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Kicker works hard to hear 'It's good!'

The FSU sophomore consults with a guru, flexibility expert and martial arts instructor to perfect his craft.

By BRIAN LANDMAN, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published September 18, 2002

TALLAHASSEE -- Loretta Beitia will never forget when her son, Xavier, announced an unexpected career choice.

"I want to be a kicker in the NFL," he said.

"Xavier, you can't be a kicker in the NFL. You know how few people make it? You have to be realistic," she urged him.

"Mom, you had your dream to be a teacher," he answered, "and I have mine."

Never mind that Beitia never had played organized football.

Never mind that he was just 8.

Now, 11 years later, his goal remains unchanged, his conviction as firm. Xavier Beitia (pronounced sah-VEE-ed Bay-thee-ah), a former Jesuit standout, is now a sophomore kicker for Florida State.

He made 13 of 14 field goals last season, which doesn't include his 3-for-3 day against Virginia Tech in the Gator Bowl. His first in the bowl was from a career-long 50 yards.

So far this season, he has made 5 of 6 field goals and all 14 extra points, extending his PAT streak to 37. He's on the watch list for the Lou Groza Award, given annually to the nation's top kicker. He also has taken over kickoff duties and has boomed most into the end zone.

"He was so valuable last year, probably as valuable as any player we had last year with his kicking," coach Bobby Bowden said. "It's a shame we didn't have him in 2000. We might have won a national championship. That's how valuable a kicker is. And this year, he really has been unbelievable."

Growing up, Beitia played soccer but soon discovered a passion for kicking a slightly different shaped ball. In his front yard, he would try booting a football over his basketball backboard and between two oak trees behind it.

A makeshift goalpost.

"He'd get out there and kick and kick and kick," his mother said. "We've had to resod several times."

Still, his parents, Loretta and Patxi, a native of the Basque region of Spain and a former pro jai alai player, wouldn't let him play football. But father and son did spend a lot of time at Burke Park practicing. Once he reached Jesuit as a ninth-grader, Beitia made the decision to give up soccer for football.

"Jesuit was amazing," he said. "I competed with Ryan Feely (now at UCF) for four years; he was always on my heels. He pushed me to be the best I could be."

So did the Jesuit tradition. Just in the past few years, the Tigers have produced Jay Feely (Michigan/Atlanta Falcons), Dave Wasielewski (Northwestern) and Jeff Babcock (Colorado State).

"I won my first game (in 1986) against St. Petersburg Catholic 6-0 on two field goals by Mike Malone, and ever since then, I've always had a special place in my heart for kickers," Jesuit coach Dominick Ciao said.

"Xavier was a tremendous worker here; he was relentless. He didn't go a day without trying to get better. He made himself into a special kicker."

As a high school freshman, Beitia began working with Harry Kayian, a local kicking guru who has helped develop a hundred collegiate specialists the past 20 years. Kayian refined his mechanics.

About the same time, Beitia met Charlie Trezevant, who has taught stretching and flexibility to Olympians and pro football players in the bay area. Beitia became a twice-a-week student.

"It's about form and function. He didn't have enough range of motion to really release his leg," said Trezevant, who later introduced Beitia to Dan Levenson, a martial arts expert who has trained pro athletes for years, including former Bucs kicker Michael Husted.

"Kicking is kicking," Levenson said. "There's certain dynamics to it whether you're kicking a football or a target. They both require proper technique and understanding the principles of impact, that you not only hit the surface of what you're kicking, but you have to drive through it."

Beitia saw what it meant for Husted, so he asked Levenson to put together a tae kwon do regimen for him. Another couple of nights. Another couple of hours of work.

"(Beitia's) really impressive," said Husted, who didn't delve into weight training or martial arts until he became a pro. "I could see how dedicated he was and I thought to myself, 'Wow, if this guy's working this hard now, he's definitely going to be someone to look out for.' He had a professional mentality."

"When you combine work ethic with hunger, you can wind up with greatness on a regular basis," Trezevant added. "Xavier absolutely has that (combination)."

Will it lead him to the NFL?

He has gone further than even his mom might have expected 11 years ago.

"I knew only a select few get to go big time like Florida State or Florida or Miami," he said. "I knew I had to work like the best if I wanted to go there. Even now, some of the guys give me a hard time, 'Why do you do so much?'

"But I know my goal doesn't stop at FSU; my goal is to get to the next level."

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