[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 8]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 11840-11841]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                COMMENDING THE U.S. WOMEN'S SOCCER TEAM

                                 ______
                                 

                     HON. LOUISE McINTOSH SLAUGHTER

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, July 22, 2011

  Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend our U.S. Women's 
Soccer Team in their thrilling race to the World Cup Final. Although it 
was ultimately Japan who captured the World Cup Trophy, as a country we 
could not be more proud of our team, their tremendous effort throughout 
the Cup, and their grace in accepting defeat. Regardless of the 
outcome, there is much to be said about how their playing inspired a 
country. The attention of the world has turned to women's sports, and 
these women are serving as positive role models to young girls across 
the globe. It has been a long twelve years since the heroics of the 
victorious US Women's National Team in the 1999 World Cup, and I want 
to congratulate the 2011 team for exemplifying champions, win or lose. 
The image of Brandi Chastain, fists clenched, basking in the glory of a 
World Cup victory that captivated our spirits all those years ago still 
hangs on the wall of my office.
  As a representative from western New York, I especially want to 
congratulate the amazing performance of Abby Wambach, a native of my 
hometown: Rochester, New York. She scored her 100th career 
international goal in Rochester and she carries with her the support of 
Rochesterians wherever she goes. She is a four-time winner of the U.S. 
Soccer Athlete of the Year award, and is currently the fourth all-time 
leading scorer in international soccer history. She scored the gold-
medal-winning goal in the 2004 Olympics and saved the quarterfinal 
match in this year's cup against Brazil when she scored a gut-wrenching 
equalizer off her head in the final moments. In the semi final victory 
over France, she tallied two more scores, including the go-ahead goal 
against France in the 79th minute. Of the two amazing goals scored by 
the U.S. in the finals, Abby scored the go-ahead header in extra time, 
and Alex Morgan, a player for the Western New York Flash, scored the 
other.
  Alex, a 22-year-old phenom, has impressed the world with her quick 
feet and prominence as a striker, and she is being heralded as the 
future star of U.S. women's soccer. The entire Upstate New York area is 
beaming with pride and admiration of these two players as they 
represented our area so well.
  The fervor and enthusiasm for our team was encapsulated in the hero's 
welcome Abby received when she returned to Rochester, with several of 
her teammates in tow. It was ``Abby Wambach Day'' in Rochester, and she 
received a key to the city in commendation of her awe-inspiring 
talents. The regularly scheduled game between magicJack of Boca Raton, 
FL and the Western New York Flash saw a sellout crowd of 15,404, a 
record for the 3-year-old league. It is clear that we have all been 
infused with a love of the game and a respect for our players, and I 
hope that passion never dies.
  The success of the U.S. Women's National Team is of particular 
importance because it shows young women and girls that like men, they 
too can earn the respect and admiration of the world through hard work, 
teamwork, and perseverance on the athletic field.
  Since 2004, I've sponsored legislation in the House that would help 
high schools improve opportunities for girls in sports, and thereby 
encourage greater participation of both girls and boys in athletics. 
H.R. 458, the High School Athletics Accountability Act, would require 
that high schools report basic data on the number of female and male 
students in their athletic programs and the expenditures made for their 
sports teams. Without information about how athletic opportunities and 
benefits are being allocated at the high school level, female students 
may be deprived of their chance to participate in athletics.
  And participation in sports has a multitude of positive effects on 
young women and girls, both physically and socially. For many young 
women, sports are often their ticket to higher education through 
athletic scholarships. I've met with so many Olympic gold medalists 
that told me without Title IX, which gave them access to athletic 
scholarships; they never would have had the chance to go to college. 
While we have made significant strides towards equity in athletics--
since the 1972 enactment of Title IX the number of women competing in 
college sports has soared by more than 500 percent while the number of 
high school girls competing in sports increased by over 1,000 percent--
we must continue to monitor our progress and ensure that our nation's 
young women have the rights and opportunities they deserve.
  This year's Women's World Cup was thrilling and is indicative of the 
amazing talent of our U.S. Women's National Team. The success of our 
team has captivated men, women

[[Page 11841]]

and children who nervously watched as the squad overcame Brazil in the 
last minute to triumph in penalty kicks, and then swept past France 
with their athleticism shining as they moved onto the final. I proudly 
cheered for them as they faced Japan on Sunday in the final, and was 
filled with admiration for their relentlessness on the field. Their 
accomplishments as a team are inspiring: two Women's World Cups, three 
Olympic Gold Medals, and eight Algarve Cups, earning them a 
commendation as one of the finest teams in the world. I must also 
congratulate Japan for their performance and sportsmanship in a game 
that was watched by millions around the globe, and that kept everyone 
on the edge of their seats into the final penalty kicks. Though the 
U.S. team was ultimately unsuccessful in a heartbreaking 3-1 penalty 
shootout, I cannot imagine a more deserving adversary in Japan, who so 
recently suffered a devastating earthquake and tsunami. I hope this 
victory will bring joy to their people, and I know that the Japanese 
citizens are as proud of their team as we are of ours.
  Abby and her teammates have been role models for all with their poise 
both on and off the field and their dedication to the sport. I could 
not be more proud of her and her teammates as role models for young 
women interested in sports. I encourage children of all ages to be as 
inspired by the success of the U.S. Women's National team as I am, and 
to get involved with sports so that everyone can reap the benefits of 
this highly beneficial activity. Best of luck to the U.S. Women's 
National Team in the future; I know this is not the last time we will 
be cheering for them in the World Cup Finals. With the London 2012 
Olympic Games on the horizon, we won't have to wait long to see them 
back in action on the world stage. Go USA!

                          ____________________