Elizabeth, Ind. (WDRB) — Landis Sims is a sophomore baseball participant on the varsity group at South Central Excessive Faculty in Elizabeth, Indiana. In some ways, one of many guys. In different methods, a lesson in perseverance, assembly challenges head on, and a novel inspiration to them and so many others.
“It has been difficult at occasions,” mentioned his mom Amanda Wolfe. “It has been very rewarding however total it has been a tremendous journey with him.”
It is a journey that started when Landis was born with out fingers and most of his decrease legs. However that by no means appeared to sluggish him down.
“He had from the time he was little or no has simply been an overcomer and simply very energetic in what he does and simply desires to be a part of life,” mentioned Wolfe. “He is performed a lot of basketball, nonetheless does. However it was all the time baseball that had his coronary heart, maybe partly as a result of it is by no means been simple.”
“Rising up, not solely via sports activities however in on a regular basis life, I’ve obtained to beat challenges with every thing,” mentioned Sims. “In order that simply type of helps my mindset with getting higher at baseball and baseball’s a sport of failure so it helps with that mindset of I will get via it.”
“Landis has been capable of contribute to this group in ways in which coaches dream of,” mentioned South Central head coach Mitch Massard. “He is mainly an extension of myself and coach Todd Tyree. His knowledge for the sport of baseball and the information he has and the willingness to study the sport after which cross it on to his different teammates is invaluable.”
“I’ve needed to overcome a number of the bodily challenges with mentally simply understanding the sport higher to type of get round a number of the issues that bodily maintain me again,” Sims added.
There hasn’t been a lot of something that holds him again.
His journey has taken him to Yankee Stadium the place he threw out the primary pitch in a sport. He has a number of Main Leaguers who’re buddies and mentors. He is had digital camera crews following him round for eight years for a documentary referred to as “Landis-Simply Watch Me.” It’s being launched July 12 via Taikuli Productions.
And final week earlier than South Central’s sport in opposition to North Harrison, he was honored by the Indiana Excessive Faculty Athletic Affiliation with the Nationwide Spirit of Sport Award.
“We regularly take with no consideration the issues we’ve got in our lives,” mentioned Massard. “And we will get down on ourselves or make excuses and you then look throughout the diamond and see a child like Landis, mouth shut, working his butt off, by no means says a phrase and he goes in there and competes and competes and competes and also you have a look at that and say ‘wow, I have to step up’ and it is an inspiration to see that play out and deal with every day with slightly extra gratitude and slightly extra pleasure for what we get to do and who we get to be round. Being round that child is simply an absolute pleasure.”
“He is confirmed all of us improper,” mentioned Wolfe. “Or simply confirmed a few of us proper. That he is able to doing no matter he units his thoughts to.”
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