[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 11]
[House]
[Pages 15042-15045]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




COMMENDING THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA DULUTH BULLDOGS FOR WINNING THE 
     NCAA 2003 NATIONAL COLLEGIATE WOMEN'S ICE HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIP

  Mr. KLINE. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to 
the resolution (H. Res. 171) commending the University of Minnesota 
Duluth Bulldogs for winning the NCAA 2003 National Collegiate Women's 
Ice Hockey Championship.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                              H. Res. 171

       Whereas on Sunday, March 23, 2003, the two-time defending 
     NCAA National Collegiate Women's Ice Hockey champion, the 
     University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs, won the National 
     Championship for the third straight year;
       Whereas Minnesota Duluth defeated Harvard University in 
     double overtime of the championship game by the score of 4-3, 
     having defeated Dartmouth College 5-2 in the semifinal;
       Whereas sophomore Nora Tallus scored the game-winning goal 
     in the second overtime, assisted by Erika Holst and Joanne 
     Eustace;
       Whereas during the 2002-2003 season, the Bulldogs won an 
     impressive 31 games, while losing only 3 and tying 2;
       Whereas forwards Jenny Potter, Hanne Sikio, and Caroline 
     Ouellette were selected to the 2003 All-Tournament team and 
     Caroline Ouellette was named the tournament's Most 
     Outstanding Player;
       Whereas the Bulldogs are the only team in the country to 
     earn a berth in the women's national championship tournament 
     in each year of its existence;
       Whereas junior forward Jenny Potter was one of three 
     finalists for the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, given 
     annually to the most outstanding player in women's collegiate 
     varsity ice hockey and was named to the Jofa Women's 
     University Division Ice Hockey All-American First Team;
       Whereas senior forward Maria Rooth, for the fourth time, 
     was one of ten finalists for the Patty Kazmaier Memorial 
     Award, and was named to the Jofa Women's University Division 
     Ice Hockey All-American Second Team;
       Whereas Minnesota Duluth Head Coach Shannon Miller, after 
     winning the National Championship in three consecutive years, 
     has been named a finalist for the American Hockey Coaches 
     Association 2002-2003 University Division Women's Ice Hockey 
     Coach of the Year Award; and
       Whereas all of the team's players showed tremendous 
     dedication throughout the season toward the goal of winning 
     the National Championship: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
       (1) commends the University of Minnesota Duluth women's 
     hockey team for winning the NCAA 2003 National Collegiate 
     Women's Ice Hockey Championship;
       (2) recognizes the achievements of all the team's players, 
     coaches, and support staff and invites them to the United 
     States Capitol Building to be honored;
       (3) requests that the President recognize the achievements 
     of the University of Minnesota Duluth women's hockey team and 
     invite them to the White House for an appropriate ceremony 
     honoring a national championship team; and
       (4) directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to 
     make available enrolled copies of this resolution to the 
     University of Minnesota Duluth for appropriate display and to 
     transmit an enrolled copy of this resolution to each coach 
     and member of the NCAA 2003 National Collegiate Women's Ice 
     Hockey Championship team.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Minnesota (Mr. Kline) and the gentlewoman from Minnesota (Ms. McCollum) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Kline).


                             General Leave

  Mr. KLINE. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their 
remarks on H. Res. 171.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Minnesota?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. KLINE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 171; and I 
would like to thank my colleague, the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. 
Oberstar), for bringing this resolution forward.
  Madam Speaker, this resolution recognizes the achievement of the 
University of Minnesota Duluth women's hockey team, the Bulldogs, for 
their NCAA National Collegiate championship. This victory marks the 
third consecutive national championship for the Bulldogs.
  The national champion Bulldogs deserve recognition for their double 
overtime victory against a talented Harvard University team. In 
addition to the inspiring team victory, four individuals distinguished 
themselves from the field: three young women from the University of 
Minnesota of Duluth were named to the All-Tournament team, and Coach 
Shannon Miller was named the 2003 AHCA Women's Division Coach of the 
Year. The distinction earned by these individuals and the remarkable 
repeat victories of the team reflect the dedication of each player, the 
leadership of Coach Shannon Miller, and the support of family, friends, 
and fans.
  I extend my congratulations to each of the hard-working players on 
the successful Bulldog team, to Coach Miller, and to the University of 
Minnesota Duluth. I am happy to join my colleagues in honoring the 
accomplishment of this team and wish them continued success. I ask my 
colleagues to support this resolution.

