Bonnie Richardson
Encyclopedia
Bonnie Richardson is an American track and field
athlete from the small community of Rochelle, Texas
, who is currently enrolled at Texas A&M University
as a nutrition major and competes on its women's track team in Combined Events.
Richardson gained notoriety during her high school career at Rochelle High School
(total enrollment 59) when, as both a junior (2008) and senior (2009), she (as the only state qualifier from her school) singlehandedly won the UIL Class A girls team track championship, notwithstanding that as the only qualifier she could not compete in relay events, which under UIL scoring rules count double the points of individual events.
track and field scoring system, points are awarded for the top six finishers using a 10-8-6-4-2-1 scale (10 for first place, and so on) for individual events. Relay events are scored by doubling the points for each place (i.e., 20-16-12-8-4-2). An individual can compete in a maximum five events (individual or relay).
Richardson could not practice the long jump at Rochelle High School as it does not have usable facilities. To train she used the school's track, which "is made of dirt, grass, weeds, rocks, red-ant mounds and ruts...a trench from an old water line [to] hurdle, goats and a llama grazing beside it, armadillos and deer pattering across it", and nearby Brady
High School's all-weather running track
.
(an event in which she would eventually qualify all four years), taking seventh place (103 feet 10 inches; 31.65 metres) and finishing out of the scoring.
, and long jump
. She placed fourth in the discus (114 feet 2 inches; 34.80 metres), sixth in the high jump (5 feet 0 inches; 1.52 metres) and captured the title in the long jump (18 feet 10 inches; 5.74 metres), and earned a total of 15 points. Rochelle had one additional qualifier who finished in sixth place in her event for 1 point awarded; the overall total of 16 points placed Rochelle in a tie for 12th place in the final team standings.
, and 200 metres
. The other two girls on her track team did not qualify in any state events.
On the first day of competition, Richardson won the high jump (5 feet 5 inches; 1.65 metres), placed second in the long jump (18 feet 7 inches; 5.77 metres), and placed third in the discus (121 feet; 36.88 metres). She earned 24 points, enough to take the school lead after the first day.
On the second day, Richardson won the 200 metres (25.03 seconds) and was second in the 100 metres (12.19 seconds), losing by one-hundredth of a second. The additional 18 points gave her (and Rochelle) a total of 42, six ahead of second place teams Chilton and Seymour, neither of which had any chance of overtaking her in the relays. Richardson's performance would have tied for second in Class 2A and won sixth place in Class 3A.
Richardson became the first female, and only the third person, to singlehandedly win a Texas state team title, joining James Segrest (Class 2A Bangs in 1954) and Frank Pollard
(Class B Meridian in 1976). Her success caused other schools' coaches to call asking how to also obtain a "caliche
" training surface. Richardson became one of the most recruited high school female athletes in Texas history, with Arizona State, Nebraska, Texas Christian, Texas Tech, Texas A&M, Arkansas, and many other Division 1 universities showing interest. In the fall, she signed a letter of intent with Texas A&M.
On the first day, she recaptured her 2007 title in the long jump (17 feet 4.50 inches; 5.30 metres), defended her title in the high jump (5 feet 8 inches; 1.73 metres), and placed second in the discus (126 feet 9 inches; 38.63 metres; her best state placement in this event). Once again, her point total (28) put Rochelle in first place after one day.
On the second day, Richardson placed third in the 200 metres (25.78 seconds) and fourth in the 100 metres (12.51 seconds). Her 38 points were two better than second-place Cayuga High School. Cayuga had a chance to win the overall team award with a fifth place or better finish in the final relay race (and tie Rochelle with a sixth place finish), but Cayuga finished in seventh.
The accomplishment made Richardson the only person in Texas high school track and field history (male or female) to singlehandedly win the team title more than once.
of her class of 14 and President of the Rochelle High chapter of the National Honor Society
.
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
athlete from the small community of Rochelle, Texas
Rochelle, Texas
Rochelle is an unincorporated community in McCulloch County, Texas, United States. According to the Handbook of Texas, the community had an estimated population of 163 in 2000.-Geography:...
, who is currently enrolled at Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University is a coeducational public research university located in College Station, Texas . It is the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System. The sixth-largest university in the United States, A&M's enrollment for Fall 2011 was over 50,000 for the first time in school...
as a nutrition major and competes on its women's track team in Combined Events.
Richardson gained notoriety during her high school career at Rochelle High School
Rochelle Independent School District
Rochelle Independent School District is a public school district based in the community of Rochelle, Texas .The district has one school that serves students in grades kindergarten through twelve....
(total enrollment 59) when, as both a junior (2008) and senior (2009), she (as the only state qualifier from her school) singlehandedly won the UIL Class A girls team track championship, notwithstanding that as the only qualifier she could not compete in relay events, which under UIL scoring rules count double the points of individual events.
High school career
Under the University Interscholastic LeagueUniversity Interscholastic League
The University Interscholastic League is an organization that creates rules for and administers almost all athletic, music, and academic contests for public primary and secondary schools in the American state of Texas....
track and field scoring system, points are awarded for the top six finishers using a 10-8-6-4-2-1 scale (10 for first place, and so on) for individual events. Relay events are scored by doubling the points for each place (i.e., 20-16-12-8-4-2). An individual can compete in a maximum five events (individual or relay).
