The High School Heismen is a scholarship given to individuals who display great athletic ability, perseverance, and academic achievement. This award celebrates outstanding male and female scholar athletes who understand that the most important victories are not only achieved on the field but also within their schools and communities. The award was created in 1994 and continues to highlight over 600,000 athletes all over the nation.

The state of Missouri had the honor of naming the first ever female recipient of the High School Heismen, Jill Scheulen. Scheulen was an All-State athlete in four sports at Linn Highschool, volunteered over 1,000 hours of community service, and was named valedictorian. Scheulen, an All-American, then committed to Mizzou as a track & field athlete. She was a heptathlete, which consisted of the 100m hurdles, high jump, shot put, 200m dash, long jump, javelin, and 800m dash.

A crucial part about being an athlete is motivation; without it, succeeding is difficult. Scheulen admits that her love for sports didn’t come from a love of playing a game or competing in a sport. She believes that genuine motivation comes from taking any platform that God provides you in life and using it to bring others to Christ. Striving to become a division one All-American athlete afforded her the opportunity to do just that. For example, it opened doors for her to mentor hundreds of youth by starting a Christian track & field camp, where kids of ages five to eighteen could come together to talk about their faith, life’s challenges, and how to succeed in both sports and life.

Unfortunately, mental block is a very common experience for modern day athletes, hindering them from doing the things that they love or making them quit altogether. Jill Scheulen was able to overcome this obstacle by seeing a bigger purpose for what was occurring in any particular moment. She understood that the inevitable bad game or race, or even a bad season of life, did not define her. As she looks back at two decades worth of competition, she barely even remembers what most would define as the athletic highlights.

Unfortunately, mental block is a very common experience for modern day athletes, hindering them from doing the things that they love or making them quit altogether. Jill Scheulen was able to overcome this obstacle by seeing a bigger purpose for what was occurring in any particular moment. She understood that the inevitable bad game or race, or even a bad season of life, did not define her. As she looks back at two decades worth of competition, she barely even remembers what most would define as the athletic highlights.

Initially, Scheulen struggled to keep her faith a priority in college and become connected with others until she found the Fellowship of Christain Athletes (FCA) group on campus at Mizzou. This eventually led her to forming additional bible studies with athletes at the school and around the Columbia community.

When Scheulen began to notice some of her teammates pulling out their Bibles on long bus rides across the country when traveling with the team, she began to ask questions and observe how their behaviors were creating a culture of unity, care, and support. This modeling led her to shaping a new paradigm; she no longer let her busy lifestyle prevent her faith from being priority, but she found a way to make it a part of her life again.

“My head coach incorporated a ‘Monday Mindset’ session at the beginning of practice for our entire team that helped us shape a positive and focused outlook for the week. Some of my teammates and I took this a step further and had deeper discussions all week about how our faith played out in these messages. If I had any piece of advice for those heading off to college or a career, it would simply be to not be shy or stop your reading of the Bible because ‘there isn’t enough time,’” said Scheulen.

“My head coach incorporated a ‘Monday Mindset’ session at the beginning of practice for our entire team that helped us shape a positive and focused outlook for the week. Some of my teammates and I took this a step further and had deeper discussions all week about how our faith played out in these messages. If I had any piece of advice for those heading off to college or a career, it would simply be to not be shy or stop your reading of the Bible because ‘there isn’t enough time,’” said Scheulen.

These experiences led her to Kansas City, and eventually St. Louis, where she served as a high school teacher and coach to many teens across Missouri. Jill and her husband, Tom Scheulen, made a big decision in their lives when they adopted Mia and Tru, and she’s never regretted letting go of the opportunity to become an Olympic athlete.

“Being a mom to 5 incredible kids cannot compare to any ‘title’ in the sports arena,” said Scheulen.

The High School Heisman award greatly impacted her family life. Scheulen firmly believes that God will lead you exactly where He wants you to go, and it was clear that He had a different plan for her than she originally thought. Her kids often ask her why she didn’t stay to train, doubting that she may have made the wrong choice, but she believes that titles are only temporary and so are words that the world attaches to us: changing lives, and even saving them, is the real work to be done on this earth.

Scheulen admits that this is no easy task. As an athlete from a very young age, most of her friends and teammates spoke of becoming professional athletes and doing whatever it took to “arrive” at that level. Naturally, there was a portion of her heart that felt the same way, wanting others to be proud of her athletic accomplishments and doubting her decision to pass on four more years of high level training. However, she trusted in the plan that God had for her.

“Looking back now, I cannot imagine life without being a mom of five, a teacher, a coach, and all the people impacted by choosing a different path. I have absolutely no regrets,” said Scheulen.