Landis Sims Honored With NFHS Spirit of Sport National Award, Movie To Feature Him To Be Released This Year

(5-11-22) A two-sport athlete who has overcome physical limitations to play the sports he loves, Landis Sims (Sophomore) of South Central High School in Elizabeth, Indiana is the 2022 recipient of the National High School Spirit of Sport Award for Section 4.

Sims was recognized today when he and his South Central teammates hosted county rival North Harrison on the baseball diamond. IHSAA Commissioner Paul Neidig and Assistant Commissioner Kerrie Rosati will make the on-field presentation.

Congratulations again to Landis Sims of South Central HS, this year’s National HS Spirit of Sport Award recipient! And thank you to Principal Dr. Mark Black, AD Lynne Thomas and everyone at @SCHSRebels for their hospitality at today’s game! pic.twitter.com/vnjltPBCmz

— IHSAA (@IHSAA1) May 11, 2022

The National High School Spirit of Sport Award was created in 2008 by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) to recognize those individuals who exemplify the ideals of the spirit of sport that represent the core mission of education-based athletics.

A sophomore at the Harrison County school in southern Indiana, Landis was born with a condition called congenital limb deficiency essentially missing both hands and the lower parts of both legs. However, he was born with a love of sports, especially baseball and set a goal to make his school’s varsity team. With a gritty determination and the help of prosthetics that allow him to bat, run the bases, and play the field, he reached that goal as a freshman a year ago and is now in his second year with the team.

Landis also plays basketball at South Central and during the pandemic provided color commentary for varsity basketball games through YouTube videos. He has mentioned a long-term goal of becoming a sports broadcaster, preferably in baseball and preferably at MLB Network.

Sims made a guest appearance during the IHSAA Baseball Tournament Pairings Show on May 1 (starts at 16:49 mark) and has been invited to the broadcast booth for the IHSAA Baseball State Finals at Victory Field in Indianapolis on June 17-18.

The Indianapolis Star published this article on Landis in March of 2021. He will also be the subject of a movie scheduled to debut this summer. The movie website is at https://landismovie.com/

TRAILER

In partnership with Challenged Athletes Foundation and Major League Baseball, comes the inspiring true story of Landis Sims, a 15-year old baseball player born with a quad-congenital limb deficiency, meaning he is missing both hands and feet. Witness Landis over 8 years, as he tackles his goal of making his Varsity team with guidance from some of Major League Baseball’s best, including pitcherJ oe Musgrove, Manager Joe Girardi and former infielder, Hernan Iribarren, as well as the heroic Wounded Warriors. With no hands, no feet and no limits, Landis: Just Watch Me will have you cheering and ready to step away from the sidelines to face your own challenges.

Nominations for the “Spirit of Sport” award were generated through NFHS member state associations and reviewed by the NFHS National High School Spirit of Sport Award Selection Committee composed of state association staff members.

Portions of story courtesy of IHSAA

NFHS Spirit of Sport Award

The NFHS “National High School Spirit of Sport Award,” seeks to recognize individuals who exemplify the ideals of the positive spirit of sport that represent the core mission of education-based athletics. The award may be given in recognition of a specific act or for an activity of longer duration.

The award can be given to an individual who has gone beyond the normal everyday expectations of assisting others within the school or community. It could also be given to an individual who has overcome some sort of adversity or challenging circumstances.  The recipient can be a coach, athletic administrator, administrator, trainer, student-athlete or any others associated with the school or the school’s athletic program.

In the instance of a student, that student must be in good academic standing within his or her respective high school. Among the qualifying criteria that will be used are the student’s grade-point average, the activities in which he or she is involved, and community involvement. Candidates should also possess similar positive character traits, such as a high level of integrity and ethics.

The NFHS divides the nation into eight geographical sections. The states in Section 4 are Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan and Wisconsin.

Nominations for this award are generated through NFHS member state associations and reviewed by the NFHS Spirit of Sport Award Selection Committee composed of state association staff members.