LOVELAND — It could have occurred at the pool, when he was 6 years old and forced to take off his prosthetic lower right leg before jumping into the water. On the spot, Jimmy Schweitzer’s vocabulary grew by at least a word: warranty.
There was a time in kindergarten, when he noticed one of his legs varied from other kids’, another when he removed his helper at an eighth-grade dance and cut a rug, one-legged, that’s still talked about.
Even after 9News contacted him in his senior year at Loveland High School, Schweitzer wondered: “Why would they want to do a story about me?”
Opportunities for the selfless Schweitzer to acknowledge his condition have been ample for years and likely will increase once he attends college in August. But he has never considered himself anything close to handicapped, and probably never will.
Stares, whispers and pity have proved no match for his determination.
“I don’t worry about it, but everybody else does,” he said. “I don’t remember knowing about it, don’t know if I ever asked about it. . . . I’ve just never known anything else.”
The Denver Post 2009 Dick Connor A.C.E. Award winner, now 18, was born with fibular hemimelia, a rare defect that left him with an inadequately developed lower right leg and undeveloped fingers on his right hand. By age 1, Schweitzer’s leg was amputated, and so was a finger (two others had to be surgically separated).
Schweitzer is bound for DePauw University, where he has been invited to join its baseball team. Graduating in the top 10 percent of his Loveland class, Schweitzer played two years of football, became the Indians’ top baseball player and all-Front Range League pick, and immersed himself in school and community activities in cementing a prominent place as one of the school’s top role models.
“He doesn’t want any recognition,” Loveland athletic director Devin Anderson said. “He has about the strongest character I’ve seen, and I’ve been here 30 years.”
Jimmy’s mother, Meg, an elementary school teacher, said Jimmy “was cut no slack, including in jump rope” by two older sisters when he was growing up. At home, Schweitzer mustered optimism and patience in adjusting to a series of prosthetic legs. Currently, his carbon-fiber model employs a clamp from a turbo engine and is considered top-notch, although the foot wears out quicker than a cheap sneaker.
Hence, Schweitzer’s foot has been left in more than one place. The family conservatively estimates he has gone through 40 to 50 feet.
“The weird thing is,” Meg Schweitzer said, “he knows when it’s going to break.”
An inspiration to all
Getting a foot or, better yet, a leg from Schweitzer became a badge of honor for the Indians. Anderson said students “brought one of his old legs to school as a spirit stick or whatever you want to call it to some of our games. (Jimmy’s) got humor with it.”
Baseball coach Adam Bakersky was presented with a foot by Schweitzer at the end of the season and called him “the student-athlete that all coaches and, for that matter, parents want their kids to be.”
Schweitzer’s all-around inspirational showing isn’t without concrete results. Athletically, his progression has been solid. In Legion B baseball, he caught the eye of Jeff Mielnicki, who headed one of Cherry Creek’s lower levels. Mielnicki — whose son, Jeff, received the A.C.E. Award in 2003 — didn’t know Schweitzer “had a prosthetic leg until after he had pitched and beaten us. We stayed in touch; he eventually played for us in the summer and competed like a champion. He’s a warrior.”
Said Schweitzer’s father, Joe: “Jim has an advantage over a guy who never knew it.”
In high school, Schweitzer dabbled with pickup basketball — “where I’m nothing special,” he said — as well as football in a program that has been a statewide factor for decades. After two seasons as a lineman and long snapper, he suited up for the 2006 Class 4A title game.
But baseball became more of a year-long commitment. Schweitzer played three years of varsity, became Loveland’s first option on the mound and batted third. In 2008, he was 4-5 with a save for the Indians (9-10) with 32 strikeouts and a 3.32 ERA. He had a .362 batting average and three home runs among eight extra-base hits and 18 RBIs.
Mind over matter
Schweitzer faced opponents who were either aware of his condition “and underestimated me,” or were oblivious to it and then surprised by his prowess once they learned the truth. A key, he said, is “that the leg actually rotates pretty good.”
Prosthetic leg or not, teammate Mike Heusinkveld said Schweitzer “has always been one of the best on the team even with that leg. We don’t even think about it. He’s our ace and first baseman. It’s amazing what he has overcome. Most kids like him wouldn’t even think about getting into sports.”
