Most have heard the prayer, “Hail Mary, full of grace.”
Well, in the case of the daughter of Tony and Lisa Grace, Jackson fans may want to say when they see her not just on the golf course but on the hardwood “Hail Landrie, full of Grace.”
Landrie Grace not only excels in golf but also as a standout guard on the Jackson Memorial Middle School seventh grade girls basketball team that is 10-0 on the season. And her work ethic still remains noticeable in the classroom.
Later on this year, Grace will be competing in the Ohio State Free Throw shooting finals in Grove City on Feb. 12 by virtue of of an astonishing 24 out of 25 free throws attempted and at one point converting on 19 consecutive attempts during a regional competition at Stow. The multitalented seventh grader attests her triumphs to feeling no pressure when the stakes are at their highest.
“A lot of people like pressure but that keeps me focused on making more shots. I practice a lot of them and that pays off. I shoot a lot of them during the months between November and July,” she said. “All I do is not think about the attempts. I do like the pressure of competition but at least I don't fold under it. My teammates have also helped me a lot and have led the way for me.”
Grace is very exacting on herself and sets out to meet her goals. One of those was to score as many free throws as she could without a miss and end up with a score of between 23 out of 25 or higher.
However, her biggest fan is someone that can make her mad sometimes in the same moment of attempting to ice her.
He may not be able to do that to Reggie Miller or Chauncey Billups, but nothing makes Tony Grace happier than being the one to do this to his daughter.
“She gets mad at me when I do that!” he said with a laugh. “I will have someone come up to me and have a conversation with me or I will make her go and get her own basketball and try to throw her timing off. I'll even talk to her while she is shooting.”
Coaches will attempt to ice shooters at the line near the end of close games to really make them think about the attempt during a timeout. It is something that peeves off the patriarch of the Grace household but at the same time he understands why they are doing it.
One way to combat such attempts is the asset of reverse psychology. And Landrie doesn't think about the stoppage of game play while hearing the whistle and the referee granting an opposing team a time out while in shooting form. This will agitate others but not the seventh-grade phenomenon.
“Few coaches have attempted this but all it does is keep Landrie focused,” Tony said.
Landrie also has maintained a 3.6 grade point average at the end of the last nine-week grading period. And academic performance is vital to her reputation as is for any athlete competing in two or more sports. Grace is aware of the danger of bringing home the third alphabet on her report card.
That alphabet may not cost her game action but something that is of great interest to adolescents in today's society.
“She knows not to get a C on her report card. Because if she does, she will lose privileges such as no Internet access and her cell phone. Using the Internet and cell phone are privileges to be earned,” Tony said. “Academics are number one in the Grace household.”
The competition that Landrie is competing in is not too far away. She qualified for the regional in North Canton and won a regional title. To bring home a state championship is something that encompasses her mind every day.
And she is days away from that prayer being answered. What a blessing that will be for her to commence what may be an outstanding weekend.
“I will have to just stay focused on what I have to do and keep a positive attitude about myself. Don't worry about the other competitors and strive to get better over the course of the competition,” she said. “Feel no pressure.”
