Jeremy Ratliff
Reporter
On Thursday, June 8, Jared Schmeltzer became the newest member of the Merrill Foto News team; stepping into the role of full-time sports reporter. Schmeltzer fills a vacancy for the newspaper, occurring with the departure of former reporter Nick Beversdorf last fall.
Born and raised in Merrill and a 2016 graduate of Merrill High School, Jared lists his passion for sports as the driving force behind applying for the position.
“Sports is something I have loved my whole life. Having a job where my whole day is centered around sports is a pretty good day,” he explains with a grin.
A three-sport athlete in high school, Jared was a two-year starter for the Bluejay varsity baseball team as a second and third baseman as well as a starting inside linebacker as a senior for the Bluejay varsity football team.
This is Jared’s first experience in journalism or sports writing.
“I really enjoy the varying tasks involved with being a reporter. It really is different than any job I’ve ever had,” he adds. “I enjoy being at different places at different times and every day is something new and different. I could be in the office writing, or I could be out in the community taking pictures and meeting with people. There aren’t too many jobs out there like this one. I really enjoy it so far.”
“From all the applications we received, I was initially interested in Jared for his familiarity with Merrill and his connections to athletics in the community,” noted Foto News Editor Collin Lueck. “For a young man, his maturity and work ethic are admirable. The fact that he has strong writing skills is an obvious plus.”
This summer, Jared is getting his feet wet covering baseball – his favorite sport. When not behind the camera at Legion games, he’s on the field with the Merrill Rangers. In just his first week, Jared has also found himself all over Merrill covering everything from the aquatic center opening to the Center Avenue reconstruction project.
Come fall, he’ll be ready to take on the full slate of Merrill and Tomahawk high school sports.
Jared can be reached at the Merrill Foto News office, 807 E. First St., telephone 715-536-7121, or by email at [email protected].