Schweitzer’s next step will be toward becoming a prosthetist. Others in similar situations, including the current wave of returning war veterans, need to be as comfortable as he is.
“When we found out what was going to happen to Jimmy, the doctor told me he wouldn’t be able to play the cello and not be able to do something else that I can’t remember, but he would be fine,” Meg Schweitzer said. “And he is.”
Just as long as they understand who he is.
“I would rather get recognized for something regardless of my leg,” he said.
Neil H. Devlin: 303-954-1714 or ndevlin@denverpost.com
About Schweitzer
3.85 GPA, top 10 percent of his class
National Honor Society
Two-time all-academic baseballer by CHSAA
All-Front Range League in baseball, twice as a first-teamer
Loveland baseball MVP and pitcher
Two years in football as lineman and long snapper; suited up for 2006 Class 4A title game at Invesco Field at Mile High.
Instrumental in a Christmas Toy Drive for needy children and having the Loveland and Fort Collins baseball teams wear pink caps, then sold them to raise money and awareness for breast cancer research.
Will attend DePauw and play baseball.
About fibular hemimelia
It’s a condition in which the fetus is developing as should be, but the fibula — the outer, smaller bone between the knee and ankle — is either absent or partially absent. It is the most common long-bone congenital absence or hypoplasia and usually occurs between the second and eighth week of gestational development. Parents will make one of two choices — have the child’s limb amputated at a year old and implement a prosthetic leg, or have it lengthened between the ages of 2 and 4 and use an external fixator. The later choice would involve additional surgeries. FH occurs once in every 100,000 births.
The Dick Connor A.C.E. Award
Former Denver Post sportswriter Dick Connor died in 1992 after an illustrious career. A longtime columnist, one of the few who hadn’t missed a Super Bowl, Connor took a personal interest in Colorado high school sports. Accordingly, The Denver Post offers the Dick Connor A.C.E. (Adversity Conquered through Excellence) Award, which is presented annually to a high school senior who has overcome a handicap, hardship or tragedy to excel in sports. The winner must have exhibited courage, resolve, leadership and citizenship. This year’s winner, Jimmy Schweitzer of Loveland, was honored Thursday at a lunch with Post personnel, the Schweitzer family, school personnel and Connor’s widow, Mary Kay Connor-Spieler. Schweit- zer received a $2,000 scholarship from The Post and a copy of Connor’s book of columns.
Year A.C.E. winner School
1993 Ashley Tindle Heritage
1994 Amy Feinsinger Glenwood Springs
1995 Kelley C. Roswell Central (G.J.)
1996 Jason Salazar East
1997 Allie Gausman Fort Collins
1998 Kelly Rheem Arapahoe
1999 Girls soccer team Columbine
2000 Jon Severy Aspen
2001 Ian Grant Denver Christian
Year A.C.E. winner School
2002 Philip Devlin Idalia
2003 Jeff Mielnicki Cherry Creek
2004 Daniel Belger Bear Creek
2005 Daniel Steefel Littleton
2006 Patty Turgeon Mullen
2007 Jordan Kessler Broomfield
2008 Jonny Stevens Battle Mountain
2009 Jimmy Schweitzer Loveland
An open letter from Jimmy Schweitzer
For me, baseball has always been the place where everyone is on an even playing field.
No matter the skill level that you possess on the baseball diamond, anything can happen. The best pitcher can have a terrible day, or the best hitter can strike out three times. In the game of baseball you must learn how to become mentally strong or you will never survive between the white lines.
Baseball has taught me how to become mentally tough and how to fight through the batting slumps and the errors. The game revolves around failure, which makes it difficult, but realistic to life as well. In baseball you are not going to be able to get a hit every time, and being able to accept this while still striving to be your best is challenging.
My baseball mentors taught me to never walk on a baseball field, to be on time, to have a short memory when pitching, as well as countless other baseball skills. I am able to take these lessons I learned in baseball and apply them to life.
Everyone is going to have struggles and hard times, yet the perseverance to get through the challenging times in life is what defines you.
