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SALT LAKE CITY — When you think of archery, teenagers don't usually come to mind. Then again, Michael feels like archery just kind of picked him.
"I know things like this exist, but it's different," Michael said as he looked around the Easton Salt Lake Archery Center.
It's different because until today, his training ground has been a yard and target. Today, he's training with some of the best and even meeting a local pro.
The 16-year-old prefers the quiet that comes with this sport. For Michael, life hasn't really been that way. At times it's been downright scary.
"There was one instance where I was getting shot at with pellet guns and I just ran," Michael said. "Now, that's stuck with me."
So, he's choosing to try to make the best of what life has shot his way. That life includes about seven years in the Utah Foster Care system. He's moved 16 times, never knowing when the next move will come, never knowing where the next holiday will be spent.
"I'm trying to get a hold of my aunt, but her phone is broken," he said. "Hopefully, she gets it fixed before Christmas."
Michael is facing a very real, very frightening deadline ahead — aging out of the system.
"You turn 18 and you do good and end up with an apartment or do bad and go to jail or to a mental hospital," he said.
He fears life outside state custody could be worse than what he has right now. He doesn't want to find out. He has his eyes aimed on adoption.
"I don't want to be stuck just floating around in the system," he said. "I just need a family who is there and actually care."
Every child deserves that.
"I'm not a bad person," he said. "I'm actually able to be caring and nice."
To learn more about the many children living in the Utah Foster Care system, contact The Adoption Exchange at 801-265-0444.
