[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Page 4615]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                       CONGRATULATING BODE MILLER

 Mr. GREGG. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize and 
congratulate a great Granite Stater, Bode Miller. On Saturday Bode 
became the first American in 22 years to ski his way to the overall 
World Cup title. An Easton, NH native, Bode perfected his talents on 
the slopes of Cannon Mountain and now serves as the Director of Skiing 
at Bretton Woods. His style may not be conventional. It has been said 
that, like a good many New Hampshire natives, he has a mind of his own 
and enjoys doing things his own way. That independent spirit helped him 
do something else his own way this past Saturday--win the overall World 
Cup trophy.
  The American World Cup drought has been in place since 1983 and, as 
Bode said on Saturday, had grown into ``curse'' proportions. In New 
England, we don't take kindly to sports ``curses.'' Since the turn of 
the century, New Hampshire's sporting faith has been rewarded with 
three Super Bowl trophies from the New England Patriots and, of course, 
the much talked about World Series title in October by the Boston Red 
Sox. Bode's extraordinary feats on the ski slopes of Europe have gained 
him worldwide recognition and has an extra special importance for those 
from New Hampshire who enjoy some of best skiing in the world in the 
White Mountains. We are proud that the slopes we enjoy skiing each 
winter, albeit at speeds much slower than Bode, have been the training 
ground for the world's best skier.
  Bode donned his first pair of skis at the age of 3 and spent much of 
his early skiing life on the slopes of Cannon Mountain. He entered his 
first race when he was 11 and attended the Carrabassett Valley Academy 
in Maine and went on to the Junior Olympics in 1996, where he first 
made a name for himself. Bode competed in the 1998 and 2002 Winter 
Olympics, and he has collected eighteen World Cup wins over his career.
  At 27 years of age, Bode Miller has accomplished the most sought-
after spot of every skier, and has done so with his own style, 
determination, physical stamina and personality. Today we congratulate 
Bode Miller on this tremendous accomplishment, and we look forward to 
continuing to follow the eventful progress of the world's greatest 
skier.

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