[[Page 15043]]

  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. McCOLLUM. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  I am pleased to support House Resolution 171, commending the 
University of Minnesota Duluth women's hockey team for winning the NCAA 
2003 National Collegiate Women's Ice Hockey Championship.
  I also too want to congratulate Bulldog Coach Shannon Miller for 
being named the 2003 American Hockey Coach's Association Women's 
University Division Coach of the Year. We are all proud of the 
extraordinary accomplishment of these women.
  The March 23 triumph of the UMD Bulldogs over Harvard has been 
referred to as the greatest game in the history of college women's 
hockey, played before a record-breaking crowd of over 5,000, double 
overtime, 4 to 3, in order to defeat the Harvard team. This gave the 
Bulldogs their third consecutive national championship. In only the 
fourth season of their existence, the Bulldogs have brought the sport 
of women's hockey to a new and exciting level.
  The success that this team has achieved over the past few years has 
helped to fuel a women's hockey explosion in Minnesota and across the 
country. Twenty-nine colleges now sponsor Division I teams, and the 
NCAA is considering expanding its field in 2005. In Minnesota, the 
number of high school women's hockey teams has rocketed from 24 in 1995 
to 128 today. Nationwide, the number of girls and women playing ice 
hockey has increased more than four-fold in this last decade, with more 
than 39,000 registered females playing hockey today.
  The success of the Bulldogs and the ever-growing opportunities for 
women in sports remind us of the importance of title IX, the landmark 
legislation that banned sex discrimination in schools. It passed over 
30 years ago. Title IX has kicked open the door for women and girls in 
athletics and education, and since the passage of title IX, girls and 
women have gone from hoping for a team to hoping to make the team.
  Unfortunately, there are still some who would like to turn back the 
clock and see this law weakened. But as women continue to make strides 
towards equal opportunity, title IX must remain strong. We must uphold 
the progress we have made and continue to expand the opportunities for 
our daughters, granddaughters, and nieces for the next generation and 
beyond. Every girl and young woman must be given a chance to one day 
become a national champion.
  Once again, I congratulate the UMD Lady Bulldogs on their remarkable 
achievements.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. KLINE. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from 
Minnesota (Mr. Kennedy).
  Mr. KENNEDY of Minnesota. Madam Speaker, I thank my friend, the 
gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Kline), for yielding me this time to 
speak about the University of Minnesota Duluth's women's hockey team. I 
do not know if people realize how important hockey is to us in 
Minnesota. It is a great sport. The people of particularly northern 
Minnesota have a proud tradition of hockey from the youth on up, and 
this is an example of how they are continuing that tradition.
  Madam Speaker, this is the third consecutive championship, as we have 
spoken about several times. But how often does that happen? And that 
speaks to the great program that they have up there. It has already 
been talked about, the dramatic win, defeating Harvard 4 to 3 in double 
overtime. Any opportunity a team from Minnesota has to beat Harvard is 
a great opportunity, and it shows the competitiveness there is across 
the country.
  The three Bulldog players named to the All-Tournament team and Coach 
Shannon Miller being named the AHCA Coach of the Year also merits 
additional pride. The coach has the highest winning percentage among 
the NCAA women's coaches.
  While the Bulldogs shine on the ice, I think it is important to point 
out that they also shine in the classroom. Seven of the players from 
the championship team were named to the WCHA All-Academic team, so we 
continue to value education as well in Minnesota.
  Madam Speaker, this team embodies the spirit of student athletes and 
our great ambassadors for the importance of sports and education for 
the State of Minnesota. I am honored to join them today in 
congratulating them on continuing the proud tradition of Minnesota 
hockey.
  Ms. McCOLLUM. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Once again, congratulations to the University of Minnesota Duluth 
Lady Bulldogs. I know the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Sabo), the 
gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Peterson), and, of course, the gentleman 
from Minnesota (Mr. Oberstar), who represents the University of Duluth 
here in Washington, D.C., could not be more proud.
  I have to say this was truly exciting to get to do this, Madam 
Speaker, because when I was a young girl trying to learn how to ice 
skate, hockey was not available for us; and it certainly was not 
available to participate on a team and even think about winning a 
championship. So congratulations, Lady Bulldogs.
  Mr. KLINE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume, 
just to associate myself with the remarks of my colleague, the 
gentlewoman from Minnesota (Ms. McCollum), in saying that the women in 
Minnesota have confirmed what we always knew, that Minnesota is the ice 
hockey headquarters of the world, and we are proud to associate 
ourselves with them and congratulate the team.
  Ms. McCOLLUM. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from 
Minnesota (Mr. Oberstar).
  Mr. OBERSTAR. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from yielding me 
this time.
  Madam Speaker, the University of Minnesota--Duluth women's hockey 
team achieved something truly extraordinary in the history of 
collegiate athletics in winning the NCAA hockey championship for the 
third year consecutively. It is a great tribute to the skill and 
stamina and determination of the women who have devoted themselves to 
this team and to each other and displayed an extraordinary kind of 
cooperative spirit that is characteristic of college athletics. It is 
notable that the report in the Duluth News Tribune on the championship 
game was written by a female reporter, and I will include the report on 
the game, the championship game, for the Record at this time.

