[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Page 5169]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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   THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA WRESTLING TEAM'S NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

 Mr. WELLSTONE. Mr. President, I rise today in celebration of a 
wonderful victory by the 2001 NCAA Wrestling Champions, The University 
of Minnesota. Because this is the Golden Gophers' first national 
championship in wrestling, this team victory is worthy of special note.
  As colleagues may know, I follow college wrestling closely. Having 
seen a good deal of wrestling in my life, I can say that the 
performance by this year's Golden Gopher team was nothing short of 
spectacular. Throughout this season, members of the team showed a level 
of determination and skill that became the pride of the people of my 
state and captured the respect of college wrestling fans across the 
country. In gaining the national championship on March 19, the team 
scored 138.5 points and earned an NCAA-record 10 All-Americans.
  College wrestling is a consummate American sport. It centers around 
matches in which individuals face off and are recognized for their 
strength, speed, and versatility, just as we celebrate individual 
achievement in other aspects of American life. However, wrestling 
championships are not won by individuals, they are won by teams. Just 
as this country thrives based on the contributions of all its citizens, 
college wrestling teams rely upon teammates of all weights for points 
if they are to gain a championship.
  I do want to take this opportunity to make the point to my colleagues 
that we should be concerned about recent problems of amateur wrestling 
in the United States. According to a recent report from the Government 
Accounting Office, 40 percent of the nation's college wrestling 
programs have disappeared in the past two decades. As someone who was 
given the opportunity to develop personally through the challenge of 
wrestling and as a former student-athlete who gained access to a first-
rate education thanks to a wrestling scholarship, I am concerned about 
those who, increasingly, are not able to pursue wrestling during their 
college years. It is important to many Americans that the United States 
be competitive in all Olympic sports such as wrestling. Furthermore, 
amateur athletics has provided a way up and a way out for many young 
Americans. We have a responsibility to do what we can to revitalize a 
wonderful sport at the college level.
  That can be a discussion for a later day, Mr. President. Today is a 
day to celebrate the accomplishment of a superb team, The University of 
Minnesota Golden Gopher wrestlers.

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