson again, 
Polina Tzekova, Amaya Valdermoro, and Kara Wolters and to the MVP and 
the dynamic public relations leader, Sarah Joseph, and, of course, to 
Van Chancellor, the coach who is the coach of the WNBA, and the owner, 
Les Alexander; they are a champion, they are phenomenal women, and we 
say to our spiritual leader who flies with the angels, Kim Perrot, 
``We'll never forget you.''
  Congratualtions to Houston and congratulations to the WNBA.
  Back to back to back.
  I am pleased to address the House to congratulate the Houston Comets 
on their third

[[Page 20937]]

Women's National Basketball Association title. On Sunday, the Comets 
beat the New York Liberty 59-47 in front of a sell-out crowd at the 
Compaq Center in Houston.
  It was a great day for Houston, a great day for women's basketball 
and women's sports, and it was a great day for the Comets, a team that 
has overcome tragedy to make history.
  The Houston Comets have now won three consecutive championship games. 
This is the second time that the team has faced the New York Liberty 
and won. And for the third consecutive season, Cynthia Cooper has been 
named the Most Valuable Player for the WNBA Finals.
  Sunday was indeed a great day for Houston because it brought the city 
together. The game on Sunday was played before a sell-out crowd of 
16,285 fans. It brought the best out in a team and a city that suffered 
the loss of Kim Perrot, the point guard who passed away one week before 
the play-offs.
  Kim Perrot was crucial to the Comets in their two previous 
championship games. Unfortunately, she was diagnosed with lung cancer 
earlier this year, and passed away in mid-August.
  Although she was not physically present, her spirit was indeed there 
as the team rallied to victory. The crowds chanted ``Three for Kim, 
three for Kim,'' until the final buzzer, and several fans wore her 
jersey, number 10 in her memory.
  The excitement over the Comets' win follows behind the triumphant win 
by the U.S. Women's Soccer Team earlier this summer. Both of these wins 
have ushered in a new era of respect for women's sports.
  Women's sporting events have proven to be just as exciting as men's 
sports. We have seen an increase in sports participation by girls in 
school and we will soon see more women's sports in prime time. Young 
girls now have role models in athletics like Cynthia Cooper, Sheryl 
Swoopes and Tammy Jackson.
  Just as we paid homage to Title IX earlier this year, I would like to 
again mention how important that legislation has been to women's 
professional sports today. The accomplishments of the Women's National 
Basketball League serve to remind us that only 27 years ago, there was 
no Title IX and women were still second class citizens. We have come a 
long way from the days when only men were expected to excel in sports.
  In athletics, we will continue to see more opportunities for women in 
intercollegiate and professional sports. Institutions must ensure that 
there is adequate athletic financial assistance, accommodation of 
athletic interests and abilities of women, and that the opportunities 
and treatments afforded to sports participants must be equivalent. All 
of this is critical to ensure a solid future for women's professional 
sports.
  The Houston Comets have now followed in the footsteps of some of the 
more prominent NBA teams in winning three titles in a row. The Comets 
are now a part of the pantheon that includes the former Minneapolis 
Lakers, the Boston Celtics, and the Chicago Bulls.
  I salute the Houston Comets team--Janeth Arcain, Cynthia Cooper, 
Sonja Henning, Tammy Jackson, Monica Lamb, Mila Nikolich, Jennifer 
Rizzotti, Sheryl Swoopes, Tina Thompson, Polina Tzekova, Amaya 
Valdermoro, and Kara Wolters for giving our children s-heroes to look 
up to. I also salute their coach, Van Chancellor, their owner, Les 
Alexander and the people of Houston for giving us another reason to 
celebrate women in sports.

                          ____________________