H.C.R. No. 37

	HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
	WHEREAS, A superb American athlete brought great honor to her
	country and to Collin County when Nastia Liukin of Parker won five
	medals in the gymnastics competition at the 2008 Olympic Games in
	Beijing; and
	WHEREAS, In a masterful demonstration of her grace and
	athletic ability, Ms. Liukin claimed the gold medal in the Women's
	Individual All-Around Final and added two silver medals and one
	bronze medal in individual events as well as a silver medal in the
	team competition; her success tied the previous record for the most
	medals won by a U.S. gymnast in one Olympics; and
	WHEREAS, Anastasia Liukin was born on October 30, 1989, in
	Moscow, Russia; her mother, Anna, was a world champion in rhythmic
	gymnastics while her father, Valeri, won two gold medals and two
	silver medals at the 1988 Olympic Games as a member of the Soviet
	gymnastics team; when Nastia was two years old, the family moved to
	the United States, where her parents began working as gymnastics
	coaches; and
	WHEREAS, While still very young, she began accompanying her
	mother and father to the gym, where she amused herself by imitating
	the routines of the older children training there; realizing that
	Nastia's talent and desire could not be ignored, her parents began
	teaching her the fundamentals of the sport; throughout her career,
	she has been coached by her father, a founder of the World Olympic
	Gymnastics Academy, which has three locations in the Dallas-Fort
	Worth area, including the Plano gym where Nastia continues to
	train; and
	WHEREAS, Ms. Liukin began competing at age six, and in 2005,
	she advanced to the senior international elite level; that same
	year she won the national all-around title and was world champion in
	two events; her progress was slowed the following year when she
	suffered a serious ankle injury, but she battled back in 2007 and
	claimed the world title on the balance beam; in June 2008 at the
	Visa Championships, she won two events and finished second in the
	all-around competition to set the stage for her Olympic appearance
	in Beijing; and
	WHEREAS, After joining with her fellow U.S. gymnasts to place
	second in the team competition on August 13, Ms. Liukin achieved her
	greatest triumph two days later, when she was crowned the
	all-around Olympic champion; this victory was made even sweeter by
	the fact that her father had narrowly missed winning the all-around
	title 20 years earlier in the 1988 Olympics; in the days that
	followed, she also earned a bronze medal in floor exercise and
	silver medals in the balance beam and uneven bars events; and
	WHEREAS, Her triumph inspired an outpouring of enthusiasm in
	Collin County; on August 30, 2008, the city of Parker hosted a
	parade that included Nastia and her family and featured the Plano
	East Senior High School Marching Band, and a reception followed at
	Southfork Ranch; there, area residents got an additional chance to
	show their pride in the gymnast's accomplishments, and among those
	in attendance were elected officials representing Collin County at
	the local, state, and federal level; moreover, the Parker City
	Council declared July 2008 as a special month to honor this
	outstanding athlete; and
	WHEREAS, The title of Olympic champion is an elite honor that
	many strive to attain but few achieve; Nastia Liukin's
	unforgettable accomplishments in Beijing have placed her at the
	pinnacle of her sport and earned the proud admiration of her fellow
	citizens in the State of Texas and throughout the nation; now,
	therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the 81st Legislature of the State of Texas
	hereby congratulate Nastia Liukin on winning five medals in the
	gymnastics competition at the 2008 Olympic Games and that she be
	extended sincere best wishes for continued success; and, be it
	further
	RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
	prepared for Ms. Liukin as an expression of high regard by the Texas
	House of Representatives and Senate.
	Laubenberg
	Paxton
	Madden
	Jackson
	Straus Gattis Menendez
	Allen Geren Merritt
	Alonzo Giddings Miklos
	Alvarado Gonzales Miller of Comal
	Anchia Gonzalez Toureilles Miller of Erath
	Anderson Guillen Moody
	Aycock Gutierrez Morrison
	Berman Hamilton Naishtat
	Bohac Hancock Oliveira
	Bolton Hardcastle Olivo
	Bonnen Harless Orr
	Branch Harper-Brown Ortiz, Jr.
	Brown of Kaufman Hartnett Otto
	Brown of Brazos Heflin Parker
	Burnam Hernandez Patrick
	Button Herrero Paxton
	Callegari Hilderbran Pena
	Castro Hochberg Phillips
	Chavez Hodge Pickett
	Chisum Homer Pierson
	Christian Hopson Pitts
	Cohen Howard of Fort Bend Quintanilla
	Coleman Howard of Travis Raymond
	Cook Hughes Riddle
	Corte Hunter Rios Ybarra
	Crabb Isett Ritter
	Craddick Jackson Rodriguez
	Creighton Jones Rose
	Crownover Keffer Sheffield
	Darby Kent Shelton
	Davis of Harris King of Parker Smith of Tarrant
	Davis of Dallas King of Taylor Smith of Harris
	Deshotel King of Zavala Smithee
	Driver Kleinschmidt Solomons
	Dukes Kolkhorst Strama
	Dunnam Kuempel Swinford
	Dutton Laubenberg Taylor
	Edwards Legler Thibaut
	Eiland Leibowitz Thompson
	Eissler Lewis Truitt
	Elkins Lucio III Turner of Tarrant
	England Madden Turner of Harris
	Farabee Maldonado Vaught
	Farias Mallory Caraway Veasey
	Farrar Marquez Villarreal
	Fletcher Martinez Vo
	Flores Martinez Fischer Walle
	Flynn McCall Weber
	Frost McClendon Woolley
	Gallego McReynolds Zerwas
	______________________________	______________________________
	President of the Senate	Speaker of the House
	I certify that H.C.R. No. 37 was adopted by the House on
	February 10, 2009, by a non-record vote.
	______________________________
	Chief Clerk of the House
	I certify that H.C.R. No. 37 was adopted by the Senate on
	February 10, 2009, by a viva-voce vote.
	______________________________
	Secretary of the Senate
	APPROVED: __________________
	Date
	__________________
	Governor