           [From the Duluth (MN) News Tribune, Mar. 24, 2003]

                    Bulldog Women Claim Third Title

                          (By Christa Lawler)

       The forgotten game puck was tucked in the back of the net 
     while the Minnesota Duluth women's hockey team celebrated its 
     third consecutive NCAA Frozen Four title.
       While streamers and confetti dropped from the rafters of 
     the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center, University of 
     Minnesota Duluth goalie Shannon Kasparek crawled to the back 
     of the goal to retrieve the pesky puck that, for one overtime 
     and more than four minutes, refused to settle anywhere.
       UMD beat Harvard 4-3 Sunday night when Bulldog sophomore 
     forward Nora Tallus, wide open, took a few strides and sent 
     the puck low past the Crimson's goalie Jessica Ruddock, who 
     had skated out to meet her. The game lasted 84 minutes--the 
     longest in the history of the women's NCAA-sanctioned event.
       There were 5,167 fans at the game, largely pro-Bulldogs. 
     There were quite a few Harvard supporters and some who said 
     they just wanted to see a great game.
       ``It couldn't have been better for women's hockey,'' UMD 
     fourth-year coach Shannon Miller said. ``I talked to (Harvard 
     coach) Katey Stone before the game. I gave her a little hug 
     and said `Let's put on a show. Raise the bar for women's 
     hockey.'''
       The Bulldogs won the tournament in Durham, N.H., last year 
     with a 3-2 win over Brown. The previous year, they beat St. 
     Lawrence 4-2 in Minneapolis. No other team in the country has 
     ever owned the NCAA women's Frozen Four title.
       Tallus, a slight, Finnish player, was mobbed by her 
     teammates, who created a mound of maroon on the ice on top of 
     her. It was Tallus' eight goal of the season, and followed 
     her game-high four penalties earlier in the game.

[[Page 15044]]

     
                                  ____
             [From the Duluth News Tribune, Mar. 24, 2003]

 Bulldogs Prevail in Double-overtime Over Harvard, Win Third Straight 
                               NCAA Title

                          (By Christa Lawler)

