ORLANDO — Dr. Dot Richardson is a veteran of the softball team at Faith United Methodist Church here. She is also a member of the United States’ women’s softball team, which won the two first-ever Olympic gold medals in softball, one in the 1996 Olympic games and the other in the recent 2000 games.

While softball has opened many doors for Richardson, she says her success, especially in the Olympics, has opened many doors for her to touch people’s lives in positive ways.

After winning her first Olympic gold medal, Richardson entered the orthopedic residency program at the University of Southern California. Because of the media attention she received, the hospital’s director asked her to take a week off.

Before she left, Richardson toured the USC Children’s Hospital, gold medal in hand. She let each child wear the medal and have his or her picture taken with her. The last child she visited had undergone brain surgery four days before. Richardson said half of the girl’s head was shaved bald, and the other half was covered in "thick, curly black hair."

Richardson put the medal on the girl and told her, "Smile. It’s Olympic gold."

"She had this big smile on her face…" Richardson said. "She asked me if the medal was real gold. I told her, ‘It’s 90 percent silver and 10 percent gold, but it’s real gold to me.’ "

As she left, Richardson noticed that the girl’s mother and sister and four nurses were crying. "I asked, ‘Is everything okay? Did I do something wrong?’ " she said. "They told me the child hadn’t spoken a single word since her surgery."

Richardson said that moment was an example of what winning a gold medal is all about for her. "It was immortality captured in one second of love, and it was God’s love," she said. "I won a gold medal to make her feel so golden."

After winning her second gold medal at the 2000 Olympic games, Richardson returned Oct. 8 to the United Methodist church in which she grew up, learned about God’s plan for her life and played a little softball.

During the worship service, Richardson told her home congregation about growing up knowing God had given her "incredible talents" in athletics, especially in baseball, but because of her gender, outlets for that talent were limited.

"I knew I was something special," she said. "But when I went to bed, I prayed to God, ‘Why did you give me so much talent in a field where there are so few opportunities?’ "

One local baseball coach wanted to recruit her, but only if she cut her hair short and agreed to be called Bob. Another coach later invited her to play "something called softball."

"I was so amazed. There were women playing, not boys…and the balls were a little bigger," she said. "God has a plan and things will work out, just not in the way we want or expect."

Softball has taught Richardson to have a positive outlook. "Life’s tough," she said. "But you can’t listen to the negative thoughts. Believe in your ability to use your God-given talents."

Despite the benefits she has received from the sport, Richardson felt she was selfish giving so much time and energy to something she loved. When a man told her how much he enjoyed watching her play and that her energy made him love life, she realized God had given her this talent for another reason.

She said God was using her to make a difference in people’s lives, "to touch lives and inspire them to feel as important as they are."

Richardson says winning two gold medals expanded that ability. "I get tons of calls from parents about their daughters who are wanting to commit suicide or who are suffering or struggling, and they want me to talk to them," she said. "I’m calling kids at all hours, talking to them."

Despite the privilege and honor of representing her country at the highest level of athletic competition, Richardson said winning the gold medal was a humbling experience.

"Standing on that podium when they raised the flag and played the national anthem, it was one of the biggest moments of my career…to be considered one of the best softball players in the world," she said. "But it’s more important to be a great person. It’s about touching lives along the way. It’s not just about me."