The cheers were both exciting and distracting as junior Jackson Schnieders drew his bow. It was 3D Archery Day at the national tournament in Nebraska, so Schnieders had to use all of his senses to succeed. He wanted to try his hardest after working so long for it.
“I still ended up being, I don’t know, 28th out of 400,” Schnieders said.
Schnieders started archery when he was seven, learning the fundamentals of the sport with a compound bow. He now represents Missouri and 4-H.
“He’s very hard-working, but the actual word I’m looking for is adaptable. He’s very adaptable,” junior Braiden Davis said.
Schnieders started adapting to using a recurve bow. He has been practicing for a few months now, and he hopes for improvement. Compound bows use mechanical functions to help to ease the release of the bow, but recurve bows don’t have a mechanical draw, requiring smooth releases. Both bows are used in competition, and knowing both is a skill.
“I’ve actually really struggled a lot with recurve. I’m working on it. Improvement will come,” Schnieders said.
The skills Schnieders learned from archery are applied to other sports he is in like football. It helps Schnieders strategize as a lineman. Archery has helped Schnieders slow down and calculate.
“It just helps me slow down my thought process and really dial in what my mind has to do to get those movements,” Schnieders said.
Being able to slow down his thoughts has helped him stay quick on his feet in football. Schnieders is an inspiration to others on the football team; his talent encourages friendly competition with his peers.This competition allows him and others to grow as teammates and competitors.
“Seeing him [Schnieders] and his growth and how he plays inspires me to not only be like him, but to be better than him,” freshman Alex Herzog said.
Even though Schnieders inspired his teammates on the football field, his peers in archery were who inspired him. In archery, Liberty alumni have helped push him to success.
“For archery, one of my biggest inspirations was a former Liberty student, Delaney Stokes,” Schnieders said.
Schnieders and D. Stokes inspired each other. Both of the archers were determined to be the best archers they could be.
“This last summer, I saw all the hard work Jackson put into trying out for the state team and practicing, it was really impressive to see how far he’d come,” D. Stokes said.
D. Stokes would often see Schnieders practice archery with her father, his coach. She’s seen Schnieders practice since he was seven. He earned a spot on 4-H. That is Missouri’s ST team at Mizzou.
“It was a lot of hard work for him as it is with any high schooler involved in a lot of extra-curricular activities,” Jackson’s former coach, Mike Stokes said.
“He brought great energy to practice and at nationals. He always had a positive attitude which improved the mood of others who weren’t really shooting their best,” D. Stokes said.
Jackson’s also kind to his friends, and he’s always willing to encourage them to try harder.
“Jack’s kindness radiates through his actions,” said junior Rocco Frizzo.
Frizzo enjoys playing video games with Schnieders, and Schnieders positive attitude shows through that. His attitude is inspiring, as it motivates others to keep learning. He taught Herzog ways to succeed as a lineman. He continues to learn, himself, teaching others as he grows.
“He’s taught me a lot of techniques, specifically what the coaches want to see, so I can do better to succeed,” Herzog said.
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