[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 12]
[Senate]
[Pages 17631-17632]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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              COMMENDING RUTHIE MATTHES AND STACY DRAGILA

 Mr. CRAPO. Mr. President, I rise today to commend the 
remarkable accomplishments of Ruthie Matthes, an Idaho native and a 
cross-country cyclist, and Stacy Dragila, an Idaho constituent and pole 
vaulter.
  At the United States Olympic Track and Field trials in July, Stacy 
cleared fifteen feet, two and a quarter inches, which broke her 
personal record by a half-inch and further solidified her qualification 
to represent the United States at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.
  Stacy, a native of Auburn, California, graduated from Idaho State 
University and currently resides in Pocatello in my home state of 
Idaho. It is an honor that she has chosen to live in Idaho and 
continues to do a lot of her training in Idaho.
  Stacy has won three of four national championships since the pole 
vault became an official event in 1997. She currently ranks as the 
defending world champion and has broken her indoor and outdoor world 
records a combined eight times since August. All of her competitions 
have been approached with maximum effort and dedicated preparation.
  At the U.S. Track and Field Trials, Stacy tried to break her record 
again, attempting fifteen feet, five inches, three times. She missed 
each of her three tries, but ended the competition encouraged and 
gratified nonetheless. ``It helps me to know that I can jump under 
pressure,'' she said. ``And it's nice to know that I'm attempting 15-5 
and I still have things to work on.''
  Ruthie Matthes was born in Sun Valley, ID, and lived in neighboring 
Ketchum throughout most of her formative years. She began cycling as 
part of her training for alpine hill ski racing. Her decision to cycle 
full-time was followed by great success.
  Between 1990 and 1996, Ruthie took home two bronze, two silver, and 
one gold medal at the World Mountain Bike Championships. She was also 
the National Cross-Country champion from 1996-1998. Her off-road career 
now includes three consecutive national cross-country titles.

[[Page 17632]]

  Ruthie deserves as much praise for her athletic prowess as she does 
for her positive sports ethic. ``You have to stay true to your heart,'' 
says Matthes. ``Do your very best and enjoy it. Whether you finish 
first, tenth or last, all of it is an opportunity to learn about 
yourself.''
  These two women, and other devoted athletes, serve as reminders that, 
through healthy competition, our challengers can inspire us to excel. 
They unify those of us who watch them through shared pride and passion. 
Their victories leave our souls soaring high and our feet feeling 
light. In times of defeat, we are humbled by the fact that there is 
more work to be done to reach our team's victory.
  The Olympic ideal is perhaps the best evidence that endurance, the 
desire to challenge oneself, and the pursuit of achieving top physical 
form are agelong endeavors. The events demonstrate that the will to 
compete in the athletic arena is nearly universal, crossing boundaries 
of culture and geography to bring together most of the world's nations. 
It is one of the great celebrations of the human spirit and one of the 
finest examples of our time of peaceful multi-national competition.
  I am very proud of Ruthie and Stacy's accomplishments and the role 
that they will play in this international competition. I wish Ruthie, 
Stacy, and all the other athletes who are participating in the Olympics 
this year, the challenge of vigorous competition. May they again know 
the exaltation of pushing themselves to their limits and the roar of a 
crowd that lives vicariously through their triumph.

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