[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 4]
[House]
[Page 4858]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    PARALYMPIC CHAMPION EVAN STRONG

  (Mr. LaMALFA asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, I rise before you today to honor Evan 
Strong in celebration of his continued achievements in the 2014 Sochi 
Paralympic Winter Games.
  Bordering the Tahoe National Forest, Nevada City is home to 3,000 
people, including Evan and his wife, Mariah. Today, I join the members 
of that community in recognizing his accomplishments, generosity, and 
strength.
  Evan Strong grew up with a strong passion for sports. Whether it was 
surfing the waves in Maui or skateboarding around the neighborhood, you 
could not find him without a board in his hand. Unfortunately, shortly 
before his 18th birthday, Evan, on his motorcycle, was struck head-on 
by a drunk driver. Three days later, his left leg was amputated.
  Today, 10 years after his accident, Evan remains the most dominant 
athlete on the adaptive snowboarding circuit.
  Evan's story of overcoming adversity is an inspiration to California 
and to athletes all across the country. By turning an obstacle into 
opportunity, he has earned every title in the sport of adaptive 
boardercross, including a Winter X Games gold medal, a world 
championship title, two overall titles, and 11 world cup titles.
  Perhaps most extraordinary, his historic performance in the 2014 
Paralympic Winter Games led the United States to a sweep in the men's 
snowboard cross event and to earn himself the first gold medal in the 
games.
  I congratulate Evan on his remarkable achievements. You make 
California and our Nation extremely proud.

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