成人影片

by Stephen Levine

At 10 years old, Dorothy 鈥淒ot鈥� Richardson knew she had a great arm after a Little League coach saw her practicing with her brother on a baseball field in Orlando, Florida. This happened the year before 鈥攖he federal civil rights law passed in 1972 that prohibited sex discrimination in education and athletics鈥攁nd girls were not allowed to play baseball. Still, the coach was ready to put her on the team and call her 鈥淏ob.鈥�

Dot was not willing to do that. Later, while she was practicing on a bigger field with a friend, Cindy Brown, another coach approached her.

鈥淚 saw it was a woman and this shocked me,鈥� Dot recalled. 鈥淪he asked if I ever played softball. I said, ‘No, what is that?’ She told me it was just like baseball except the ball is a little bigger. I finally felt like I belonged.鈥�

While Dot found her athletic niche in softball, Cindy became the first girl ever to play Little League baseball in 1972.

鈥淚 wouldn’t change a thing,鈥� said Ms. Richardson, a member of the . 鈥淭he evolution of women in sports took decades, but the world has changed in a positive direction. I now get to see my brothers accept their daughters’ wonderful God-given gifts.鈥� 鈥ㄢ�∕s. Richardson鈥檚 gifts were not limited to softball. The three-time All-American and NCAA Softball Player of the Decade for the 1980s has also distinguished herself in medicine鈥攚ith a significant assist from .

After earning a bachelor鈥檚 degree at , she found the opportunity she needed at 成人影片鈥檚 Garden City campus. Head coach ’59 and associate head coach ’79 invited her to be an assistant coach of the softball team while pursuing her master鈥檚 degree in exercise physiology in the .

Being an assistant coach at 成人影片 gave Ms. Richardson the freedom to continue playing for the U.S. national team. But after earning her M.S. at 成人影片 and then a medical degree from the in 1993, her athletic career appeared to be over.

Dr. Dot, as she is known, began a five-year orthopedic residency program at the . But the lure of playing for the first-ever U.S. Olympic softball team at the 1996 Atlanta Games was strong. She soon realized she could achieve both dreams鈥�with a little help.

The hospital board granted Dr. Dot a two-month summer vacation in 1996, allowing her to win a gold medal as a middle infielder with Team USA. The 1997 Award winner as female athlete of the year helped Team USA repeat as gold medalists at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia.

Before becoming a full-time orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Dot got a healthy dose of the celebrity treatment. She met at the White House, appeared on and was honored in a parade at in her hometown of Orlando.

鈥淪ports teaches you to live in the moment, something that applies in surgery and the field,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 learned how to shift focus after years of playing softball at the highest level because of this.鈥�

Today, Dr. Dot is the executive director and medical director of the (NTC), a $3.5 million facility at in Clermont, Florida. The NTC opened in August 2001 as a health and wellness facility.

Each year, Dr. Dot hosts the , which features softball, lacrosse, soccer, track and field, swimming and triathlon. The event boosts tourism and adds $16 million annually to the local economy, she said.

The softball community could use a boost after the surprisingly dropped the sport from the Olympics in 2005鈥攁 decision that left Dr. Dot 鈥渉eartbroken.鈥�

鈥淢y immediate reaction was one of shock and then disappointment, and eventually it evolved into devastation knowing that girls can’t live out the Olympic dream like I did,鈥� said Dr. Dot, who hopes softball will be reinstated for the 2020 Games.

In the meantime, the woman who achieved her dreams in two markedly different careers will always remember fondly the role 成人影片 played in the making of Dr. Dot.

鈥湷扇擞捌� University was a great place to me,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t helps inspire the gifts God’s given them to make them feel special. Life is incredible.鈥