For junior track and field star Roy Richards, being good just isn't good enough. When Richards moved to America from Jamaica at age nine, he brought with him a very profound aspiration.
Although Richards has already earned numerous accolades this year, including several first-place finishes in the long jump, his real goal is a work in progress: he wants to be in the Olympics.
"Right now I'm working to make that goal possible," Richards said. "I'm trying to get faster, and working on running form. There is a lot of technique involved in jumps."
According to Richards, who was recently named the Mid-American Conference Male Field Athlete of the Week, the qualifying mark for the Olympic team is eight meters. This is a distance just under half a meter from Richards' longest jump this year at 7.56 meters.
Seeing Richards' performance this year, Bulls coaches said that Richards is getting ready for that challenge, and taking on the best competition he can.
"He is not afraid of any competition," said Bulls coach Perry Jenkins. "He is one of the go-getters on the team. When he's competing, everyone else knows they need to do the same. His role is very important and he knows that his teammates look up to him in certain situations."
While in Buffalo, his long jump achievements have gained him the greatest notoriety, but he also participates in the 100-meter dash and the 4x100 meter relay.
"He's a determined guy," said junior teammate Rayshon Higgins. "He works hard, and he knows where he wants to be and he has his eyes set on what he wants."
Richards balances it out by maintaining a laid-back attitude during his free time.
"On the track I'm pretty serious," Richards said. "Sometimes in practice I joke around, but during competition I'm very serious. Off the track I like to laugh and joke."
As the outdoor season proceeds, UB coaches remain optimistic about and confident in Richards' potential.
"I can see him being one of the top jumpers in the country," Jenkins said. "I think he will represent the university well when he gets into the NCAA."
Richards qualified for nationals during the indoor season, but he did not make the cut. As of now he intends to attain that goal during the outdoor season.
"Qualifying and not making it makes me want it even more now," he said.
Being from Jamaica, Richards has a true love for Reggae music. Although competition rules prohibit headphones on the track, he always listens to it in his room.
"They have strict rules about wearing headphones when competing," Richards said. "If I could I would definitely listen to Reggae while warming up."
Between keeping up with his schoolwork and his practices, Richards doesn't have much time for anything else. But when he finds an opportunity for leisure, he usually plays another sport.
"I play basketball sometimes and do those kinds of things," Richards said. "I don't do that much other than sports. I do watch television sometimes."
As his junior season begins to wind down, Richards still wants to make his dream a reality, and follow in the footsteps of his childhood hero.
"Growing up I watched Carl Lewis," he said. "He had the ability to do whatever he wanted, as far as jumps and sprints. He could always win at whatever he wanted."
Last week at the Miami Invitational, Richards won both the long jump and the 100-meter sprint events. Richards and the Bulls appear confident and optimistic as the team heads to Lewisburg, Pa. for the Bucknell Bison Open this Friday and Saturday.
