[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2006, Book I)]
[May 17, 2006]
[Pages 940-942]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks Honoring the United States Winter Olympic and Paralympic Teams
May 17, 2006

    Thank you all very much. Please be seated. Laura and I are so honored to welcome the 2006 winter Olympic 
and Paralympic teams to the White House. It is such a joy to have you 
all here, and congratulations for being champs.
    I appreciate the Members of the Congress who are here: Senator 
Thomas and Congressmen Shays, Buyer, 
Hastings, and Ryun. Thank 
you all for coming. Thanks for honoring these great Olympians--
Congressman Ted Poe from Texas as well.
    I want to thank all the athletes who've taken time to come. We 
really appreciate your giving us a chance to pay respects to your 
athleticism and your character. I want to thank the coaches and the team

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leaders and the U.S. Olympic staff. I particularly want to thank the 
members of the Texas A&M Singing Cadets for joining us today. Thanks for 
coming to provide the--[applause].
    I wish I could have been at the games there in Turin, but 
fortunately we do have TVs here in the White House. [Laughter] It was 
such a thrill to watch you all compete. Laura 
represented our country and really enjoyed getting to know you all. She 
came back and talked about the kindness and the integrity of our 
athletes. I appreciate the fact that you treated her with such respect. 
More importantly, I appreciate the fact that you represented our country 
with such nobility and dignity.
    I thank you for the example you set. I don't know if you know this 
or not, but there's all kinds of people watching our Olympic and 
Paralympic athletes, wondering whether or not it's possible for them to 
be able to achieve the same level of accomplishments that you all 
achieved. The fact that you compete hard and train hard and set high 
goals and succeed is a really important part of encouraging others to 
follow in your footsteps. Being a champ means that you've got enormous 
responsibilities, and I thank you for upholding those responsibilities 
with the class that you've showed as athletes in Turin.
    Thanks for creating so many lasting memories for the American 
people. We love our athletes. We follow your successes. We love it when 
the ``Star Spangled Banner'' is played. We also understand that not 
everybody is going to win the gold, but we appreciate so much the fact 
that you competed so hard and in such a way that brought honor to our 
country.
    The memories are such that we remember the--America's first medal in 
ice dancing in 30 years with Tanith and 
Ben. Congratulations to you both. We 
appreciate the courage of Lindsey Kildow, who 
overcame a terrible crash in the training run and then decided to 
continue to compete. That kind of courage stirs our hearts. It's such a 
great example for people.
    We appreciate Joey Cheek, who won the gold 
and then turned around and donated $40,000 to help the refugee children 
of Sudan. What a wonderful example for all of us here in America to know 
that with our personal victories comes the responsibility of helping 
those who suffer and those who need help.
    We're honored that ``the Flying Tomato'' 
represented our country. And we want to thank all the dudes and dudesses 
of the snowboarders who are here. [Laughter]
    America's Paralympians overcame incredible odds to earn 12 medals 
for our Nation. Laurie Stephens was born 
with spina bifida; she won two golds and the silver medal in Alpine 
skiing. What a strong example for people to look at Laurie and realize 
that ``I can achieve dreams too.''
    Steve Cook, he lost part of his right leg in 
a tractor accident, but that didn't stop him. He's gone on to earn seven 
medals in cross-country skiing, including two golds and a bronze in this 
year's Paralympics. Steve, I appreciate your courage, and I appreciate 
the example you have shown for others.
    Lonnie Hannah is with us; she had 
breast [he had skin]* cancer last year and came back to help the U.S. 
sled hockey team win the bronze in a really thrilling game against 
Germany.
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    *White House correction.
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    All of our successes in the Olympics and Paralympics required 
unbelievable skill and determination, and they also required the support 
of a lot of people in your lives. The honors you've won are a tribute 
to, of course, your coaches and trainers but also to your parents and to 
your brothers and sisters and your friends and supporters who continue 
to cheer you. I know all of you join me in thanking those who supported 
you.
    At the games, you showed the best values of our country. You were 
humble in

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victory and gracious in defeat. You made us proud. And so here on the 
White House South Lawn, I want to thank you for being such great 
ambassadors to our country. Welcome, and may God bless you all.

Note: The President spoke at 10:16 a.m. on the South Lawn at the White 
House. In his remarks, he referred to Tanith Belbin and Benjamin Agosto, 
ice dancers, Lindsey Kildow, Alpine skier, Joey Cheek, speed skater, and 
Shaun ``the Flying Tomato'' White, snowboarder, U.S. Olympic Team.