Windy City Media Group Frontpage News

THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

home search facebook twitter join
Gay News Sponsor Windy City Times 2023-12-13
DOWNLOAD ISSUE
Donate

Sponsor
Sponsor
Sponsor

  WINDY CITY TIMES

Josh Dixon dreams of Olympic stardom in 2016
Extended for the online edition of Windy City Times UPDATE BELOW
by Ross Forman, Windy City Times
2013-08-12

This article shared 377 times since Mon Aug 12, 2013
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email

      More Photos


Josh Dixon takes his next step on the road to the 2016 Summer Olympics when he heads to Connecticut in mid-August for the 2013 P&G Gymnastics Championships at the XL Center in Hartford. The four-day competition serves as USA Gymnastics' national championships.

For Dixon and others, the event is the "re-ranking of the national team," he said. "It will be exciting because this is first year of a brand new four-year cycle. There will be some new faces and some returning [competitors].

"My goal is to be within the top five overall," and he will participate in all six events in Connecticut.

Dixon, 23, is a San Jose, Calif., native, who earned fame—and two NCAA team national championships—at Stanford. He is openly gay and was a participant in the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials.

"Everyone has to re-earn their spot on the [U.S.] National Team, based on a complex point system," Dixon said of the 15-person squad. "This meet also is our selection for the 2013 World Championship team," running Sept. 25 — Oct. 7, in Antwerp, Belgium.

"The year after an Olympics, [the] World Championships are not team-based, and my strengths play into a team-format competition, whereas since it's strictly an individual World Championships, they are looking more for event specialists and top all-around [performers] in the country.

"I'm pretty confident in my ability to be a top three finisher at our national championships on three events, but, in the grand scheme of things, I am not sure how that will play out on the world stage.

"I think I have a good chance, but think I need to focus on hitting two-days' worth of competition, and then the results will pan out."

Dixon said returning to the U.S. National Team is "crucial" for competing internationally. "You have to be on the 15-person U.S. National Team to go anywhere outside of the U.S., and also represent the U.S., for a six-month period until the next re-ranking, in February [2014].

"I really have to build my name domestically and internationally in order to really be in the mix and in contention for 2015-2016.

"This is where it all starts."

Because his goal is clear: wear red, white and blue in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 2016 at the Games of the XXXI Olympiad—especially since Dixon admittedly was "disappointed" that he did not qualify for the 2012 Games in London.

"From a really young age, I knew that [in] 2012 I would be the right age, [with] the right skill-set. It had been a long-term goal. But, looking where I was physically and mentally at that time, I just wasn't good enough," Dixon said, "I broke onto the Senior National Team at the beginning of 2011, and unfortunately I had a pretty traumatic and untimely injury at the end of the collegiate season. In hindsight, just being one of those 15 guys who even got to compete at the U.S. Olympic Trials [in 2012], that was a huge honor and accomplishment unto itself, and definitely a stepping-stone to where I want to go in the future. I'm disappointed, but also proud of what I was able to accomplish in the years leading up to 2012, and 2012 as well. Overall, it was a good experience for me."

Dixon's best events are the floor routine and high bar. He admittedly struggles on the rings and parallel bars, mostly because of his height. He is 5-foot-10, and weighs 177 pounds.

"The Olympics have always been a dream of mine, something that I knew I could work toward, but now that it's at least somewhat of a reality, that my goal is somewhat within my grasp, that it's very tangible at this point in my life … it's shocking, humbling because I know how much work is needed to get there," he said. "It definitely is going to be a long three years. The amount of work, the amount of sacrifice you must do is incredible."

Dixon was a seven-time All-American at Stanford, who earned worldwide headlines coming out while still in college, especially since he was romantically tied to a varsity swimmer at the school.

"Stanford was an experience like no other; I wouldn't trade it for the world and I would do it again in a heartbeat," Dixon said. "You're surrounded by such a diverse student-body, by so much greatness inside and outside of the classroom; it's just a really, really unique environment, one that definitely challenges you mentally and physically. Being an athletes at Stanford is added pressure. There are so many brilliant people at Stanford, in so many different fields. You definitely are humbled immediately by who and what you're surrounded by," on campus.

