Academy Sports + Outdoors

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Board of Experts: Anglers, Outdoorsmen & Sportsmen

Academy dives deeper into core topics you love: from hunting and fishing to fitness, baseball, and football. Discover that memories are the final destination of every good adventure.

Trends come and go. The experts we feature are anglers, outdoorsmen, and sportsmen. Their tips & tactics help you outlast the season and get the performance you want out of your gear and goods.

Lyndsay Tkacik

Manager of Personalization in Omnichannel Marketing

Lyndsay is the Manager of Personalization in Omnichannel Marketing at Academy Sports + Outdoors. A former college soccer athlete, she achieved NCAA 1st Team All-Conference honors for 3 consecutive years. After her collegiate career, she became a certified and registered yoga teacher (RYT-200), teaching restorative, vinyasa, and hatha yoga classes. She is also a fitness enthusiast and avid runner, having competed in numerous 5K races with a personal best of 21:13 and half marathons with a best time of 1:44:55.

Susie DeGraff

Senior Graphic Designer

From the dance floor to the weight room, I've always been a mover and a shaker. With 8 years of taekwondo under my belt and a lifetime of dance, I've cultivated a deep passion for movement. Since 2017, I've embraced the iron and found my true calling in weightlifting and HIIT workouts. Join me as I share my fitness journey and inspire you to reach your goals. Let's lift together! Follow along on Instagram: @fitchicksusie

Adam Cunningham

Lifelong Bass + Saltwater Fisher

Adam is a Senior Category Marketing Specialist for Camp + Stream at Academy Sports + Outdoors. While he grew up fishing, he's focused more on bass and saltwater species in recent years. His personal best bass? A 7-pounder! He has significantly contributed to several articles in our fishing Expert Advice category. Most noteworthy are the best baits & lures for bass, redfish, and striped bass. Check out his insights and tips for catching these types of fish with ease!

Jacob Wheeler

Professional Bass Angler, MLF World Champion

Indiana native (and current Tennessee resident) Jacob Wheeler was the youngest angler to ever win the Forrest Wood Cup at 21 in 2012. He set even more records by being the first angler in history to win the first two Bassmaster Elite Series events he competed in. The 2019 MLF World Champion and Bass Pro Tour Angler of the Year for both 2021 and 2022, he continues to show the world his chops when it comes to angling!

Michael "Sharky" Marquez

Saltwater Fishing Guide & Expert

Michael "Sharky" Marquez is a professional saltwater guide out of Galveston, Texas. Ever since he was a kid, he’s had a great passion for the sport of fishing. Although he fishes for a living, he spends his days off fishing even more! His time on the water (his happy place) is where he goes to think, learn, grow, and relax. He is the owner of Out Cast Charters and loves to put people on the MONSTA FISH of a lifetime.

Brian Latimer

MLF Pro Angler

An established tournament pro and South Carolina native, Brian Latimer has fished competitive bass tourneys for as long as he can remember. Beginning with local bass events alongside his father, B-Lat has dominated the MLF/Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit — winning the Lake Seminole, Florida tourney in 2019. He has a growing YouTube channel where he teaches techniques and tricks to an active fan base.

Greg Hackney

Professional Bass Angler

Greg Hackney, a Louisiana native, is the only bass angler in history who can claim to be a World Champion! He won the General Tire World Championship in 2018, the Forrest Wood Cup in 2009, and the Elite Series Angler of the Year in 2014. When it comes to bass fishing, he loves passing on his knowledge to Academy customers!

Stetson Blaylock

Professional Bass Angler, Bass Expert

Stetson Blaylock is a professional angler in the Bassmaster Elite Series. In 2019, he won the Elite Series tournament on Winyah Bay. Blaylock fished his first year on the Bassmaster Elite Series in 2017 after a successful 10 years on the FLW Tour. He qualified for the Elite Series via a second-place finish in the Southern Opens points race after notching three Top 15s that same year.

Justin Martin

Duck Commander & Avid Outdoorsman

Justin Martin, also known as “Martin”, is the General Manager at Duck Commander. He is best known for his appearances on the hit A&E reality series Duck Dynasty. When he’s not keeping Duck Commander employees in check, you’ll find him fishing for crappie or in the duck blind with his wife, Brittany.

