On a brisk winter’s day, you can find Samuel Richard Olson watching the sunrise, enjoying his morning on the top of a hill, doing what he loves - hunting. The now 18-year-old Sam has been hunting and fishing since he was four years old. He explains to me that, “Hunting and fishing bring people together. You make so many relationships through the activity- no one cares what friend group you’re involved in.”
That’s the thing about Sam- he’s incredibly nice and easy to talk to. He’s involved in many activities such as wrestling, pole vault, and baseball, which seems to illustrate his social abilities and his determination. His family and activities have influenced these values. Sam is accompanied by his father, Mark; mother, Heather; brother Jack; and sister, Mady. He also has a chocolate lab named Grizzly, who he takes out pheasant hunting. When asked what reality show would best describe his life, he responds with, “Keeping up with the Kardashian’s- my life is easily transferable. We are always laughing together, but also have extreme sibling rivalry.”
In addition to his family, Sam would also like to follow in his family’s footsteps. Ten years from now, Sam sees himself being an accountant for the family business, Wire’s Tax. He would like to thank his former teacher, Mrs. Olson, for encouraging him to further pursue this career. He also hopes to have lots of land for hunting, two kids, and an extremely happy life.
Sam has many things he would like to do in his life to accomplish this happiness. His bucket list consists of hunting Bighorn sheep, catching a swordfish, and possibly even going skydiving. Sam claims “I’m not afraid of the dangers of skydiving, I’m more scared of horror movies- they are just too real sometimes.” He prefers a more lighthearted movie, such as Step Brothers, Talladega Nights, or “basically anything Will Ferrell. I find myself getting my jokes from him.”
His favorite quote from Talladega Nights and life in general is, “If you’re not first, you're last,” which directly ties him to the superpower he would have- running super fast. On top of this superpower, Sam claims that a drink that would best describe his life would be Mountain Dew. He tells me, “Mountain Dew is my hype, man.”
Sam plans on attending the University of Sioux Falls for pole vault and majoring in accounting. One thing is for certain, wherever Sam goes in life, he will bring a positive attitude with him. His advice to underclassmen would be, “don’t procrastinate and always have fun.”