[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2008, Book II)]
[October 7, 2008]
[Pages 1276-1279]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]
Remarks Honoring the 2008 United States Summer Olympic and Paralympic
Teams
October 7, 2008
The President. Thank you. Welcome. Good morning.
Audience members. Good morning.
The President. This is a special day for the White House.
Laura and I are proud to welcome the greatest
Olympic and Paralympic team ever assembled. And I bring greetings from
the honorary captain of the Olympic teams, President George H.W.
Bush; we call him 41.
I want to thank the members of the Cabinet who are here and the
administration. I want to thank the coaches and the team leaders, and
the U.S. Olympic Committee leadership and staff for being here. We
welcome the representatives of Chicago 2016 who are here. Members of the
U.S. Armed Forces, moms, dads, girlfriends, boyfriends, supporters of
the mighty Olympic team, we're glad you're here.
I do want to welcome members of the President's Council on Physical
Fitness and Sports----
Audience member. Whoo! [Laughter]
The President. ----including John Burke,
the Chairman; Dot Richardson,
the Vice Chairman--by the way, member of the 1996 and 2000 U.S. Olympic
gold medal softball teams. And the reason I want to mention them is
today the Health and Human Services is issuing its Physical Fitness
Guidelines, and there's no better time to remind our fellow citizens
that physical fitness will lead to a healthy America. Just look what's
happened to the people surrounding me. [Laughter] And so we urge our
fellow citizens to look at these guidelines and to take time out of your
days to exercise. Now, not every one of you has to ride a mountain bike,
but if you walk just 20 minutes a day, you'll help America and help
yourself.
Attending the Beijing Olympics was one of the great experiences of
our lifetime. Laura and I had a fantastic
experience. We will never forget the first night at the Bird's Nest for
the spectacular opening ceremony. When the Team USA was announced, there
was a notable increase in the cheers.
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And then came the greatest sight of all: more than 500 America's--of
America's finest athletes marching behind our flag, carried by Bernard
Lagat [Lopez Lomong]. It was an incredible
sight, and I know it was a moment that all of our athletes looked
forward to, and it's a moment that we were so honored to share with you.
In the weeks that followed, our Olympic team took part in the
largest games ever held. Over 100,000 [10,000]* athletes competed in
more than 300 events. An unprecedented 87 countries brought home medals.
Forty-three world records were broken. About 4.7 billion viewers watched
the Olympics.
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*White House correction.
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And with the eyes of the world turned on Beijing, our teams rose to
the occasion. The Olympic team finished with the top medal count of 110
medals.
But more impressive was the decency and character that these
Olympics brought on the world stage. I know you worked hard--the
Olympics and Paralympic teams worked hard to get to this moment. Whether
you won a medal or not, it really doesn't matter in the long run. What
really matters is the honor you brought to your sports and to your
families and to your country.
And we thank you for the lasting memories that you gave us all. And
so here are some of the lasting memories that I will take with me
forever. First of all, the Water Cube--watching Jason Lezak touch out, I think it was the French team--[laughter]--
on the 4x100 freestyle relay, and then watching the joy of his
teammates, including Michael Phelps.
People say, ``Did you ever get to meet Michael Phelps?'' I said, ``I did.'' ``So that was the highlight?'' I
said, ``Not really; meeting his mother was
more of a highlight.'' [Laughter] She reminded me of my mother--plain-spoken and full of love.
So, Michael, we congratulate you. We
thank you for joining us today, and we congratulate all the swimmers for
the Olympic team.
And how about our gymnasts, Nastia Liukin
and Shawn Johnson? What I found interesting
was that these champions were roommates while they were competing for
gold. And one wonders whether or not that friendship would be damaged in
the heat of the competition. The truth of the matter is, it wasn't. They
showed the true Olympic spirit of being competitors in the gym but being
friends in the dorm. And so we welcome these two champions here today,
and we thank you for setting such a good example.
So, as you know, I'm a baseball guy and have come to admire women's
softball a lot.
Audience member. Whoo!
The President. Yes. [Laughter] So I know with us today are
Finch, Duran,
Abbott, Galindo,
Lappin, Lowe,
Berg, and Watley,
members of the U.S. Olympic women's softball team.
I bring this up because I really think that these women are an
inspiration to young girls all across the globe, and the Olympics would
be smart to keep women's softball as a part of its program. And I want
to thank you for welcoming to your practice.
