In his second season as a Washington Bayhawk, Kyle Dixon is having remarkable year. Everyone knew Dixon was talented; he just hadn’t had the opportunity to prove himself. Last year Dixon was hampered by a broken thumb injury, limiting his season to five games. This season Dixon has come back on a mission, to prove that he can perform well in the MLL.
Dixon received the second most number of votes only to Jeff Sonke of any midfielder for the 2007 Major League Lacrosse All-Star game, which will be held at Harvard Stadium in Boston, MA on Sunday July 8th. “I am definitely excited to be voted in by fellow coaches and players; it’s exciting to know that other people think that I am the type of caliber player to be playing in the all star game. It’s fantastic to receive as many votes as I did; looking at the list of players in this year’s all-star game, to be ahead of some of them is gratifying. It’s rewarding to be playing with people I grew up watching and have a lot of respect for,” Dixon shared.
This year’s season has become the polar opposite of Dixon’s 2006 season. He has led the league in total points, has been voted into the all-star game and his team is playing well as opposed to last season. In 2006, he was drafted second overall, having to sit out all but five games because of a lingering hand injury. When asked about his thoughts on the differences between 2006 and 2007 seasons Dixon shares, “I’m still a young player, as of right now I might just have the hot hand, I feel I have proven myself as a player to other players and coaches, however to be a true all-star you have to keep your game up over time, which is what I aim to do.”
Dixon joins three of his 2006 teammates from University of Virginia in this year’s all-star game. “I’m excited to see Poskay and Culver, I don’t get to see them as often as I would like to unless we play against each other. When the all-star roster was released the first thing I did was look to see how many UVA guys were on it,” said Dixon. Dixon won a national championship with Matt Poskay, Michael Culver and Matt Ward in 2006. It should be fun seeing old teammates reunite to play together and against an old teammate as well.
As well as playing in the all-star game, Dixon was invited to be part of the Bud Light Fastest Shot Competition, one of three elements of the Bud Light Skills Contest during half time. The Bud Light Fastest Shot Competition goes as follows; three players per team get two shots each, 10 yards from goal. The fastest shot wins. Only shots that go into the goal are counted. Ties are broken by a run-off with 1 shot per tied player. Dixon’s Cavalier teammate, Poskay was also asked to perform in the Bud Light Fastest Shot Competition. “I don’t think Poskay will be a challenge, I don’t think he can bring it hard, he is going to have to get his juices flowing in order to even be able to look like he can compete with us.” Wondering if this should be on or off the recorded Dixon noted, “We have a friendly rivalry he knows it’s just in good fun.”
The key to being able to shoot the ball the fastest, besides the obvious strength, is the crowd, “As soon as the crowd gets behind you and your adrenaline starts pumping, you hope you can throw some heat,” shared Dixon. Lacrosse balls can reach speeds that are ridiculous; the current fastest shot in a competition is 109mph. “It depends on how I feel the day of the contest on whether I will even come close to 108, those guys who throw that fast is pretty crazy, we will see if any guys can come close, it will be a fun competition none the less.”
In most all-star games, the all-stars break out their new ridiculous dunks, plays, shots or flips. “I’m not a flashy player; I’m an old school type player that just loves to play. I’m looking forward to spending an extra weekend in Boston with Garrity and Ward and just having a fun experience.
“I can’t wait to come to Boston and play in front of their crowd, every athlete loves to play in front of large crowds. Their fans are great, I enjoy the heckling, because after the game players and fans realize it was just part of the game and can go back to being friendly with one another.”
(Ryan Whitney is a correspondent for Major League Lacrosse. This feature story was not subject to the approval of Major League Lacrosse.)
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