Tina Smith: “Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you, Senator Klobuchar, for organizing this colloquy on the Olympic contributions of…”

“Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you, Senator Klobuchar, for organizing this colloquy on the Olympic contributions of Minnesotans. I was proud to work with you on this resolution honoring our Olympians. While I have not yet given my first floor speech--which I plan to do in a couple of weeks--I couldn't pass up the opportunity to come down and talk about our State's amazing athletes. As I am sure Senator Klobuchar knows, as you have just heard from her, once a Minnesotan can walk, you can bet that his or her parents will try to get them on skis, skates, a sled, or maybe even on the curling rink. That early start--not to mention the fact that Minnesotans are the hardest working and most resilient people I know-- helps explain why 23 of our athletes took part in this year's Winter Games. As Senator Klobuchar said, that is the third most of any State in the country. And, boy, did they steal the show. Minnesotans brought home gold medals in women's hockey, women's cross-country skiing, men's curling, and a bronze medal in women's downhill skiing. I want to talk about Afton, Minnesota's own Jessie Diggins, who carried the Olympic torch for Team USA at the closing ceremony. As Senator Klobuchar said, Jessie began skiing at 4 years old and started racing against high schoolers at age 11. She earned her spot on the Olympic cross-country team and was the only woman to compete in all six women's cross-country events--and compete she did.…”