       Nora Tallus repayed her debt to her teammates in full.
       The Minnesota Duluth sophomore forward had all the time in 
     the world when she skated off the boards in the second 
     overtime of Sunday's national championship game. She took a 
     few strides and sent the puck low, past Harvard goalie 
     Jessica Ruddock and off the inside of the pipe, giving the 
     Bulldogs their third consecutive NCAA Frozen Four title with 
     a 4-3 victory.
       Perhaps the greatest game in the history of women's college 
     hockey came on the Bulldogs' home ice at the DECC in front of 
     5,167 fans--the largest attendance in three years of the 
     NCAA-sanctioned event.
       The game hung tied at 3-3 through one 20-minute overtime 
     period. The ice was resurfaced and Tallus fired the game-
     winner at 4:19 of the second overtime to bring an end to the 
     longest game in the history of the women's Frozen Four.
       Tallus, a small and seemingly shy player, earned four 
     penalties--including two roughing calls--before she became 
     the hero of the game. While Harvard did not capitalize on any 
     of her two-minute hiatuses to the box, playing shorthanded 
     was a dangerous proposition against the Crimson's 32.2 power-
     play percentage, the best in the nation.
       Still, Tallus was not on her coach's bad side.
       ``She is a . . . angel,'' UMD fourth-year coach Shannon 
     Miller said. ``You could never get mad at her. After she took 
     three penalties, I leaned down, gave her a hug and I said, 
     `You now owe us a goal, you understand that?'''
       Tallus must have understood. The goal was just her eighth 
     of the season.
       ``Yeah, I owed that for the team,'' Tallus said ``Big 
     Time.''
       Even Harvard coach Katey Stone had kudos for the goal that 
     closed the game.
       ``It was an absolutely perfect shot,'' she said.
       Hanne Sikio scored two goals for the Bulldogs and Caroline 
     Ouellette also scored. Senior goalie Patricia Sautter had 41 
     saves. Harvard's Jennifer Botterill, Lauren McCauliffe and 
     Nicole Corriero scored consecutive second-period goals, and 
     goalie Jessica Ruddock had 37 saves.
       Ouellette, a sophomore forward, opened the game with a goal 
     at 5:17 of the first peirod. Jenny Potter tipped the puck to 
     the Canadian National Team player, who was coming in quickly 
     on the other side of the ice. Ouellette nicked a piece of the 
     puck, redirecting to score just seconds after Harvard had 
     returned to equal strength.
       Sikio gave the Bulldogs a 2-0 advantage at 12:30 when she 
     broke away, wound up slowly and laid the puck in the back of 
     the net.
       Harvard responded with two goals in 23 seconds in the first 
     minute of the second period.
       Botterill skated in on Sautter's right side and scored at 
     21 seconds. McAuliffe backhanded the puck at 44 seconds to 
     tie the game 2-2.
       Corriero gave the Crimson a brief lead when she kicked the 
     puck off her skates and to her stick, scoring at 14:46 of the 
     second period.
       Sikio tied the game from her knees, sliding the puck 
     between Ruddock's leg and the right post at 17:84.
       Harvard star defense man, junior Angela Ruggiero, received 
     an interference penalty at 15:05 of the third period. She 
     vocally contested the call, and a 10-minute misconduct was 
     added. The USA National Team player spent the rest of the 
     period, and much of the first overtime, in the penalty box.
       She darted out of the box and onto the ice quickly when her 
     sentence was filled and gestured to the crowd that she was 
     fired up.
       Neither team scored in the third period. Just 30 seconds 
     into the second overtime, Botterill and freshman forward 
     Julie Chu closed in on Sautter. The UMD goalie grabbed the 
     puck and Chu tried to shake it from her grasp. It broke free 
     and slid to the back of the net, but after the whistle. 
     Referees reviewed the play and did not allow the goal.
       Tallus closed the game minutes later, after hearing a 
     prediction from UMD junior forward Tricia Guest.
       ``Before the overtime, I said, `My money is on you,''' 
     Guest said she told Tallus. Guest might be clairvoyant, based 
     on her own success. She scored the game-winner last year, 
     when the Bulldogs beat Brown 3-2 in the championship game. 
     ``I just had a feeling. It's never been like the superstar 
     person'' who scores winning goals in title games for UMD.
       After the game, Guest went up to Tallus, one of her closest 
     friends on the team, and said, ``It's an amazing feeling, 
     isn't it?''
                                  ____


             [From the Duluth News Tribune, Mar. 24, 2003]

              An Amazing Journey Ends With an Amazing Game

                            (By Mark Emmert)

