By Kate Hamilton, Staff Writer
Ray Richards was there for every free throw and every pitch. He saw the huge basketball glide off his daughter’s fingertips without trouble, and the once oversized mitt was now a perfect fit.
Sophomore Emma Richards began to flourish in her extracurriculars from a young age, with her dad far more than just a proud parent in the stands. From the age of 10, Emma has had her father coaching her from one sport to the other.
“I’ve coached soccer, softball, basketball, and that’s all at the rec level,” Ray said. “Then AAU basketball, travel softball, and the high school level of basketball, which was not anticipated.”
Ray is a chemistry teacher and head coach of the girl’s varsity basketball team. As he heads into his second year of coaching, he is excited for what awaits this season, but he knows there will be some challenges.
“We’re a little bit of a smaller team than we were last year, so I think a few people need to do a little bit more and that’s been the real challenge,” Ray said.
Although it’s basketball season now, the Richards have an eye on softball season as well. Emma is involved in both travel and school softball teams. Emma is mostly known for her skills on the pitcher’s mound, but she didn’t get where she is today by luck. Her father has helped her practice her pitching and given her private lessons to improve her skills.
Emma hopes to continue playing softball at the collegiate level. She knows she will have the support of her father when she does finally decide what will be the right path for her. Having your father as a well-known figure in the school can be intimidating, but Emma sees her dad being a teacher and her coach as a good thing – at least for the most part.
“He definitely pushes me and gets on me more than the other girls, but it helps me,” Emma said. “If I get in trouble, he’s definitely going to be the first one to find out.”
This father-daughter duo is recognized for intense practices. Currently, Emma practices every day for two hours with the school’s varsity basketball team and then occasionally practices with just her father during the week and on weekends for both softball and basketball.
“When we are together, we really just work on form and basic things,” Ray said. “With any sport, the more tired you get, the more bad habits you get and it’s just minimizing the bad habits when we are playing.”
The two of them have a passion for the sports they are involved in. This father-daughter relationship has such a strong bond from spending so much time together and making memories at each practice and game.
“We spend a lot of time together and we get along a lot better because of (sports),” Emma said.
A role model can be a celebrity, a friend or an icon – but for Emma, he’s someone a little closer to her heart.
“I look up to my dad,” Emma said. “He has really pushed me to get me where I am and even though I might not like it, it has definitely helped me in the long run.”
Sophomore Kate Hamilton can be reached at 22HamiltonKa86@daretolearn.org.
