Big Rock teen's love of chess on display at Community Park

Chicago Tribune

2 days ago

When Nathan Schlachter of Big Rock was looking for inspiration to complete his service project for Eagle Scout, he turned to one of his own skill sets and started thinking in a much bigger way.
The 17-year-old, described by people as an ace chess player, wanted others to enjoy the game on a much bigger scale, which led to the member of Scout Troop 71 based in Plano developing a huge chess board with pieces folks could use in Big Rock Community Park.
'I got interested in chess back in middle school and joined the chess team and from there, I was only a little bit involved in it,' Nathan said. 'Then COVID hit, and I skipped my eighth-grade year and was advanced a year. When I got back into high school (Hinckley-Big Rock High School), I dove back into chess with one of the stronger players on the middle school team. We formed a chess team in high school my sophomore year, which really got me back into playing.'
The project, he said, was influenced by seeing a lot of giant chess boards while attending Scout summer camps.
'I thought it would be a great addition to the Big Rock park because a lot of stuff to do there is often physical,' he said. 'There are people who are more academically inclined than physical sports, and I figured it's a way for them to get just as much enjoyment out of the park as someone who might be playing baseball or soccer.'
The project, from initial discussion to final construction, took nearly two years.
The chess board itself was installed on Aug. 17 last year with the help of about a half dozen Scouts and included assistance from local Schollmeyer Landscaping, which donated materials and labor.
Nathan's mother Jennifer Smith said her son began showing an interest in Scouting 'as early as first grade.'
'I was their Cub Scout den leader and he wanted to try new things you don't learn in school,' she said about her son. 'He stayed with it and Nathan tried a lot of troops and found that Plano had the most activities – not just book work and boring learning and he just kept going. He made a commitment and he was going to see it through. He wanted to finish this before he graduated.'
She is not surprised Nathan stayed with Scouts through the rank of Eagle but that both of them 'were surprised at what a process becoming an Eagle is.'
'People think it's just a project but they don't know the hours of paperwork and meetings and fundraising. There is so much more that goes into that project. People think when you do that you've got your Eagle finished,' she said. 'Nathan probably started this at least a year and a half ago and there are like three phases before you can even start your project.'
Nathan agrees that 'the toughest part was just pushing myself to do it.'
'A lot of it is paperwork and navigating bureaucracy and waiting on people. Having the will to get it done and really wanting to get it to fruition I think is the most challenging part,' he said.
Smith reflected on her son having created a sort of public entertainment option that will likely impact hundreds of people moving forward and said she feels a great sense of pride.
'I'm very proud of him and I'm glad that he finished it up as it was something he really wanted to do,' she said. 'I was excited for him because chess for him is one of his biggest passions and something he could relate to. It was something he really wanted to do.'
Ron Wentzell of Oswego, scout executive and CEO for Three Fires Council, said there is an impressive number of Eagle Scout projects completed each year.
'I feel a sense of pride every time we have an Eagle Scout finish a project in the community. In the Three Fires Council, we'll have between 250 and 300 Eagle Scouts each year and they'll complete over 40,000 hours of community service each year with just the Eagle projects,' Wentzell said. 'There is definite pride in our kids and they do some amazing things and some amazing projects that really connect us to the community and build awareness about Scouting.'
Nathan says being in Scouts has 'helped me become a leader and meet new people.'
'My school is really small so I know everyone by grade and going to Scout camp every summer is about meeting new people I have to introduce myself to and get to know,' he said. 'As far as this project and its future, for me, it's a great feeling knowing I've given back to the community where I grew up the past 17 years.'