The morning hours are spent defending cases. The noon hours are spent managing an office. The afternoon is rushed…Client meetings. Extended phone conversations. Endless paperwork. The workday ends. But for Dodd Dixon it has just begun.

Dodd Dixon is a defense lawyer, former mayor, chess coach, speech coach, cross-country coach, and track coach for GRC. He has invested his time not only into his occupation but into GRC as well.

“I see this as a ministry,” Dixon said. “I see it as an opportunity to influence the next generation.”

Dixon has helped 14 athletes go onto the collegiate level in the past 14 years. Before he became a coach only two other athletes had taken their talents to the next level.

“Even though they were highly sought after and recruited athletes,” Dixon said, “there were many athletes who saw it unreasonable to continue their running careers.”

Dixon said being a coach isn’t just about helping students save money in college.

“I want my athletes to be renaissance people,” Dixon said, “and I wanted to be a renaissance person.”

Dixon said that renaissance people excel in many areas and don’t just specialize in one.

“There’s no reason why you can’t be the best athlete, give the best speech and know how to do chess,” Dixon said. “Each quality makes a better person.”

Preparing his athletes for a better future is what Dixon said motivates him as a coach. Dixon says that being a renaissance person has helped him in his life.

“I would like to pass that down to the next generation so they can do well in all things,” Dixon said. “They can raise happy children, have happy marriages, and live in a better Winchester.”

Dixon said his goal, as a coach, is to provide a “safe place” for kids to grow up in.

“We live in a very conflicted world,” Dixon said, “and it’s very easy to get lost in all of that. I just want my little piece of this world to be a safe place for kids to grow up.”

Being a coach hasn’t only benefitted the athletes. Dixon said that coaching has taught him appreciation for those who “came before him.”

“As a kid it was very easy to be critical of adults,” said Dixon, “until you’re on the other side of it and you are the adult in charge.”

Dixon says that being a coach has been a blessing, even if some days are difficult.

“It’s so easy in this world to say no,” Dixon said. “I’m so thankful that the administration has said yes to allow me to serve here.”