[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 13]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 18071]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




          HONORING KERN COUNTY, CALIFORNIA'S OLYMPIC MEDALISTS

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. WILLIAM M. THOMAS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 9, 2004

  Mr. THOMAS. Mr. Speaker, I wish to commend four Olympic medalists 
from Kern County, California, which I am privileged to represent, on 
their outstanding performances at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, 
Greece. I am proud to recognize and praise these athletes for their 
dedication, resolve, and extraordinary talent that so perfectly 
epitomize the American spirit.
  Joey Hansen of Bakersfield helped power the eight-man rowing crew to 
a gold medal--the first victory in 40 years for the United States in 
that event. In the kayak slalom, Rebecca Giddens, demonstrating expert 
skills honed in relentless practice on the Kern River, came from behind 
to win the silver medal. Swimmer Larsen Jensen, also of Bakersfield, 
shattered his own American record by eleven seconds in the 1,500 meter 
freestyle. Finally, Bakersfield's Gabe Woodward also made Kern County 
proud when he helped guide the 4x 100-meter freestyle relay team to a 
bronze medal.
  Each of these four champions reflects the spirit of hard work and 
perseverance that is cherished in Kern County, and each resident of 
Kern County takes great pride in their achievements in Athens. We 
congratulate Joey, Rebecca, Larsen, and Gabe for making us proud. While 
I want to especially salute Kern County's Olympians, I also want to 
laud the achievements of each of the men and women who admirably and 
honorably represented the United States at the Olympics this summer. 
They made an entire Nation proud.

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