By Howard H.R. No. 343 75R8061 JHS-D R E S O L U T I O N 1-1 WHEREAS, On February 15, 1997, at the age of 14, Tara 1-2 Lipinski became the youngest woman to win the U.S. Figure Skating 1-3 Championships, and this accomplishment is indeed deserving of 1-4 special legislative recognition; and 1-5 WHEREAS, A native of Philadelphia, Ms. Lipinski and her 1-6 parents, Pat and Jack Lipinski, have resided in Sugar Land since 1-7 the early 1990s; her schedule, however, keeps her on the go almost 1-8 constantly, taking her all across the country and to international 1-9 locales such as Lausanne, Switzerland, and Budapest, Hungary; and 1-10 WHEREAS, This tiny titan of figure skating began her career 1-11 at the age of three when her mother took her to a local 1-12 roller-skating rink; after competing in and winning numerous 1-13 competitions over the next few years, she graduated to the more 1-14 high-profile world of ice skating, although she maintains an 1-15 affinity for roller skating, her first love; and 1-16 WHEREAS, Though still a youngster, Ms. Lipinski has already 1-17 accumulated an impressive list of awards and accolades during her 1-18 career; in addition to her most recent achievement, she won the 1-19 gold medal at the 1994 U.S. Olympic Festival as a junior level 1-20 skater and also received the Mary Lou Retton Award, which honors 1-21 athletes who have demonstrated outstanding promise for the future; 1-22 and 1-23 WHEREAS, She finished third in the 1996 National 1-24 Championships and recorded a promising 15th place finish in the 2-1 1996 World Championships; at the junior level, this talented teen 2-2 was the runner-up in the 1995 National Junior Championships and 2-3 placed fourth in that year's World Junior Championships; and 2-4 WHEREAS, Tara Lipinski's love of skating and her desire to be 2-5 the best are obvious every time she performs in front of her 2-6 growing legion of fans, and this mature young woman has 2-7 demonstrated the hard work, determination, and talent necessary to 2-8 succeed in this highly competitive field; now, therefore, be it 2-9 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 75th Texas 2-10 Legislature hereby congratulate Tara Lipinski on her many 2-11 achievements in the world of figure skating and extend to her 2-12 sincere best wishes for continued success and happiness in the 2-13 years to come; and, be it further 2-14 RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be 2-15 prepared for Ms. Lipinski as an expression of high regard by the 2-16 Texas House of Representatives.