HR0963 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0963 LRB094 19721 HSS 56310 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, State Representative Monique D. Davis, together with the House of Representatives, is pleased to congratulate Shani Davis on bringing great honor to his hometown of Chicago and the State of Illinois by once again making history by becoming the first African-American athlete in Winter Olympics history to win an individual gold medal; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Davis captured the gold medal in the men's 1,000 meter speed skate in Turin, Italy, on Saturday, February 18, 2006; he finished the race in one minute and 8.89 seconds; he already holds the world record for the 1,000 meter with a time of one minute and 7.03 seconds; and

WHEREAS, He was born on Friday, August 13, 1982, in Chicago, where he was raised by his mother on the south side; he started roller skating at local rinks at age two, and because he was so fast, a coach referred him to the ice; at the age of six, he began speed skating competitively; by age ten, he and his mother moved to the north side of Chicago, so that they would be closer to the ice rink; and

WHEREAS, He won five National Age Group Championships in 1995, 1997, 1999, 2000, and 2003 and won a North American Championship in 1999; before becoming the first African American to make a U.S. Olympic speed skating team in 2002, he began making history at age 17, when he became the first U.S. skater to earn spots on both the short track and long track Junior World Teams and accomplished that feat three years in a row in 2000, 2001, and 2002; and

WHEREAS, At the 2002 Junior Country Match and 2002 Junior World Championships in Italy, Mr. Davis earned his first international medals, when he won the 1,500 meters at both competitions; in the 2004-2005 season, he won his third straight U.S. Long Track Championship Title, broke the 1,500 meter world record, and went on to win the 2005 World Allround Championships; for the second season in a row, not only did he make history earning spots on world teams in both disciplines, he also made his first world sprint team earning two silver medals; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Shani Davis on bringing honor to our great State with his outstanding performance at the Winter Olympics that made him the first African American to win an individual gold medal; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Mr. Davis as an expression of our esteem and with best wishes for much success in his speed skating career.