Dixon's Stanford squad won the national championship in 2009 and again in 2011.

"The experience of winning with such a tight-knit group of guys is such a remarkable experience, something that is very rare," he said. "Our team title in 2011 was the school's 100th national championship, which was very exciting."

Dixon said coming out when he did, while still in college, "helped" in gymnastics "because I wasn't carrying that burden anymore."

"So much of what we do [in gymnastics] is mentally taxing, and so much energy for me was spent worrying about coming out, problems of how I would be accepted on my team, by my teammates, by my coaches, my peers, my competitors.

"Coming out allowed me to be me, and was a huge stepping stone in my journey in gymnastics. I now think I can be a positive voice for change, a positive role model for younger and older athletes, and non-athletes."

Neat the end of his sophomore year at Stanford, Dixon came out to another collegiate gymnast who he had known since age 10. They were talking about relationships and things going on in their lives, "and it just came out," he said.

Dixon, as a senior, was dating another Stanford student-athlete.

Coming out was not an issue at Stanford, he said. In fact, Dixon said his teammates "were just happy for me to be me and have a certain level of confidence, which I had not portrayed before [coming out]."

When asked if he now is single or dating, Dixon laughed. "That's a good question. I am currently single. My time spent in the gym training, plus competing, is not very conducive to having a very strong relationship," he said. "The person from [my] senior year [at Stanford] still has a strong presence in my life, but we're not exclusive or dating."

Since coming out, Dixon said he's only received "positive" reactions, especially "how inspirational my story has been to others," he said.

"Not much has changed," since coming out, Dixon said. "I'm still the same person; I just like guys. Plus, I'm more comfortable with who I am."

Such that, Dixon said if he knew years ago about what life would be like when openly gay, he would have come out sooner, he said, "because carrying around that burden for almost three years [in college] is such a distraction. I wasn't able to be myself the way I how know."

Aug. 20 UPDATE:

Josh Dixon among top gymnasts in the U.S.

Dixon, who is openly gay, has earned a spot on the U.S. Men's Senior National Team with his 10th-place all-around performance at the P&G Gymnastics Championships, held this month in Hartford, Conn.

Dixon is now one of 15 athletes who are eligible to represent the U.S. in international competitions.


This article shared 377 times since Mon Aug 12, 2013
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email

Out and Aging
Presented By

  ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE

Gay News

Be here, be queer, play polo: Gay Polo League creates safe athletic space for LGBTQ community 2024-03-26
- LGBTQ+ athletic clubs aren't too hard to come by, offering a variety of sports such as softball, soccer and more in cities across the country. But LGBTQ+ athletes would be harder pressed to find someplace to ...


Gay News

Chicago Red Stars stay undefeated 2024-03-24
- Chicago Red Stars stay undefeated On March 23, the Chicago Red Stars took down the Seattle Reign FC 2-1 in the club's home opener at SeatGeek Stadium. With the win, the Red Stars are now 2-0-0 ...


Gay News

ACTIVITIES Pickleball, fine eats and fun are all at SPF 2024-03-21
- Despite the fact that it was invented in 1965, pickleball has only really entered the national consciousness within the last few years. However, there really hadn't been a large indoor dedicated space in Chicago for the ...


Gay News

2024 OLYMPICS U.S. women's soccer team's opponents set 2024-03-20
- The United States women's national soccer team will face Australia, Germany, and either Morocco or Zambia in Group B at the 2024 Paris Olympics, ESPN reported. The tournament will mark the Americans' first competitive games with ...


Gay News

Alyssa Naeher wins National Women's Soccer League Impact Save of the Week 2024-03-20
--From a press release - CHICAGO (March 20, 2024) — Chicago Red Stars goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher earned National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) Deloitte Impact Save of the Week honors, the league announced today. Seven minutes into the eight minutes of added ...


Gay News

Red Stars start season with 2-0 win 2024-03-17
- On March 16, the Chicago Red Stars kicked off their 2024 campaign with a 2-0 road win over Utah Royals FC in the Royals' inaugural match back in the National Women's Soccer League. Ally Schlegel and ...


