Women Can Do It All—Take A Look At Dr. Dot

    Women in sports are often looked down upon when taking a break from their sport. Whether it be maternity leave, injury leave, bereavement, or a personal matter, keyboard warriors tend to point out that women can’t do or have it all. Dot Richardson, however, flies in the face of the notion that women are one-dimensional. Being a woman in sports is not the end-all-be-all; they can accomplish more than you think, and Dot Richardson is the perfect example. 

Dot Richardson was a dominant force on her collegiate softball team at Western Illinois University, and, later, the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA). During her undergraduate years, she helped lead the UCLA Softball team to their first NCAA Championship win in 1982. After graduating from UCLA, Richardson obtained her master’s degree and later enrolled at the University of Louisville School of Medicine, where she received her M.D. degree in 1993. While earning her medical degree from the University of Louisville School of Medicine during the week, Richardson spent her weekends playing professional softball for the Raybestos Brakettes. After medical school, Richardson entered her five-year orthopedic residency program at the University of Southern California.

With softball finally added to the Olympic Games in 1996, Richardson was not going to pass up the opportunity to play for Team USA. Richardson was granted a one-year leave from her residency program by the Los Angeles County-University of Southern California General Hospital.

At the Atlanta Summer Olympics in 1996, the American softball team dominated and won gold, with Richardson hitting a two-run home run to win the competition over China. Richardson also joined Team USA for the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games and won another gold medal. Between the ‘99 and ‘00 Olympic Games, Richardson completed a fellowship in sports medicine in Los Angeles.

 


            The Olympic wins for Team USA were nothing short of a great accomplishment, but Richardson was not finished with her medical career. After being inducted into the National Softball Hall of Fame, winning two Olympic gold medals, and obtaining numerous sports accolades,  Richardson went on to serve as the medical director of the National Training Center in Florida and Vice Chair of the President’s Council on Fitness.



            Richardson’s legacy on softball is ongoing; she currently coaches softball at Liberty University in Virginia. Richardson’s break was not the prototypical type that is taken by women in sports today. The media mostly covers women taking a break from their sport to pursue other interests. Richardson’s career path has opened up the space for women to do the same as her, and it simultaneously inspires young women in sports that they are capable of having a professional career outside of their athletic career. It isn’t easy to balance, but women like Richardson show that it is absolutely possible.

References 

Dot Richardson. Team USA. (n.d.). Retrieved September 28, 2022, from https://www.teamusa.org/usa-softball/athletes/dot-richardson


WebMD. (n.d.). Dot Richardson. WebMD. Retrieved September 28, 2022, from https://www.webmd.com/dot-richardson


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