Carson Vroegindewey raises his arms, draws his Olympic recurve bow and stands still, facing his target, knowing what he has overcome in his young life.

ADHD, dyslexia, social anxiety and a grueling hip surgery tried to knock the 15-year-old archer off course, but he lives by his motto, “trust yourself.”

Vroegindewey spent years honing his craft and has broken barriers to become a successful young archer. For him, archery is more than a sport; it’s a pathway to purpose, and he found his purpose in creating the same opportunities for others.

Archery first came into his life when he was in fourth grade. Watching on TV and taking a few lessons was all he needed to find his new love.

“I was like, you know what? That looks fun. I'm gonna try that out,” Vroegindewey said. “I was hooked. I love archery, hitting the bullseye and seeing my other archery friends and just spending time with them.”

Vroegindewey practices daily, rain or shine. He shoots in his backyard or at the Jeffery Archery Range with friends. If the weather is bad, he stays inside and works on bow drills without shooting anything.

Wednesday nights in particular are a fun time for Vroegindewey and his friends, the GOAT Army, as they meet up at Jeffery’s for what they call “shenanigans.”

All of his work in and out of competition has led him to some grand achievements.

Vroegindewey is a two-time S3DA Shooter of the Year, a member of the Southeast USA Archery RED Team and a top-15 finisher at the world-famous NFAA Vegas Shoot. He has multiple first-place finishes at major events, including the NFAA Southeast Sectional, the GAA State Indoor Championships and the NC USA Indoor State Championship.

His success is pushing him to aim for the highest achievement an archer can accomplish: a spot in the Olympics.

“I’ve been wanting to do it since I was 10,” Vroegindewey said. “ I’ve had many obstacles. … I think when I do accomplish it, I'll be excited and feel like, wow, I did something really big.”

Before running off to chase his Olympic dreams, Vroegindewey still has all of high school to get through.

The rising American Leadership Academy freshman has a few short-term goals he wants to accomplish, among them a return to the Vegas Shoot.

Outside of archery, he focuses on other hobbies that highlight his passion for inclusion. He taught himself ASL and takes classes with hopes of becoming an interpreter for deaf or hard-of-hearing archers.

He also enjoys creating designs for himself and others. These creations include a personal logo and things that could revolutionize the sport.

There is an auditory component of archery when it comes to shooting outdoors. Often, instructions and safety calls are announced out loud, and that can leave those with hearing loss confused.

Vroegindewey believes he has found a way to address this issue, and there is serious consideration being given to make it a reality.

“ He's working with another team that's sponsoring him. He thinks it's a brilliant idea,” said Amanda Vroegindewey, Carson’s mom. “ He just needs to figure out the cost and what materials he needs and all that kind of stuff. He's drawn it, he's got the ideas. It's pretty cool. They basically say, ‘you need to patent this.’”

That is just one example of Vroegindewey’s dedication to inclusion and innovation.

He knows from his own experiences the barriers some people face. He was not alone, and if he gets his way, nobody will feel alone at the range.

“[Carson]  struggles in certain areas with communicating and how to get his words across, and a lot of people don't know how to treat that, but it has not stopped him,” Amanda said. “ I see him succeeding as long as he's got people to back him up.”

Now, Vroegindewey wants to be the guy who is there for other people. For him, archery is an opportunity for belonging.

“I just wanna help others communicate and make them feel the same way, so they can feel like they're not being left out,” Vroegindewey said. “I just don’t like seeing people left out.”