Article and Photos by Larry H. Oskin
Alison Strange is a very successful nationally recognized Clermont woman, who has achieved her dreams and aspirations in life, athletics, family, career and business. While now living here in Clermont, she grew up in the Kissimmee, Winter Park, Orlando and Central Florida areas.
Strange’s athletic ambitions first began to build with inspirations from her mother, family and her Aunt Dorothy Richardson. Strange was an all-state high school champion for four years in softball. She successfully competed at state level in track and field with shotput for 3 years as well as in weightlifting, where she became the awarded state champion in 1999. She also competed locally in javelin. Active in more than sports, she was her Senior Class Vice President and was a member of the National Honor Society for her strong academic high school achievements.
Alison Stange holds three impressive college study degrees at Florida and Stetson Universities with a Bachelor of Arts in Sports Administration, an MBA as well as a Juris Doctor Law Degree. She has been active as an attorney at Bret Jones, PA since 2006, a local attorney’s office. She specializes in Real Estate Development and Construction Litigation.
Today, Strange works closely with Clermont City and Lake County Government as well as with our city, county and state tourism bureaus. As President of the non-profit PFX Athletics, Alison Strange is pleased to share that, “THE Spring Games are estimated to have brought $42 million dollars in revenue to Central Florida per year. THE Spring Games have really helped our local area hotels, retail establishments, restaurants, tourism and economy. Estimates show that approximately 32,500 people come here to Central Florida each spring as a result of THE Spring Games.
Alison Strange describes herself, noting, “I am a businesswoman and mother who remains 
committed to seeing women being able to make six-figure incomes in professional athletics.”
THE Spring Games – National Softball Tournament: Directed by Alison Strange, theClermont based National Spring Games Tournament has become the world’s largest and best-known college softball event here in the United States. With over 500 college softball teams participating this year in 2020; Strange has maximized the Spring Games in a way that they provide the best possible early-season training for women’s softball teams, coaches and fans across the USA.
Dot Richardson! Alison’s role model and mentor has always been her aunt, Dorothy Richardson. Her aunt’s story began here in Central Florida in 1968 with a little 6-year-old girl who was watching the Olympic games with waving American flags by fans and the crowd loudly chanting: “USA!, USA!, USA!.” That night, Dorothy Richardson had a dream. She saw the crowds with the red, white and blue banners, yet when the athlete stood up with the gold medal, it was her. That was the dream that started Dorothy Richardson on her epic journey to Olympic gold. “Dottie,” as she was called then, could not shake that dream of being an Olympic gold medalist. It all started with baseball. Dot as she later became known, had two brothers of close age and she would play baseball with them. The boys always picked her first as she was considered the best in the league! However, she was never allowed to play in a real baseball game. Girls back then were not allowed to play baseball – especially not with the boys!
After being rejected from a baseball team in 1971 because of her gender, young Dot was approached by a female who asked her if she was interested in practicing with their adult woman’s team. Young Dot said “yes” and took a few ground balls at third base. The coach of a team with most of the women in their 20’s shockingly invited her to join their team as she was only ten years old. Dot became the youngest woman to successfully play women’s majors fastpitch softball. Dot’s favorite game was softball, even though she enjoyed playing in all sports at the time including tennis, track and basketball.
Resolute in her athletic dreams, commitment and unwavering desires, Richardson pursued her passion in the sport of softball. In 1979, she became the youngest woman to represent the United States of America in international play when she was selected to compete in the Pan American Games and earned her first gold medal. Softball kept her busy traveling the world and it carried her away from home in Florida to California where she earned a scholarship to UCLA and won four National Championships.
Dot Richardson earned her master’s degree in exercise physiology from Adelphi University. Dot prayed that softball would be added to be in the 1992 Olympics. It did not happen. She then decided to pursue post-graduate study of medicine earning a USC degree and career as an orthopedic surgeon.
Then in 1995, the International Olympic Committee announced that softball would be in the 1996 Olympic Games. After representing the United States in international competition for sixteen years, Richardson was finally on the verge of living her dream. She went on to lead the American Team at shortstop and hit the first home run in Olympic softball history as well as the last of the 1996 Games. The United States earned its first-ever gold medal in softball. As she stood on the podium with the gold medal around her neck in Atlanta, Georgia, she looked around the stadium to see the fans waving American flags
and cheering: “USA!, USA!, USA!” In that special moment after 28 years, she realized that she had lived her dream!
Alison Strange remains extremely proud of her Aunt Dot who went on to be featured as ‘America’s Sweetheart’ and a centerfold in Sports Illustrated as well as to be written up in People, Time and every other popular American publication. Richardson’s dedication, hard work and success story helped her to become a poster child for women and all female athletes. Today, Richardson still inspires Alison Strange, while she has become an internationally recognized motivational speaker and a celebrated mentor for other women across the globe.
More Strange! Alison Strange actually has important two mentors in her life. Another one is Rick Joyce. He is a renowned legal mediation expert. She notes, “Rick Joyce has been like a father figure to me. He is a very cool guy! He has taught me about the importance of life. Strange also dabbles in structural self-expression through abstract acrylic painting with black and white artwork. She first got into exploration of art after a serious 2013 sports concussion brain injury. She lives by Desiderata, her favorite poem. Her next adventure will take her across America on an RV trip to attend the upcoming College World Series, with her soon to be born new baby. She plans to visit Tyler, Texas; Oklahoma City, Maine and the Smoky Mountains. She has also been actively involved as one of the founding members of the Lake County Rowing Association. Alison Strange really wants to be a strong example for other women, sharing how to live a successful life without limitations or having to choose between family and business career.
PFX Athletics is a non-profit organization dedicated to opening the doors of opportunity to women and girls through athletics. PFX manages THE Spring Games and the Legends Way baseball fields. The PFX mission is to open doors of opportunity for all girls and women through organized sports.
PFX primarily focuses on girls’ and women’s fastpitch softball. In 2014, PFX Athletics was selected and honored by South Lake Hospital, Lake County and Lake Sumter State College to manage their softball complex at Legends Way Ballfields at the National Training Center here in Clermont, Florida. PFX Athletics provides an array of opportunities to women and girls in fastpitch softball throughout the world by hosting and promoting local, state, national, and international softball events and training at their local Legends Way Ballfields.
Today, the largest PFX event at the NTC Softball Complex is THE Spring Games, a national collegiate softball event held here annually in February and March. The current ongoing games will end on March 28 this year. PFX also offers an Umpire Academy, an Adopt-A-Team pen pal and mentorship program and a batgirl softball program. Sponsors and volunteers are always needed.
THE Spring Games schedule is always available online and on the official Spring Games App. You can always see schedule changes and get notifications of important updates, announcements and opportunities.
To learn more about all of the PFX Athletics charitable programming for softball, visit their website at: www.pfxathletics.com. Check out their Blog or follow them on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/PFXAthletics/. Call: 352-988-8162 or email: AStrange@THESpringGames.com and visit: www.thespringgames.com. PFX Athletics is headquartered at 2350 Legends Way in Clermont, Florida 34711.
EDITORIAL NOTE: Larry Oskin is a writer and photographer for the South Lake Tablet. He is the owner of Marketing Solutions / Art Beautique, offering creative marketing, media relations and professional fine art photography services. He is a Board Member of the Clermont Downtown Partnership, the Florida Lakes Symphony Orchestra and the Clermont Historic Society. For more information, contact Oskin at 703-508-6800 or at LOskin@MktgSols.com.