Gay News

College athletes sue NCAA over transgender policies 2024-03-15
- Former Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines was among a group of college athletes who filed a lawsuit against the NCAA on March 14, accusing it of violating their Title IX rights by allowing trans swimmer Lia Thomas ...


Gay News

SPORTS Red Stars prepare to kick off NWSL season against Utah Royals 2024-03-15
- It's been a busy winter for the Red Stars, and it's time to put their work to the test. Following a last place finish in the 2023 NWSL season, Chicago has had an active offseason transforming ...


Gay News

Chicago Red Stars release 2024 roster 2024-03-13
- CHICAGO (March 13, 2024) — The Chicago Red Stars announced today their final roster ahead of the 2024 National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) season. The club's roster is bolstered by an array of experience brought not ...


Gay News

Chicago Red Stars release midfielder Jill Aguilera 2024-03-12
--From a press release - CHICAGO (March 11, 2024) — The Chicago Red Stars today announced the release of midfielder, Jill Aguilera. "I want to thank Jill for her time with the Red Stars," said general manager, Richard Feuz. "Over her ...


Gay News

Trans golfer banned from competing 2024-03-08
- Transgender golfer Hailey Davidson spoke out on Instagram after the NXXT Women's Pro Tour suddenly announced on March 8 (International Women's Day) that participants must be "a biological female at birth" in order to compete—banning D ...


Gay News

Chicago Red Stars sign midfielder Leilanni Nesbeth 2024-03-06
Press release - CHICAGO (March 6, 2024) — The Chicago Red Stars announced the signing of draftee and midfielder Leilanni Nesbeth. Nesbeth, Chicago's first-round and tenth overall draft pick in the 2024 National ...


Gay News

Chicago Red Stars announce partnership with Wintrust 2024-02-27
Press release - CHICAGO (Feb. 27, 2024) — The Chicago Red Stars and Wintrust Financial Corporation announced a partnership that will see Wintrust become the club's new front-of-jersey partner and community outreach investment ...


Gay News

Chicago Bears hire first woman assistant coach 2024-02-21
- The Chicago Bears are hiring Jennifer King as an offensive assistant, according to The Chicago Sun-Times and other media outlets. She will be an assistant running backs coach. King—who will become the first female assistant coach ...


Gay News

Brittney Griner's jersey retired at Baylor University 2024-02-20
- On Feb. 18, Baylor University retired Brittney Griner's #42 jersey. Griner—a two-time AP national player of the year, two-time Olympic gold medalist and the NCAA women's career blocks leader (with 748)—attended a Bears home game ...


 


Copyright © 2024 Windy City Media Group. All rights reserved.
Reprint by permission only. PDFs for back issues are downloadable from
our online archives.

Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, drawings, and
photographs submitted if they are to be returned, and no
responsibility may be assumed for unsolicited materials.

All rights to letters, art and photos sent to Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago
Gay and Lesbian News and Feature Publication) will be treated
as unconditionally assigned for publication purposes and as such,
subject to editing and comment. The opinions expressed by the
columnists, cartoonists, letter writers, and commentators are
their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature Publication).

The appearance of a name, image or photo of a person or group in
Nightspots (Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times
(a Chicago Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature
Publication) does not indicate the sexual orientation of such
individuals or groups. While we encourage readers to support the
advertisers who make this newspaper possible, Nightspots (Chicago
GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay, Lesbian
News and Feature Publication) cannot accept responsibility for
any advertising claims or promotions.

 
 

TRENDINGBREAKINGPHOTOS







Sponsor


 



Donate


About WCMG      Contact Us      Online Front  Page      Windy City  Times      Nightspots
Identity      BLACKlines      En La Vida      Archives      Advanced Search     
Windy City Queercast      Queercast Archives     
Press  Releases      Join WCMG  Email List      Email Blast      Blogs     
Upcoming Events      Todays Events      Ongoing Events      Bar Guide      Community Groups      In Memoriam     
Privacy Policy     

Windy City Media Group publishes Windy City Times,
The Bi-Weekly Voice of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans Community.
5315 N. Clark St. #192, Chicago, IL 60640-2113 • PH (773) 871-7610 • FAX (773) 871-7609.