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Hey! Everybody have a seat. Look at her. She's taking selfies. Sit down. (Laughter.) I caught
you. (Laughter.) Well, I've already said hi to everybody, so I'm going to keep my remarks
pretty short.
Welcome to the White House. It is nice to be outside for a change, and spring break
is under way for a lot of schools, so we thought this was the perfect time to invite a bunch
of college kids over to wreak havoc on the White House. What could go wrong?
This is an incredible group. I had a chance to meet many of you earlier. We've got golfers.
We've got runners. We've got soccer players. We've got everything in between. We've even
got some volleyball-playing Anteaters. And the West Virginia rifle team is here, although
the Secret Service is not sure whether we checked them before they came in. We've got
the Minnesota women's hockey team, which includes a few players who competed for Team USA in
Sochi. Yay! (Applause.)
We've got three schools that sent a pair of teams here today -- the Tar Heels. (Applause.)
We've got women's lacrosse and women's soccer. For Princeton, we've got fencing and field
hockey. For USC, we have men's and women's water polo. (Applause.)
We've got a lot of champs here today. I want to make sure everybody gets their due. So
on the women's side let's give it up for the Kansas track and field team; the Oklahoma
softball team; the Stanford tennis team. (Applause.) And on the men's side we've got the Alabama
golf team; the UC-Irvine volleyball team; Colorado cross country; Duke lacrosse; Indiana
soccer, Oklahoma cross country; Virginia tennis; and the Yale hockey squad. (Applause.)
Now, no matter what sport you play, no matter where you come from, for the rest of your
lives every single one of you is going to be able to call yourselves a national champion.
And you know that a title like that means not just performing your best when the spotlight
is on and the game is underway, but also pushing yourself even harder when nobody is watching;
dragging yourself out of bed for early morning weight-lifting sessions and gutting out the
preseason two-a-days. It means cracking the books, I hope, on those late-night bus rides
home and making sure to leave time to study when everybody else is out having fun. And
it means that after practice, when other folks might turn off the lights and head home, you
ask the janitor to keep the lights on so you can run another drill -- or two or three.
And that's the championship spirit that we're celebrating today -- not just the trophies
in the display case back home, but the drive and the toughness and the teamwork that put
them there.
And at a time when legendary conferences are being reshuffled and too many schools have
been forced to cut sports, athletes like all of you remind us that at their core college
athletics are supposed to be about a lot more than just network ratings. They're about the
shy freshman who develops into a team captain; the underdog who learns how to play in the
spotlight and learns how to slay the giant; the role player who fights through an injury
to play on Senior Day. It's about playing a game that you love, even if you're not on
a full scholarship or even if the only folks cheering you on are your mom and dad. And
at their best, college sports teach us about giving back to our communities.
So athletes from these teams have spent time visiting local children's hospitals, volunteering
with the Special Olympics, and speaking to young people about bullying. You've helped
raise awareness for efforts like Habitat for Humanity and Read Across America, and LGBT
rights.
And that's the kind of ethic that shows this is not just about winning. It's about learning
how to lift other people up. That's what makes a true champion. And that's what will serve
you well no matter what path you choose in the years ahead, whether as a coach or an
athlete or a doctor or a teacher or an entrepreneur. Our country needs young people like you to
keep giving your best and to keep bringing out the best in those around you. That's how
we keep making progress and moving forward. And that's why we're all looking forward to
seeing what all of you accomplish in the years ahead.
And I'm particularly proud of two things. One, it's traditional to bring football and
basketball teams here. I think that for all these outstanding athletes and sports, it's
important to acknowledge that your investment and time and effort and dedication is just
as significant. And you may not always be on television all the time, but what you guys
do is remarkable, and you are truly great athletes.
The second thing is I can't tell you how proud I am of the young women here. There was a
time when college women's athletics was relegated to second status. And all of you here are
showing the incredible strides that we've made over the last couple of decades. And
it means that Malia and Sasha and my nieces, they all know how important athletics is in
their lives. And you guys have really paved the way. So we're really proud of you for
that.
I want to congratulate all of you on your championship season. I hope that you guys
enjoyed your time at the White House. I want to wish all of you the best of luck in the
time ahead. For those of you who are returning, coming back -- good luck next season. And
for those of you who are graduating, Godspeed.
All right, I hope you guys had a good time. Take care of yourselves. Congratulations.
(Applause.)