Living the Dream Dorothy (Dot) Richardson By Sophie Clary

Important Poem The important thing about Dot Richardson is that she is a softball player. She was in the first American women's softball Olympics. She is a motivational speaker. She is a hard working woman. But the important thing about Dot Richardson is that she is a softball player.

Timeline On September 22 1961 Dot was born. 1980-83 three-time MVP, UCLA 1980-83 three-time NCAA All-American UCLA 1981 National Champions

Timeline Part 2 1996, 2000 Olympic Games Gold Medalist- hit game-winning homer in 1996 1983 Pan American Games Silver medalist 1986, 1990, 1994 ISF World Championship- 3 gold medals 1999, 1995, 1987 and 1979 – Pan American Games Gold Medalist, batted .318

Biography Dorothy (Dot) Gay Richardson was born on September 22, 1961 in Orlando Florida. She is now a famous softball player. She started off by playing catch with her dad, but it was with a baseball. She didn’t play girls softball because it wasn’t around. She was then bat girl for her brothers Little League team. She was asked by the coach if she wanted to play on the team because he saw her play a little bit of practice. But he said she had to cut her hair and change her name to Bob, so she turned it down. She played on a Women’s softball team when she was only ten and the other players were more than twice her age! She was a bat girl on the Orlando Rebels softball team and then got asked to play on it and she really liked it. After she was out of high school she got a full scholarship at Western Illinois University (that is where my sisters go!). She went to Western for 2 years then transferred to UCLA. When she got to UCLA she tried out for the varsity basketball team but she couldn’t play on the varsity because it overlaps softball. So she could play on the junior varsity basketball team.

Biography Part 2 After her mom and grandma dropped her off at UCLA, she went to the softball field with the coach and two other girls and they practiced. Dot became shortstop instead of second base and she was so happy because that was her favorite position. In 1996 Dot played on the U.S.A. Olympic softball team and they won the gold medal. She played softball for a while and she loved it but, it was time to let it go and she became an orthopedic surgeon, physician, an executive at a prestigious hospital overseeing the operations of a state-of-the-art sports, health & education campus, wife, the NCAA’s player of the decade for the ’80’s, a two-term Vice Chair of the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, a member of the Governor’s Council on Physical fitness and a consistent champion of causes. She is also a motivational speaker and is awesome at it. My dad attended one of her speeches while playing at her complex for a tournament with Elmhurst College girls softball team as the assistant coach. She built a complex next to the hospital she works at in Florida and all the USA Olympic players use it to practice and do other things that is useful for them. When the complex isn’t being used softball teams from colleges go there on their spring break or a time that they can and she talks to them. After learning about Dot Richardson I was inspired to do anything and believe in myself. Especially when I play softball. That is the life of Dot Richardson

I chose Dot because she played softball and I also play softball now I chose Dot because she played softball and I also play softball now. Also she had an interesting life and I thought it was so cool how she got to play in the Olympics more than once.

Work Cited Living The Dream by Dot Richardson Best Of The Best, Preface by Mike Candrea, foreword by Dot Richardson Notable Sports Figures. Ed. Dana R. Barnes Sport Stars. Gale, 1997

THE END!!!!