winners.So I didn't want to go and just enjoy their company myself. I thought that the best thing that we can do with those athletes, because they're such a great inspiration, to bring them to a school. And I chose this school because this school is a great school with great grades and great students. I love all of you. So this is why we brought them here today, so they can all go and meet you, that you can meet them and for them, each one of them, to just say a few words to all of you.So why don't we start right here? Come on out here. Do you have a mike? And introduce yourself and one after the next.I'm handing the mike over to Stephani Victor. She's an alpine skier. She's a (Inaudible) She won gold medal in the super combined and the silver medal in the giant slalom. Stephani also won the gold in the slalom in the 2006 Games and she won the bronze medal in the downhill at the '02 Games this (Inaudible). (Applause)Thank you. (Inaudible) has an amazing soccer team. (Applause) I used to be a soccer player and I loved soccer. It brought me so much joy and self esteem as a child growing up. And one night I was (Inaudible) when I was hit by an out-of-control car. I was knocked down on the ground; my legs were severely crushed. And the soccer player in me said, "Get up, Steph. Get back in the game. This is your life." When I saw that my legs were so badly hurt -- I wasn't going to be getting back up. To save my life the doctors had to amputate both of my legs. But that wasn't the end; that was just the beginning. When you have a sports mind and body and soul, no matter what you have, use it. Play hard, play to win and go for it with all you've got. Love you, guys. (Applause)Thank you very much, Stephani Victor. Thank you. Next up is Stacey Cook from Mammoth Lakes, California. Stacy, come on up. She competed in the downhill events in both 2006, 2010 Olympics. She also competed in the World Championship in 2007 and 2009. Stacey, real quick, what do you think about the spirit here at Sutter Middle School?Well, this is a really good-looking crowd, I can tell you that. (Applause) Thanks so much for -- (Applause) I don't have the same power as you.But that was such a nice welcome, thank you, you guys. And we couldn’t be more proud to be representing the state of California and the United States of America. And I encourage you to go out there and put your heart and mind to anything you want to do, because I'm a believer that with your heart and mind you can accomplish anything. And you guys have so much going for you -- what a great neighborhood this is. And you can make anything you want happen.Thank you very much, Stacey. Thank you. OK. I know you guys like snowboarding. Nate Holland, where are you at? Come on up, buddy. Nate's go the hat on. Nate's a snowboarder. Now Nate -- Nate ain't that tall. OK, now, Nate just missed the podium at the last Olympic Games, Winter Games and he had finished in fourth place in snowboard cross. He competed in the 2006 Olympics as well, so he's not a fluke, he's the real deal. Nate Holland from Squaw Valley, California. (Applause)Thanks. Thank you, guys. You guys got some (Inaudible) and some enthusiasm. I like to hear that. In fact, when I was up in Vancouver I'm pretty sure I heard some of those same screams come up the whole West Coast and I think some of them might have knocked me off my feet and that's why I didn't get on the podium. But you know what? I’m going to get back on that horse and the gold is mine, be there in four more years. And I (Inaudible) to every one of you to have the same goals, whether you're a doctor or a lawyer or a snowboarder or a governor. It doesn't matter. Just fire past it and stick with it. Thank you. (Applause)All right. Thank you very much. Thank you very much, Nate. Nate Holland, snowboarder. Marco Sullivan from Tahoe City, California. Let me hear it for Marco. (Applause) All right, here you go. Let me tell you something about Marco, just a little bit. He competed in the '02, 2006, 2010 -- wow, you're good, man -- Olympic Games. This year he finished 23rd in the Super G. He was disqualified and I found out why -- he was racing aggressive and he kind of went off the course a little bit. And that's OK, because he was being aggressive. But what message can you give to the Sutter Middle School students today?Yeah, like Del said, I crashed up in Vancouver. I was going about 70 miles an hour down the mountain and just landed on my back off a jump. But you know, I was bummed out there were no medals handed out. But just the thrill of competing in the Olympics and the thrill of competing in any sport -- I mean, walking into this gym and hearing you guys chanting, that gave me a thrill. You know, it's like you can be -- just do athletics. You can be so inspired and have so much fun, I just encourage all of you to go down that path and have fun, no matter what you're competing in and go for the win. Have fun.All right. Thank you, Marco. Thank you, buddy. Thank you, Marco Sullivan. All right. Here's one that's kind of cool -- hockey player. (Applause) Angela Ruggiero from Simi Valley, California. She's a four-time Olympian. She was part of the Women's U.S. Hockey team the last four Winter Olympics. The team medaled when she was on it in the last four games. They won gold in 1998, silver in 2002, 2010 and a bronze in 2006. Let me hear a huge welcome for Angela.Thanks, you guys. I’m so excited to be here representing the state of California -- born, bred in Los Angeles, got to play hockey even though there wasn't a lot of hockey. My dream when I was a young kid was to play in the NHL. And when I realized I could play in the Olympics, that was my goal. So I hope you guys come away from today inspired. You get to meet all these amazing Olympians, get to meet the Governor. I mean, we've been able to follow our dreams and be successful and I hope you guys go home today, think about what you want to do in your life and then go after it, because anything is possible. Go, USA! (Applause)Thank you, Angela. Thank you very much. OK, next is Jeret "Speedy" Peterson. Where you at, Jeret? There you are, right there. Jeret. (Applause) All right. Jeret, he won the silver medal in aerial skiing in the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver. And then, 2006, he placed seventh and in 2002 he was in ninth place. You guys, I've really got to hear it, I've got to hear it for Speedy! (Applause)(Inaudible) So