GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Kicking the black-and-white checkered soccer ball between the white lines on green grass in Connecticut was something that Sean Dixon-Bodie had been doing since he was 5 years old.
His sport is different now, as he traded the grass for a long, narrow pathway, lunging himself into the sand.
During his high school years, Dixon-Bodie had a decision – was he going to play soccer or compete in track and field?
"I started to realize it's not going to be the brightest future if you continue in soccer, so you're doing better in track. Go with what's going to bring you further."
A few years later, Dixon-Bodie competes at the collegiate level with one of the Southeastern Conference's best track and field programs. The transfer from LSU can reflect on his decision and know he made the right choice.
The 2021 SEC Men's Indoor Freshman Athlete of the Year has proven impressive in the first two meets of the season. At the Clemson Invite in mid-January, he took first in the triple jump, his primary event, recording 16.53 meters.
At the Razorback Invitational, Dixon-Bodie placed third in the triple jump, recording 16.01 meters. Dixon-Bodie also participated in the long jump, an event that he hasn't competed in since high school, and recorded 7.84 meters to land in fifth place.
While he has proven to be a force to be reckoned with in his events, he has also brought his lively spirit.
"Sean has come into our jumps group and filled it with life," Gators jumps coach Nic Petersen said. Sean Dixon-Bodie
The 2020 Gatorade Track & Field Athlete of the Year in Connecticut didn't just try to be successful in track and field — he has become one of the SEC's rising stars in his first season at UF.
The positive energy. The infectious laughing. And the cheerful smile. These are all qualities that Dixon-Bodie brings to his teammates.
"I always grew up a very energetic kid," he said. "And I always did well when I was laughing, enjoying myself, and had a smile on my face. But when I got too serious, I realized, 'oh no, I'm not enjoying it, I am just doing it.' "
He is now surrounded by a national championship track program where he can perfect his craft and enjoy the process.
Did Dixon-Bodie, a nine-time state champion in high school, always think it was possible to compete at the collegiate level?
"To be honest, I just didn't think I was going to make it," Dixon-Bodie said.
While at Bloomfield (Conn.) High School, he started as a distance runner, competing in the 600 and 800 meters and relay events, and eventually shifted to field events.
The transition led Dixon-Bodie to jumps, where he has blossomed.
Dixon-Bodie placed 21st at the prep Madison Nationals his sophomore year. It was then he realized the taste of not winning was too sour to endure, and from that point, the Connecticut native has continued to improve.
"I really hate losing," he said. "So, I am really just going to try for this."
The Gators were the first school Dixon-Bodie went on an official visit to in high school. Since competing on the collegiate level, he has learned about historical and skilled track and field athletes like Christian Taylor, Marquis Dendy and Will Claye, who have all inspired Dixon-Bodie in his track and field career.
"I want to be like them, but better than them at the same time because you can't just aim for somebody else's perfection,'' he said. "You have to aim above to achieve your own goals."
Competing as a jumper, it takes a unique mentality. It takes speed, skill, strength, power. But besides the physical abilities, it requires the willingness to take risks and confidence, according to Petersen.
"He fits the mold of what the mental framework of what a jumper really is," Petersen said. "He's a risk taker, he's confident, he loves competing, he loves competing against his teammates, competing against other people. He wants to go into that competition and compete, so that's why Sean is definitely gifted at this."
Petersen describes Dixon-Bodie's competitive spirit in one word: tenacious.
Need to look up the word? Here are a few synonyms: determined, persistent and steadfast.
The competitive, determined spirit is engraved into who Dixon-Bodie is. It has been a part of him since he was 5 years old, kicking around a soccer ball. Fast forward to 2023, he gets to show the world on a national scale his skills in the jumps events.