Mike Stroff

Savage Outdoors/The One, Deer and Turkey Hunter

Mike Stroff and his family’s roots stem in the hunting industry for decades — 40 years to be exact! They all love hunting deer and turkey. Mike and his family have owned & operated several commercial hunting lodges all over the country. He’s currently the managing partner of the family’s outfitting businesses in Texas, South Dakota, and Illinois.

Jeff Danker, Jaylee Danker, Daniel McVay

BuckVentures Outdoors

Jeff Danker, Jaylee Danker, and Daniel McVay make up the BuckVentures team. Jeff started BuckVentures Outdoors back in 2003 and has been hosting hunting shows ever since. Jeff met Daniel along the way and asked him to come aboard the BuckVentures team as a co-host. Jeff’s daughter Jaylee has since joined the show as a co-host recently. Together, their experience in big game hunting helps Academy customers find the best gear before they head out on their own hunt!

Kelsy Kim

Content Writer + Specialist

Kelsy is a writer at Academy Sports + Outdoors for Marketing, UX, and Expert Advice. She loves communication and began editing and writing in various industries nearly a decade ago. Her hobbies include traveling, hiking, reading, cooking, and foreign languages. She enjoys diving into different topics and learning from experts to create fun and helpful content with Academy!

Scott Nixon

Vice President of Digital Product Management

Scott Nixon is the Vice President of Digital Product Management at Academy Sports + Outdoors. He has been at Academy since 2013 and a firearm enthusiast for 12+ years. Scott enjoys sharpening his skills at the range every week and has trained with competitive World Champions JJ Racaza and Robert Vogel as well as self-defense trainers Mike Pannone, Jared Reston, Scott Jedlinski, and others. As an expert marksman, he is glad to contribute his knowledge to the team.

Ryan Constable

Project Manager in Omnichannel Marketing

Ryan Constable is a Project Manager in Omnichannel Marketing at Academy Sports + Outdoors since 2022. During his prior 14 years with the U.S. Coast Guard, Ryan served as a weapons officer, small arms and tactics trainer, boarding officer, and law enforcement instructor. He enjoys pistol shooting and specializes in self-defense handguns. His go-to firearms are the Glock45 and Sig P229 Legion 9mm.

Matt Manasse

Professional Pickleball Player

Matt Manasse is a professional pickleball player, commentator and Coach to the Stars. Having worked with Jamie Foxx, Emma Watson, Matthew McConaughey, Drew Brees, and countless others, Matt has cemented himself as one of the main ambassadors in the sport. Commentating regularly with Tennis Channel and ESPN, Matt also hosts and emcees corporate events and has done so with brands such as Amazon, Google, Mike’s Hard Lemonade, Nike, and more. He is also the Chief Brand Ambassador at Crush Yard and a K-Swiss Sponsored athlete.

Travis Schaefer

Product Line Manager: Hunting & Shooting

Travis Schaefer is the Product Line Manager for Hunting and Shooting here at Academy and is focused on delivering high performing products at a tremendous value. Born and raised in Katy, TX, Travis has been an avid sportsman his whole life. From hunting ducks and geese on the Katy Prairie, upland and deer hunting in South Texas, and wade fishing the Coastal Bend, Travis’ passion for the outdoors started young and continues to grow every season.
Travis has been with Academy for over 15 years. In his current role, Travis is responsible for developing hunting and shooting products under the Game Winner, Redfield, and Magellan brands.
Travis has been able to take his passion for hunting and fishing and use that experience and expertise to deliver high quality and performing products that will help customers be more successful and have a better experience in the outdoors.

Aubrey McShan

SEO Content Writer + Specialist

Aubrey closely works with Academy’s ambassadors and internal experts to bring their stories and expertise to life in every Expert Advice article. There’s a special ingredient you need to write for Academy Sports + Outdoors that she loves sharing with customers — fun! With almost 10 years of experience in marketing, SEO, and eCommerce writing, she happily hunts for the next article (her favorite adventure) to publish on Academy.com!

Around here, we don’t just share the best insights and tips. Academy Sports + Outdoors partners with renowned experts to weave together the facts with firsthand experience and genuine stories.

All good journeys have one thing in common — fun! No matter how you chart your next steps, we help navigate you in every Expert Advice article you read. You always get direct access to these experts' wisdom gained and knowledge learned through years of:

Doing what they love every single day outside of any professional event or environment
Challenging the old tactics to find new ways to innovate their talents
Committing to showing others how to leverage the skills they need to be successful
Dominating in prestigious tournaments or races in their field