The popular Main Games Weekend of this year’s Subway Commonwealth Games officially begins at 4 pm Friday afternoon July 17th at the Salem Red Sox Stadium, where the Grand Home Furnishings Tailgate Party will include food provided by Subway, interactive games, music, prizes and more. Following will be the Opening Ceremonies, including Olympic speaker Dot Richardson, Miss Virginia, fireworks and the parade of athletes followed by a Salem Red Sox baseball game.
Thursday night at a special VIP reception at The Hotel Roanoke and Conference Center, Richardson gave a motivational speech that, like her Olympic past, was delivered like a gold medal performance.
Richardson became a two-time gold medalist in the 1996 and 2000 Olympic Games. As softball made its initial Olympic appearance in 1996, Richardson had the first American hit, scored the first run and hit the first home run in Olympic history. In the 1996 championship game, Dot hit a game-winning two-run homer to lead USA to victory.
The Olympic heroics followed a stellar softball career at UCLA where she played on the 1982 National Championship team, was named UCLA most valuable player three times, NCAA All-American three times and NCAA Payer of the Decade in softball for the 1980s.
Since 2013, Richardson has been the head softball coach for the Liberty University Flames.
In an exclusive newspaper interview with The Star Thursday night, Richardson reflected on being this year’s motivational speaker, as well as her philosophies on life and success.
“I’m very honored to be this year’s speaker,” Richardson said. “The Commonwealth Games are the Olympics of Virginia. It’s a great opportunity to share what I feel is important. Every person and every athlete needs to know how to be special and be an individual. Everyone needs to feel important and know they have the power to control their future.”
Richardson grew up in Orlando, Florida where she decided at an early age to set goals for herself and not quit until they were all accomplished.
“I overcame many things as a child, mainly overcoming being a girl who had her sights high in sports,” Richardson noted. “I wanted to play Little League baseball, but wasn’t allowed because I was a girl. We didn’t have anything like the Commonwealth Games, but I wish they did. You see the excitement today in the participants eyes, and that makes it great.”
“I always tell everyone to set their goals high. If you set them low, you’re preparing for failure.”
“Everyone should be the best they can be and recognize the gifts from God they have received. Play because of passion. It’s better to try to achieve at your best and fail, than to never try to achieve.”
“There’s a lot of life-lessons from sports, and as a mentor and coach, I try to change people in their approach to life. It’s very rewarding to see anyone having the passion to go all out for their goals. A true champion works hard and never loses sight of her dreams.”
Richardson, showing her two gold medal throughout the evening, reflected on the excitement of winning at the Olympic level.
“It’s such an honor to win for your country, to stand on that podium as they put the medal around your neck and hearing our National Anthem,” Richardson noted.
In continuing her lifelong determination to achieve and excel, Richardson earned degrees in Kinesiology and Exercise Physiology before receiving a Medical Degree and Postdoctoral Residency as an Orthopedic Surgeon.
“I interrupted my medical career when it was announced that softball had been added to the Olympic Games,” Richardson recalled. “Everyone told me ‘Dot, go for it.’ The day I returned to the hospital after we won the Gold, I had expected a quiet return, but there were thousands of people waiting everywhere. It was a very special moment.”
From 2001-2008 George W. Bush appointed Richardson Vice-Chair of the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports.
Today, despite her busy schedule, she still gives motivational speeches to numerous groups where her amazing story has helped many reach for the stars.
Bill Turner
