The Soccer Life - Jon Dawson

The Indy Eleven recently held an event for the season ticket holders and so I decided to take a long some of my surveys to see who might be receptive. I quickly realized that the guys had more than enough to keep them occupied with the team's activities without adding in one more task for them. However, I received immediate feedback from Jon Dawson and Dylan Mares (who I didn't realize until later that he didn't see there was a page 2 of my printed survey) so I present to you Jon's abbreviated survey here. If Jon would like to expand on his responses, I'll update the post. If Dylan would like to finish his, I'll get in touch with the front office. I'll also use this as a plug for any of the other Indy Eleven players who would like to join Dawson, Mares, and former player Chris Estridge (and others) who have filled out the questionnaire. 

Before I get to Jon's responses, I wanted to thank him for his time during a very busy event. When I asked him about the possibility of filling out the survey, he immediately said yes. I told him that he could fill it out later and get it to me, but he took the time to do it there.  Dylan did as well. While it surprised me at the time, after thinking about it since then, it shouldn't have surprised me. Jon has always struck me as one of the guys on the team that truly appreciates the fans and values them. I've seen him stop on numerous occasions to talk to fans through his two years with the Eleven and maintain the conversation as long as needed. He's a local guy who went to high school at Brebeuf and college at Butler (see his bio here), but I don't think that is the only reason he does it. As a guy who continues to wait his chance to get in a game for the Eleven, he could easily have become disenfranchised about his time, but he seems like he's taking it as a chance to get better and do the other parts of the job as best as he can. Thanks Jon for taking part!

1. Name:
Jon Dawson

2. Role (Player, Parent, Coach, Referee, General Spectator, All of the Above, None of the Above, Other):
- Player

3. Soccer-specific Nickname (and any story behind it):
- Shark
Editor's note: I've heard this was his nickname, but I've never seen an explanation. I had hoped to get it here, but Jon continues to keep it a mystery (at least to me).

4. Age started playing:
- 14

5. First recollection of the game:
- Playing with friends

6. Highest level of play achieved:
- Professional - Indy Eleven

7. Last competitive match – Date (if known) & Level of Play
- This season with the Indy Eleven

8. Position:
- Goalkeeper

9. Jersey number:
- 35

10. Most memorable moment(s):
- Going pro.

11. Least memorable moment(s):
- Losing in college conference finals.
Editor's note: If I correctly found the game that Jon references, it was in his senior season, he had 7 saves, and the shot that got passed him was in overtime in the 97th minute off of a rebound. I can understand why that sticks out as a least memorable moment.

12. Favorite team:
- Swansea

13. Favorite player:
- Historical: Victor Valdes

- Current: David de Gea

14. Indoor vs Outdoor:
- Outdoor

15. Grass vs Turf:
- Grass

16. Coaching experience:
- College

17. Refereeing experience:
- None.

18. Favorite World Cup moment(s):
- Women's World Cup win

19. Honors/Awards:
- Too many to list during the season ticket holder event

20. Other sports played (and to what level):
- Baseball until age 14.

21. Other Comments:
- None.