Randi Hicks is an all around athlete from Rio Mesa High School that has excelled at Basketball and Volleyball at Ventura College while pursuing an amateur boxing career.  Then she found another calling in Track and Field and has the longest javelin throw in the state for a junior college athlete this year.  Randi will be representing Long Beach state in the javelin, hammer, shot put and discus this coming year and we sat down with her for this interview recently for the Breeze.  With all these activities she doesn’t stay at rest long so we were lucky to get her impressions of life in Ventura in between workouts and classes. 

20 years ago there were no Randi Hicks’ as women weren’t given these opportunities to do what they wanted and it is a tribute to her coaches that they recognized her unique skills and supported her in her boxing as well as the more traditional sports.  Foot speed, coordination and an aggressive attitude make her the quintessential female athlete and she is a fore runner for the female athletes of 2010 and beyond.  Well spoken and well mannered, Randi is a great example of the kind of person that will look you in the eye and show a caring side while still capable of knocking another woman out in the squared circle.  

Tall and athletic, Randi has a drive to achieve that LB State recognized, along with her Ventura College coaches, family and friends.  Is there anything she can’t do?  Apparently not as she balances disparate sports such as boxing and throwing in Track and still maintains an academic pursuit that will surely land her in a great career when she is done in sports.  That may be awhile as Randi intends to pursue her boxing career after her college career is over and the 2012 London Olympics could figure into the mix as well.

Not many men have entered the ring and in an era of mixed martial arts she is a throwback to the sweet science that is the most violent sport on the planet.  Why, you ask, does Randi go after gym time with gloves in a ring?  She does it for the competition, for the joy of competing.    Look for Randi to make national headlines as she pursues this incredible combination of sports.  Look for Randi to be the representative of Ventura County as she is discovered by the national media.  Our own Wonder Woman here in Ventura County, Randi competes to be a role model for younger girls and performs for all the right reasons.

Sparring against men at the Oxnard Police Activity League Gym in Oxnard with trainer Rocky Garza and Olympic weightlifting with her trainer, former Olympian Freddie Bradley, allows Randi to develop as an athlete and she credits her Ventura College throwing coach, Tom Lawrence, with motivating her to develop ability in the field events.  It’s a village that is helping Randi Hicks to become the best and it is a tribute to the coaches in Ventura County that athletes are achieving at her level as a result of their efforts.