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SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
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WHEREAS, A superb American athlete brought great honor to her |
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country and to Collin County when Nastia Liukin of Parker won five |
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medals in the gymnastics competition at the 2008 Olympic Games in |
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Beijing; and |
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WHEREAS, In a masterful demonstration of her grace and |
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athletic ability, Ms. Liukin claimed the gold medal in the Women's |
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Individual All-Around Final and added two silver medals and one |
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bronze medal in individual events as well as a silver medal in the |
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team competition; her success tied the previous record for the most |
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medals won by a United States gymnast in one Olympics; and |
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WHEREAS, Anastasia Liukin was born on October 30, 1989, in |
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Moscow, Russia; her mother, Anna, was a world champion in rhythmic |
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gymnastics while her father, Valeri, won two gold medals and two |
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silver medals at the 1988 Olympic Games as a member of the Soviet |
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gymnastics team; when Nastia was two years old, the family moved to |
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the United States, where her parents began working as gymnastics |
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coaches; and |
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WHEREAS, While still very young, she began accompanying her |
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mother and father to the gym, where she amused herself by imitating |
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the routines of the older children training there; realizing that |
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Nastia's talent and desire could not be ignored, her parents began |
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teaching her the fundamentals of the sport; throughout her career, |
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she has been coached by her father, a founder of the World Olympic |
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Gymnastics Academy, which has three locations in the Dallas-Fort |
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Worth area, including the Plano gym where Nastia continues to |
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train; and |
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WHEREAS, Ms. Liukin began competing at age six, and in 2005, |
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she advanced to the senior international elite level; that same |
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year she won the national all-around title and was world champion in |
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two events; her progress was slowed the following year when she |
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suffered a serious ankle injury, but she battled back in 2007 and |
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claimed the world title on the balance beam; in June 2008 at the |
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Visa Championships, she won two events and finished second in the |
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all-around competition to set the stage for her Olympic appearance |
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in Beijing; and |
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WHEREAS, After joining with her fellow United States gymnasts |
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to place second in the team competition on August 13, Ms. Liukin |
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achieved her greatest triumph two days later, when she was crowned |
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the all-around Olympic champion; this victory was made even sweeter |
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by the fact that her father had narrowly missed winning the |
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all-around title 20 years earlier in the 1988 Olympics; in the days |
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that followed, she also earned a bronze medal in floor exercise and |
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silver medals in the balance beam and uneven bars events; and |
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WHEREAS, Her triumph inspired an outpouring of enthusiasm in |
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Collin County; on August 30, 2008, the city of Parker hosted a |
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parade that included Nastia and her family and featured the Plano |
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East Senior High School Marching Band, and a reception followed at |
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Southfork Ranch; there, area residents got an additional chance to |
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show their pride in the gymnast's accomplishments, and among those |
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in attendance were elected officials representing Collin County at |
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the local, state, and federal level; moreover, the Parker City |
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Council declared July 2008 as a special month to honor this |
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outstanding athlete; and |
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WHEREAS, The title of Olympic champion is an elite honor that |
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many strive to attain but few achieve; Nastia Liukin's |
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unforgettable accomplishments in Beijing have placed her at the |
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pinnacle of her sport and earned the proud admiration of her fellow |
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citizens in the State of Texas and throughout the nation; now, |
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therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the 81st Legislature of the State of Texas |
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hereby congratulate Nastia Liukin on winning five medals in the |
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gymnastics competition at the 2008 Olympic Games and that she be |
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extended sincere best wishes for continued success; and, be it |
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further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for Ms. Liukin as an expression of high regard by the Texas |
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House of Representatives and Senate. |