I have a trick that I do. It's called "The Hurricane," and it's three back flips with five twists and we go about 55 feet up into the air. And I've had some bumps and bruises along the way but one of the biggest things that I've learned is to believe in myself and never give up. In 2006 at the Olympics in Torino I just missed landing and I ended up in seventh place. But I didn't give up and I kept going for it and I ended up getting on the podium and I got a silver medal. It goes to show that hard work and determination pays off. And you guys can do anything that you want. It's not going to be easy but if you work for it you'll enjoy the rewards.Thank you. Thank you, Jeret. (Applause) OK. I get the sense that you guys are falling asleep (Inaudible)USA! USA! USA! USA! (Applause)Don't tell me I've got to work the alarm clock, wake you guys up. Now she's on crutches with matching hair, or hair with matching crutches -- Shannon Bahrke from Tahoe City, California. She competed in the mogul event in 2002, 2006, 2010 in the Winter Games she won the bronze medal and in 2002 Shannon Bahrke won the silver medal. So let's hear it for Shannon Bahrke. (Applause)(Inaudible) wonderful to be here. Walking in, you guys were chanting USA. That is the biggest honor that an athlete that competes for their country has. So I just want to tell you, all of us are from California and we grew up just like you did, with dreams and aspirations. Mine was always to be an Olympic athlete. And so whether yours is being an Olympic athlete, running your own company, doing anything that you want, just know that you can. Work here in California. We have wonderful people that have helped us get there. So listen to your parents and your teachers and your coaches and work hard and have fun and you guys can do amazing and great things. So I hope to read and hear about all of you doing amazing things. So thank you so much for having us here. (Applause)Thank you, Shannon. Thank you so much. Thank you so much (Inaudible) medallion. It has the Governor's seal on it. That's what all the athletes are receiving.Now, before we let you go, I want to let John Naber come up. And John is an Olympic swimmer, he's a member of the Bay Area Hall of Fame. He's won five medals in the 1990s -- 1976 Olympics, John won four gold medals and one silver. And he was twice president of the U.S. Olympic Alumni. And the message he has for you, I want you to really listen to it because, if you aspire to one day be an athlete at the elite level, you need to listen very closely to what John Naber has to say. John?All right. Thank you. (Applause) (Inaudible) to have an opportunity to hear your excitement and I share that feeling. In fact, I'm going to take a video of you all now. If you'd give me one big cheer -- here we go. (Applause) Now, imagine how good I'm going to feel tomorrow when life has not been good or I'm not happy and all of a sudden you just listen to that cheering and see those flags and it gets you excited. I love that excitement about the Olympics.There is something that holds, that is similar with California, the state of California and Olympic athletes. You know what we have in common? We both started our journey in search of gold. Don't you agree? That's right. The state of California started in search of gold; Olympians start their search for gold.So I'm going to ask you to do one thing for a second. Look at all these Olympians. Take away the Olympic rings, take away the shirts that say "Olympics." If you saw them standing in line at a movie theater, would you say that they're unusual? No, no. Olympic champions are not extraordinary people. We are ordinary people who found a way to accomplish extraordinary results.Now let me ask you, by show of hands, how many people in this room woke up this morning and think that you are at least ordinary? Let me see them. Everybody is ordinary. Everybody started the day ordinary. And you know what that means? That means that you, too, can accomplish extraordinary things if you do what these Olympians have suggested.The Olympic Games themselves -- that one day I was the world's fastest backstroker. I could swim back and forth on my back faster than anybody on the planet. And I have not used that skill once since. The ability to swim quickly while on your back is of limited value. So why do people do sports? Because it prepares us for the real world, a real world of healthy living, of following the rules, of setting our goals.In fact, I'm going to read to you what the Olympic Charter says: "Olympism is a philosophy of life rooted in the balanced development of the mind, body and character, combining culture and education with a view to promote peace, understanding, dignity, fair play and respect for others." There's nobody in this room that cannot endorse that philosophy.So if I ask you, do you want to be a member of the next Olympic team, would you say yes? (Applause) There's a way you can. Because this is the month that the U.S. Olympic Committee is celebrating Olympism. From Memorial Day to January 4th, the whole country is focused on Team USA. If you have access to a computer, log onto TeamUSA.org and you can sign up and you'll receive newsletters and you'll get interviews and you'll hear from the Olympians and you'll be a part of us.If you want to donate financially -- ask your parents for permission first -- but text to 90999 and you've given $10 to the U.S. Olympic Team. If you want to be a part of the U.S. Olympic movement, you don't have to wait until 2012 in London, or 2014 in Sochi. You can begin right now. Please remember, if you can't win the medal yourself, you can help those of us who will try to do it for you by joining Team USA.Thank you and God bless America. (Applause)That concludes this afternoon's festivities. Before you leave -- we want to let the athletes and the Governor and the Lieutenant Governor leave first. And as they leave, I know they would love to hear USA. Now, some of the athletes will stay (Inaudible) area and they'll take some pictures and some autographs. (Inaudible) only going to be here for a few minutes, OK? They're only going to be here for a few minutes and then (Inaudible) So on behalf of the Governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger, the Lieutenant Governor, Abel Maldonado (Inaudible) (Applause) Let's hear USA!
USA! USA! USA!
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