Richardson could not practice the long jump at Rochelle High School as it does not have usable facilities. To train she used the school's track, which "is made of dirt, grass, weeds, rocks, red-ant mounds and ruts...a trench from an old water line [to] hurdle, goats and a llama grazing beside it, armadillos and deer pattering across it", and nearby Brady
Brady, Texas
Brady is a city in McCulloch County, Texas, United States. Brady refers to itself as "The Heart of Texas", as it is the closest city to the geographical center of the state. The population was 5,523 at the 2000 census...
High School's all-weather running track
All-weather running track
An all weather running track is the common term to describe a rubberized artificial running surface for the sport of Track and field athletics. Throughout the history of the sport, there has always been a search for a consistent surface that gave competitors an equal advantage, to test their...
.
2006
As a freshman, Richardson qualified for the state track meet (held at Myers Stadium on the University of Texas campus) in the discusDiscus
Discus, "disk" in Latin, may refer to:* Discus , a progressive rock band from Indonesia* Discus , a fictional character from the Marvel Comics Universe and enemy of Luke Cage* Discus , a freshwater fish popular with aquarium keepers...
(an event in which she would eventually qualify all four years), taking seventh place (103 feet 10 inches; 31.65 metres) and finishing out of the scoring.
2007
She qualified for the state track meet in the discus, high jumpHigh jump
The high jump is a track and field athletics event in which competitors must jump over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without the aid of certain devices in its modern most practiced format; auxiliary weights and mounds have been used for assistance; rules have changed over the years....
, and long jump
Long jump
The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength, and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a take off point...
. She placed fourth in the discus (114 feet 2 inches; 34.80 metres), sixth in the high jump (5 feet 0 inches; 1.52 metres) and captured the title in the long jump (18 feet 10 inches; 5.74 metres), and earned a total of 15 points. Rochelle had one additional qualifier who finished in sixth place in her event for 1 point awarded; the overall total of 16 points placed Rochelle in a tie for 12th place in the final team standings.
2008
Richardson qualified in the discus, high jump, long jump, 100 metres100 metres
The 100 metres, or 100-metre dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, it is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896...
, and 200 metres
200 metres
A 200 metres race is a sprint running event. On an outdoor 400 m track, the race begins on the curve and ends on the home straight, so a combination of techniques are needed to successfully run the race. A slightly shorter race, called the stadion and run on a straight track, was the first...
. The other two girls on her track team did not qualify in any state events.
On the first day of competition, Richardson won the high jump (5 feet 5 inches; 1.65 metres), placed second in the long jump (18 feet 7 inches; 5.77 metres), and placed third in the discus (121 feet; 36.88 metres). She earned 24 points, enough to take the school lead after the first day.
On the second day, Richardson won the 200 metres (25.03 seconds) and was second in the 100 metres (12.19 seconds), losing by one-hundredth of a second. The additional 18 points gave her (and Rochelle) a total of 42, six ahead of second place teams Chilton and Seymour, neither of which had any chance of overtaking her in the relays. Richardson's performance would have tied for second in Class 2A and won sixth place in Class 3A.
Richardson became the first female, and only the third person, to singlehandedly win a Texas state team title, joining James Segrest (Class 2A Bangs in 1954) and Frank Pollard
Frank Pollard
Frank Pollard is a former professional American football player who played running back for nine seasons for the Pittsburgh Steelers....
(Class B Meridian in 1976). Her success caused other schools' coaches to call asking how to also obtain a "caliche
Caliche
Caliche may refer to:*Caliche, a hardened deposit of calcium carbonate.*Caliche slang, a collection of slang words unique to Salvadoran Spanish....
" training surface. Richardson became one of the most recruited high school female athletes in Texas history, with Arizona State, Nebraska, Texas Christian, Texas Tech, Texas A&M, Arkansas, and many other Division 1 universities showing interest. In the fall, she signed a letter of intent with Texas A&M.
2009
As a senior, Richardson comprised the entire Rochelle girl's track team, and qualified for the same five events as in 2008.On the first day, she recaptured her 2007 title in the long jump (17 feet 4.50 inches; 5.30 metres), defended her title in the high jump (5 feet 8 inches; 1.73 metres), and placed second in the discus (126 feet 9 inches; 38.63 metres; her best state placement in this event). Once again, her point total (28) put Rochelle in first place after one day.
On the second day, Richardson placed third in the 200 metres (25.78 seconds) and fourth in the 100 metres (12.51 seconds). Her 38 points were two better than second-place Cayuga High School. Cayuga had a chance to win the overall team award with a fifth place or better finish in the final relay race (and tie Rochelle with a sixth place finish), but Cayuga finished in seventh.
The accomplishment made Richardson the only person in Texas high school track and field history (male or female) to singlehandedly win the team title more than once.
Other accomplishments
In addition to her track exploits, Richardson was named the Class A Division II high school basketball player of the year and led her team to the 2008 Class A Division II state semifinals. She was the valedictorianValedictorian
Valedictorian is an academic title conferred upon the student who delivers the closing or farewell statement at a graduation ceremony. Usually, the valedictorian is the highest ranked student among those graduating from an educational institution...
of her class of 14 and President of the Rochelle High chapter of the National Honor Society
National Honor Society
The National Honor Society is a recognition program for high school students in grades 10-12 in the United States and in several other countries...
.