       Four years ago, Erika Holst, Maria Rooth and Hanne Sikio 
     were just looking for somewhere to play hockey.
       Each received a phone call from Shannon Miller, wondering 
     if they'd be interested in attending the University of 
     Minnesota Duluth, which was beginning a varsity program.
       The trio of Scandinavians knew nothing about Duluth or U.S. 
     college hockey, but they knew enough about Miller, the former 
     coach of the Canadian Olympic team, to take a gamble.
       On Sunday night at the DECC, their glorious careers 
     culminated with a victory in the greatest college women's 
     hockey game ever played. The double-overtime 4-3 defeat of 
     Harvard, played before a raucous and appreciative NCAA 
     Women's Frozen Four-record crowd of 5,167, gave UMD its third 
     consecutive national championship.
       Holst and Rooth, from Sweden, and Sikio, from Finland, have 
     been the backbone of the dynasty. After the most grueling 
     game of their career, each said their four years in Duluth 
     have been magical, but none were quite ready to accept that 
     they're over.
       ``It really hit me when we played Bemidji and we had senior 
     night,'' Holst said of her final regular-season game at the 
     DECC on Feb. 23. ``Then I tried to park it. When I do decide 
     to think about it, it's going to be a toughy.''
       Miller had instructed her initial senior class--which also 
     includes Jenny Hempel, Joanne Eustace, Navada Russell and 
     Michelle McAteer--not to think about the impending end of 
     their careers. The subject was too emotional, she said, and 
     would only distract from the team's preparations to defend 
     its title.
       On Sunday, Miller said, ``They're an incredible group, as 
     people and as talented players. You can't replace these 
     people.''
       The Scandinavian players each said they felt an immediate 
     bond to Duluth and its people, easing their worries about 
     missing their families back home.
       ``I fit in right away,'' said Rooth, UMD's career scoring 
     leader with 231 points. ``Everyone here seems to care for 
     us.''
       ``I really liked the lake,'' Sikio said of her first 
     glimpse of her new hometown. ``Minnesota is a lot like 
     Finland. But the language was hard to understand. People 
     here, they speak pretty fast and we were like, `Slow down.'''
       Sikio had two goals Sunday in perhaps her finest game as a 
     Bulldog. Like her classmates, she hopes to continue playing 
     hockey somewhere, perhaps in Canada, but she does intend to 
     come back to UMD in the fall to finish earning her 
     international studies degree.
       ``I was really surprised by how many Scandinavians are 
     here, and the people are so nice,'' said Holst, whose only 
     frustration in Duluth was not being able to find Swedish 
     meatballs as good as the ones she was used to. ``They just 
     don't taste the same over here,'' she lamented.
       Rooth's parents were at the DECC on Sunday to witness their 
     daughter's final game. So was Holst's father.
       ``He was really happy and proud,'' Holst said of her 
     postgame embrace with her father. ``He doesn't usually show 
     his emotions too much.''
       ``They were more nervous than anyone else,'' Rooth said of 
     her parents, who were wearing Swedish national jerseys with 
     her name and number on them.
       Holst, Rooth and Sikio's final collegiate game may become 
     the one that people point to years from now as the impetus 
     for a burst in popularity for women's hockey, much as the 
     1958 NFL title game, in which the Baltimore Colts registered 
     a dramatic overtime victory over the New York Giants, put pro 
     football on a new plane in this country.
       Harvard coach Katey Stone, gracious in defeat, hinted as 
     much, calling Sunday's game, broadcast nationally on cable 
     TV, ``one of the greatest sporting events I've been a part 
     of.''
       ``It was a tremendous tribute to how hard these student-
     athletes work and what a great product they can provide for 
     the fans,'' she said.
       It certainly was.
       And, even if UMD's Nordic trio aren't around to benefit 
     from a higher profile for women's hockey in America, Sunday's 
     game certainly validates their blind decision of four years 
     ago, when they hopped on a plane and helped make sports 
     history at a small university in a small city they'd never 
     heard of but were bound to become embraced by.

  Madam Speaker, I would also like to point out, while we are 
discussing these great achievements on the ice, that the University of 
Minnesota, Duluth women's and men's theater troupe has five times in 
the last 17 years won national honors at the Kennedy Center American 
College Theatre Festival for performances at the collegiate level. 
Under the masterful leadership of Chancellor Kathryn Martin, we have a 
very well-rounded academic program at the University of Minnesota 
Duluth which includes academics, the arts, as well as athletics.
  Madam Speaker, it is appropriate that we take this time here today to 
salute the women of the University of Minnesota, Duluth NCAA 
championship hockey team and all of those who participate in collegiate 
athletics.

