A Day with Future Olympian Jason Richardson

Select brands, writers, and influencers were invited out to Los Angeles this week to meet Jason Richardson and to participate in a mini-training session and private dinner event. Fancy, huh?! My reporter in the field, intern and good friend, Jonathan, made the trek, schmoozed and snapped pics. Here’s his report–


So I pretty much have been singing ‘California Love’ since I got off the plane and don’t plan on stopping until I land back in St. Louis…*insert random Nelly reference here*. But moving on. When I was told that I’d be meeting up with Jason Richardson, a future Olympian, my first thought was, “Ummmm….who?” That’s kind of unfortunate though, and an occurrence that probably happens all too often. People often get caught up in the glitz and glam of sports and Hollywood and we tend to pay attention to the squeakiest hinges *hands bottle of oil to Nicki, Drake, and Wayne,* and not the hardest working. Enter Jason Richardson.

Now, I was the kind of kid in high school that the jocks made fun of, so I was already in the mind set of “here we go,” lol, but those days are behind me, and Jason was real cool and down to earth. When we got to the track to see the work out, Jason was busy hitting the hurdles, talking to his coach, and watching footage of himself and other world record holders. What impressed me about the whole situation was the number of people that were there at this training session.

It might not look like a lot, but there were coaches, physical trainers, people to run the cameras, people to run the computers, only thing that was missing was somebody to wipe the sweat off of the boy’s forehead. But it got me to thinking about everything that goes into being a professional athlete, and that moment when you cross the finish line, that moment when you hold the trophy over your head or put that medal around your neck, it’s only a moment – a big one, but one that’s part of such a larger picture. As sports fans, we often forget about the ‘professional’ part of being a professional athlete, but that’s what should get you to the spotlight right? Well it should be, and that’s why ‘Jai Rich’ is one of those that you’ll probably be hearing a lot about. London 2012, anybody?

Jason with Claire of The Fashion Bomb. Somebody tell me he doesn’t look like Jaiden Smith with locs.

Oh and in case you’re wondering, Jason has been growing out his locs for about 6 years now. I asked him if he ever felt like they slowed him down. He said whenever he races, he never wears them down, and if he throws them back in a quick herringbone, he can hardly tell they’re there. Any other style, he said, would just be an “occupational hazard,” HA! Maybe I should start growing my hair out…this might be the summer for light skinned brothas with locs!

The view from dinner–The man of the hour, Jason Richardson!

Angel Laws of ConcreteLoop.com

Cara Donatto and Bevy Smith