Seven current or former Dartmouth athletes were among 190 Olympians and Paralympians honored by President George W. Bush in a ceremony on the White House South Lawn.
Sarah Conrad '89, Kristin King '02, Libby Ludlow '06, Scott Macartney '01, Sarah Parsons '09, Kaylin Richardson '09 and Carolyn Treacy '06 were all in attendance at the nation's capital Wednesday.
Bush thanked the athletes for representing the United States "with such nobility and dignity" and praised the athletes for their "unbelievable skill and determination" in his brief speech to the press.
The president's remark included an acknowledgment of the "dudes and dudesses" of snowboarding that led to several sports headlines.
"We are honored that the 'Flying Tomato' represented our country, and we want to thank all the dudes and dudesses of the snowboarders who are here," Bush said.
Speedskater Chris Witty addressed the crowd after Bush's speech and Paralympic Gold Medalist Chris Devlin-Young presented Bush with an Olympic torch.
The ceremony concluded the athletes' three-day visit to Washington D.C.
Most athletes arrived in Washington on Monday evening, where a welcome reception awaited them at the Hilton Washington.
On Tuesday morning, after an informal breakfast, the athletes attended a General Motors luncheon hosted by Dennis Hastert, Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Later that afternoon, the athletes were invited to a black-tie ball event at the Hilton that served as a rehearsal for the evening's formal dinner, attended by 1,300 congressmen, sponsors and athletes. The Olympians were honored and praised for their performances and integrity at the Games at the event.
On Wednesday, the Olympians had the opportunity to tour the White House and later lined up to meet the president. After the president's speech, he shook hands and offered autographs to some of the athletes.
Ludlow, who competed in her first Olympics with the U.S. Alpine Ski team, was one of very few people who had the opportunity to shake hands with the president after the speech before Bush rushed off to a commitment.
"It was a very special experience to be able to meet the president and be honored in this way," Ludlow said. "Not many people get to do that."
Ludlow, who spends her off-seasons pursuing her studies at Dartmouth, is currently the only female on the U.S. Alpine Ski Team to attend college because of the year-long commitment that skiing demands.
Ludlow is only in her fifth term at Dartmouth and contemplates a 2010 graduation.
"It is not common to take time off from skiing," Ludlow said. "An athlete has only so many years to compete but I can always finish school later on."
Ludlow finished 28th in the Super G in Torino. The petite 5'3" skier faced a disadvantage in the relatively flat surface of the course that benefited the taller skiers. Although Ludlow was disappointed in her placement, she was pleased by the way she competed against others in the competition.
"It didn't hit me that I was in the Olympics until I got back," Ludlow said. "It was overwhelming, but being in the middle of it was an amazing experience."
Joining Ludlow on the Alpine Skiing team are Macartney and Richardson. Macartney was the top American finisher in the men's Super G race, finishing seventh, just a half-second behind the winner. Mccartney also took 15th place in the men's downhill.
Richardson finished 17th in the women's alpine combined event.
Two Dartmouth hockey players, King and Parsons, were on the bronze-winning U.S. women's hockey team. King is a member of the 2005 World Championship team and earned a silver medal in the 2004 Championships. Parsons, who has yet to matriculate at Dartmouth, was the youngest member of Team U.S.A.
Konrad, who competed in the biathlon and cross-country skiing in Torino, became the first U.S. female Olympian to qualify for two sports in the Winter Olympic games this year. She finished 32nd overall but was the top American finisher in the women's 30K cross-country race. In addition, Konrad was on the women's 4x5K cross-country relay team that finished 14th.
Treacy anchored the U.S. 4x6K biathlon relay team that finished 15th overall and took 80th place in the women's 7.5K biathlon, an intensely competitive event.
