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Dr. Dot hopes to inspire kids on and off the field
Dot Richardson, who led the United States to a softball gold medal in 1996 by hitting the medal-clinching home run against China, is back for another crack at gold in Sydney. The 38-year old orthopedic surgeon, almost didn't make the cut this time around. One of eight holdovers returning to Sydney, she's made the move from shortstop to second base. Although this will most likely be her final Olympics, she is grateful for the experience, which has opened up other doors for her. "I hope that with the impact I can make as a physician that hopefully will inspire boys and girls to reach for their dreams," Richardson says. "that if they want to be a surgeon, a physician to go for it. No matter what negative things might be said towards us -- that we can overcome that if we're willing to work hard and continue to believe in our purpose, in our dreams, and that's the message. And that's the excitement that the exposure of softball has given to myself and other athletes alike to reach out to people and to say that you can do whatever you set your mind to." Richardson has completed her medical training, including a fellowship at the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopedic Sports Medicine Clinic in Los Angeles, and envisions herself becoming a coach or a team doctor after the Games are over.
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