I also want to welcome today a fellow Texan named Laura
Wilkinson. And at Sydney, she stunned the
world by taking gold. This summer, she returned to the Olympic stage for
the third and final time, and she was fighting through injuries. But she
brought such class to the arena. There was never any of this, ``woe is
me, how pitiful is life.'' She said she was honored to compete. She and
her husband have returned home to the great
State of Texas to raise money for a new diving center in The Woodlands,
Texas. In other words, she had put something back into the community.
And I urge all of us, whether we're Olympic--Olympians or not, to
recognize the opportunity to make the communities in
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which we live a better place. Laura, welcome, and
thank you for the example you have set.
So I spent a little time at the beach volleyball arena. [Laughter] I
got to meet Todd Rogers and Phil
Dalhausser. These two men are incredible
athletes, and they--it was really interesting to be there to watch them
warm up. And then they introduced me to the Brazilian team and to the
Italian team. And it was really a lot of fun, but not nearly as much fun
as spending time with Misty May-Treanor
and Kerri Walsh. [Laughter]
These two women are not only great athletes, they're really great
people. And I'm just so sorry that Misty May got injured on Dancing for
the Stars. [Laughter] God, if only she had me as a partner, you know?
[Laughter] Except I can't dance. [Laughter] But I wish those--you know,
it's interesting, I read a comment from Misty May today. She said,
``Yes, I got hurt Dancing on the Stars, but I'll be back at the 2012
Olympics.'' [Laughter]
I also know that all of us were deeply touched by what happened to
Hugh McCutcheon and his family.
Nevertheless, we were greatly inspired when the men's volleyball team
rallied. They won an incredible gold medal against all odds to really
help lift up the coach's family and his spirits, as well as the whole
Nation's spirits.
I congratulate the men and women's basketball teams. You can just
imagine what it was like when the men's basketball team asked me to get
in one of their huddles right before the game against China. I was like
a jockey. [Laughter] But they brought a lot of class to the courts, both
teams did. What impressed me and Laura was that
the men were there cheering on the women, and the women were there
cheering on the men. There was ample opportunity for people to ``big
shot'' it at the Olympics. Not our athletes. They were there for the
right reason, to support their teams and to support their nations--our
Nation.
Now, one of the things that we really regret missing was the--being
in the Bird's Nest for the 13th Paralympic Games. And we congratulate
the athletes who are here as well. We recognize your hard work, and
we're proud to call you Olympians.
I'm particularly pleased to be here with those who have worn the
uniform of our country. On the America
team were 16 men and women who served the Nation in uniform, one of whom
was Army Lieutenant Melissa Stockwell. She lost her leg while serving
our country in Iraq. Four years after hard work, 4 years after
significant rehabilitation, she qualified as a swimmer. And her
teammates elected her as the flag bearer for the closing ceremonies. We
welcome you, Melissa, and we welcome you all.
Long after we leave the White House, Laura
and I will remember the extraordinary spirit and kindness of the
athletes that we have met here at the White House and in Beijing. One
unforgettable moment came after swimmer Larsen Jensen won the bronze medal in the 400 freestyle relay. When
he was presented his bouquet of flowers, he looked around the Water
Cube, and he made a special delivery; he climbed into the stands, and he
gave the bouquet to Laura. It was an incredibly kind gesture--and by the
way, Larsen, our anniversary is next month if you'd like to go--
[laughter]. He also told me something in private, where he said he looks
forward to serving our country.
Our Olympic athletes have served our country in many ways. But you
have a chance to continue to serve. And we honor your service as
athletes, and we look forward to honoring your service as worthy
citizens of our great country.
You amazed the world with your talent and grace and sportsmanship.
You've inspired children to chase their dreams. You will be champions
forever. May God bless you, and may God bless America.
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Note: The President spoke at 9:33 a.m. on the South Lawn at the White
House. In his remarks, he referred to the following members of the U.S.
Olympic and Paralympic teams: runner Bernard Lagat; runner Lopez Lomong,
in his capacity as flag bearer for the Olympic opening ceremony;
swimmers Jason Lezak, Michael Phelps, and Larsen Jensen; gymnasts Nastia
Liukin and Shawn Johnson; women's softball players Jennie Finch, Andrea
Duran, Monica Abbott, Vicky Galindo, Lauren Lappin, Caitlin Lowe, Laura
Berg, and Natasha Watley; diver Laura Wilkinson; men's beach volleyball
players Todd Rogers and Philip Dalhausser; women's beach volleyball
players Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh; men's volleyball head coach
Hugh McCutcheon; and swimmer Melissa Stockwell, in her capacity as flag
bearer for the Paralympic closing ceremony. He also referred to Deborah
Phelps, mother of Michael Phelps; and Eriek Hulseman, husband of Laura
Wilkinson.