OMAHA (KMTV) — Despite having Down syndrome, Westside golfer Sam VanderVeen always keeps the mood up.
"He'll always turn around & look at your and he's the biggest smile on his face," said fellow Westside golfer Christopher Whittle. "You can tell he truly loves the game."
"To see the team rally around him & appreciate him for Sam," said Westside head coach Jered Hellman. "Not what defines him as different but for his golf game and how hard he works and how he does things, it's wonderful."
The Westside junior took up golf around 2nd grade.
"We drove by a golf course & there were a bunch of little kids out there," said Sam's dad Joel. "We just pulled over & stopped and said 'Can Sam join?' And the first tee coaches there said yes."
While Sam also swims for the Warriors, being part of a golf program that's won the past two state titles is also pretty cool.
"They're fun & funny," Sam said. "It's been amazing. The varsity they have a lot of talent. They rolled into state at Norfolk and they did back to back state champs!"
So while Sam's time at Westside will come to an end in a couple years, the impact he's had on the Warriors will carry on much longer.
"I try not to get emotional but it's everything," said Coach Hellman. "That was the dream. State trophies are great & they'll be remembered forever but the lessons that we're all learning because of Sam VanderVeen, you can't teach it."
"For Sam it's been fabulous," said Sam's dad. "He's grown as a person to be more independent, to focus on something he cares about & to have teammates he cares about & they care about him. So it's been a real blessing."