[[Page 15045]]


  Ms. McCOLLUM. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to 
the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis).
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of this 
resolution.
  Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the University of 
Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs, the NCAA 2003 National Collegiate Women's 
Ice Hockey Champions. I thank the Gentleman from Minnesota, Mr. 
Oberstar, for allowing the House this opportunity to congratulate and 
recognize the Bulldogs on winning their third straight championship. 
During the championship game against Harvard University, the Bulldogs 
showed tremendous strength and ability, going into double overtime, 
finally winning with a score of 4-3. This season, they won an 
impressive 31 games, while only losing 3 and tying 2. And as we prepare 
to celebrate the upcoming thirty-first anniversary of Title IX, this 
team serves to be a prime example that Title IX is working. And since 
it is working, to weaken or water down Title IX in any way would be 
detrimental to the future of events like these and to teams like the 
Bulldogs.
  I happen to be one who believes that there ought to be absolute 
equality in all endeavors in all walks of life. I am amazed, as a 
matter of fact, sometimes when I recall even the Preamble to our 
Constitution, when we say, ``We hold these truths to be self-evident, 
that all men are created equal,''; and at the same time, we left out 
women. Some people would suggest that when they said ``men'' they meant 
women as well, but I am not always sure of that.
  As a matter of fact, we can look at what the experiences have been. 
Even though we have Title IX, only 42 percent of college athletes are 
female and female athletes receive $133 million fewer scholarship 
dollars per year than their male counterparts. This proves that, if 
anything, Title IX needs to be strengthened as we still face inequities 
in athletics today.
  We have to keep Title IX alive; we have to make sure that it is 
strong; and we have to keep working so that there is in fact equality 
across the board without regard to race, gender, ethnicity, or any 
other form of origin.
  America is a great Nation. We have made lots of progress and we have 
come a long way, but we still have much further to go. I do not believe 
we will ever get where we need to be unless we reinforce all of those 
processes that we have used to get us where we are. Keeping Title IX 
will continue the successes that we have seen with teams like the 
Bulldogs and with other athletic teams in the future.
  Ms. McCOLLUM. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to support H. Res. 171, 
commending the University of Minnesota Duluth women's hockey team for 
winning the NCAA 2003 National Collegiate Women's Ice Hockey 
Championship. I also want to congratulate Bulldogs Coach Shannon Miller 
on being named the 2003 American Hockey Coaches Association Women's 
University Division Coach of the Year. We are all proud of the 
extraordinary accomplishments of these women.
  The March 23 triumph of the UMD Bulldogs over Harvard has been 
referred to as the greatest game in the history of college women's 
hockey. Played before a record-breaking crowd of over 5,000, the 
double-overtime 4 to 3 defeat of Harvard gave the Bulldogs their third 
consecutive national championship. In only the fourth season of their 
existence, the Bulldogs have brought the sport of women's hockey to a 
new and exciting level.
  The success that this team has achieved over the past few years has 
helped to fuel a women's hockey explosion in Minnesota and across the 
country. Twenty-nine colleges now sponsor Division I teams, and the 
NCAA is considering expanding its field in 2005. In Minnesota, the 
number of high school women's hockey teams has rocketed from 24 in 1995 
to 128 today. Nationwide, the number of girls and women playing ice 
hockey has increased more than four-fold in the last decade, with more 
than 39,000 registered females playing today.
  The success of the Bulldogs and the ever-growing opportunities for 
women in sports remind us of the importance of Title IX--the landmark 
legislation that banned sex discrimination in schools. Over the past 30 
years, Title IX has kicked open the door for women and girls in 
athletics and education. Since the passage of Title IX, girls have gone 
from hoping for a team to hoping to make the team.
  Unfortunately, there are some who would like to turn back the clock 
and see this law weakened. But as women continue to make strides toward 
equal opportunity, Title IX must remain strong. We must uphold the 
progress that we have made and continue to expand opportunities for our 
daughters, granddaughters and generations beyond. Every girl must be 
given the chance to one day become a national champion.
  Once again, I congratulate the UMB Bulldogs on their achievements.
  Ms. McCOLLUM. Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and 
I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. KLINE. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Kline) that the House suspend the rules 
and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 171.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds of 
those present have voted in the affirmative.
  Mr. KLINE. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.

                          ____________________