[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 16]
[Senate]
[Page 23453]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                       TRIBUTE TO BARBARA BEDFORD

 Mr. SMITH of New Hampshire. Mr. President, I rise today to pay 
tribute to Barbara Bedford of Etna, New Hampshire, on her fine 
performance at the Sydney Olympic Games. Her hard work, dedication and 
perseverance in making her Olympic dream a reality are an example for 
us all, and the people of New Hampshire are so very proud of her 
excellent performance.
  Barbara, along with Jenny Thompson, was part of the gold-medal 
winning 4x100 medley relay that shattered the world record. It was so 
great to see Barbara fly through the water during the backstroke leg of 
the relay with her extremely patriotic red, white and blue-dyed hair. 
Her Olympic moment was years in the making, as she finally made her 
first Olympic team at the age of 27 after disappointments at the 1988, 
1992 and 1996 Olympic Trials. After those heartbreaking defeats, 
Barbara could have easily given up her dream of making an Olympic team. 
However, with the help of her family and coach, Barbara did not 
retreat. Instead, she worked tirelessly toward her dream and was 
rewarded at this year's Olympic trials, where she placed first in the 
50-meter backstroke. Barbara was able to keep her focus squarely on 
making the team this year and reach her goal, and this is an 
inspiration to all of us and proves once again that if we work hard, we 
can do just about anything. Her positive attitude and passion for her 
sport is so refreshing in an age when far too many athletes seem more 
interested in endorsements than their sport.
  Once again, I want to congratulate Barbara on her accomplishments, 
and I wish her all the best in her future endeavors. It is an honor to 
represent her in the U.S. Senate.

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