Senate Concurrent Resolution 526

A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION PAYING TRIBUTE TO FORMER UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI TRACK AND FIELD STANDOUT AND SANDHILL NATIVE TORI BOWIE FOR WINNING THREE MEDALS IN THE 2016 RIO OLYMPICS.

WHEREAS, Tori Bowie entered a league of her own Friday, August 19, 2016. Anchoring the United States' 4x100-Meter Relay Team's victory in the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, she became the first Southern Miss Alum to win an Olympic Gold Medal. Bowie had already captured the Silver and Bronze Medals in the 100 and 200 Meter, respectively; and

WHEREAS, with her performances at this year's Olympic Games, Bowie establishes herself as one of the greatest and most accomplished athletes to ever call themselves a Golden Eagle; and

WHEREAS, Tori Bowie was a three-time All-American Track and Field Athlete at the University of Southern Mississippi. She has carried the title "Fastest Woman in the World" on and off for the last two years and earned three medals in her debut Olympic Games last summer. Tori stated "I think it is all about patience, not the work ethic. The work ethic is extremely important, but I feel that sometimes what we want to achieve is not on our own time. We simply just have to continue to work and have faith"; and

WHEREAS, after winning a Silver Medal in the Women's 100 on August 13, 2016, at Rio's Olympic Stadium, Tori Bowie's gold-glittered eyes said she wasn't satisfied. "I'm not giving up on me having a chance of being a Gold Medalist. I have the 200 Meter...I'm going to continue to try to leave here with a Gold Medal," and she did. The 25-year-old Bowie, a former Southern Miss All-American long jumper, had something cherished to take home with her after fighting hard for second place and finishing in a time of 10.83 seconds. This time around, Bowie, dubbed "American's next great sprinter" by Sports Illustrated, was able to get some enjoyment out of a trip to the podium, especially when thinking of the grandmother who raised her and was watching on TV in Mississippi; and

WHEREAS, the Sandhill native and Southern Miss Alum lined up in the Women's 100 Final with a lot of expectations swirling, and she delivered, winning the Silver Medal with a blistering time of 10.83 seconds. She edged Jamaican Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Marie-Josée Ta Lou of the Ivory Coast for second by three-hundredths of a second. Bowie celebrated with an American flag on her back, raising it as she walked along the edge of the track and looked into the crowd. The 25-year-old improved on her performance at the 2015 Worlds in Beijing, where she took Bronze with a time of 10.86. Bowie qualified by winning her Semifinal Heat in 10.90 in a photo finish ahead of Michele-Lee Ahye of Trinidad and Tobago, who clocked the same time; and

WHEREAS, Julie Crockett, the school Secretary at Pisgah, attended most of Bowie's high school meets. Crockett was at the airport the day Bowie left for the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, California, along with family members. A proud Julie Crockett was in the Olympic Stadium, along with her husband and two children, when Bowie won her medals; and

WHEREAS, one of America's great treasures was immortalized in Black and Gold as the Southern Miss Department of Athletics and the City of Hattiesburg proclaimed Friday, November 25, to forever be Tori Bowie Day, celebrating the accomplishments of the former Golden Eagle Track and Field Standout for earning three medals in the 2016 Rio Olympics. "It means the world to me because I feel like I'm telling my story to the world," Bowie said of winning her Gold Medal in Rio. "I'm just trying to be an example to everyone from Mississippi and especially from my hometown of Sandhill. I just want to let everyone know we are all capable of doing whatever it is we want to do in life"; and we join the Southern Mississippi community in recognizing a legendary Mississippi athlete who has brought honor to her hometown, her university and to the State of Mississippi:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING THEREIN, That we do hereby pay tribute to former University of Southern Mississippi Track and Field Standout and Sandhill Native Tori Bowie for winning the Bronze, Silver and Gold Medals in the 2016 Rio Olympics, and extend our best wishes to Tori on this auspicious occasion.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That this resolution be presented to Tori Bowie and her family, forwarded to the President of the University of Southern Mississippi, the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning and the Principal of Pisgah High School, and made available to the Capitol Press Corps.