[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 8]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 10238]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                             ASHLEY DURMAS

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. SCOTT McINNIS

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 29, 2003

  Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to 
recognize an outstanding athlete and a pioneer from my district in the 
sport of woman's snowmobile racing. Ashley Durmas of Whitewater, 
Colorado is only 17 years old, though she is already an accomplished 
professional snowmobile racer.
  Ashley started racing in junior competitions during the winter of 
1999-2000 against a field of all boys. She crashed nearly every race, 
but Ashley is a winner, and she refused to give up. She continued 
riding and racing. She improved so much that last year she turned 
professional and finished second overall in the Colorado women's pro 
class. She still competes in the male division and usually finishes at 
or near the top. She recently entered the Colorado state championships 
in the sport class and beat 21 of the 23 men who competed against her.
  Ashley is not only successful on the snow, but she excels in the 
classroom too. Even though her busy schedule often requires her to 
study while on the road to out-of-state events, this high school junior 
still finds the time and energy to hit the books and earn As and Bs on 
her report cards.
  Ashley's tenacity, hard work, and dedication have truly made her 
community and the state of Colorado proud. It is my privilege to bring 
her example to the attention of my colleagues here in this body today. 
Ashley embodies the old maxim, ``If at first you don't succeed, try, 
try again.'' Ashley not only tried again, but has developed into an 
outstanding athlete and an inspiration to us all. I congratulate her on 
her success and wish her the best with all of her future endeavors.

                          ____________________