Landis family grows together by throwing for distance

A desire to spend more time with his sons, combined with a love of learning, put Jamie Landis on a path he never dreamed he would follow.

Landis was a shot put and discus thrower in his earlier days, but his children, Nolan and Cam, didn’t show much interest until they entered junior high school.

The boys loved sports and played hockey out of Erie while living in Madison.

The pair had the opportunity to win a Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association state football championship while living in Ohio. When Nolan completed his sophomore season, he decided give up football.

“We were in the hotel ballroom crying and Nolan said ‘that’s it’,” Jamie Landis said.

When the reality set in, the family decided Nolan would finish his junior and senior years of high school in Madison, while Cam went off to play football and throw at the University of Pennsylvania.

Landis said he set up a shot put area at his house and both boys began to take advantage of the opportunity. He said his educational background and love of learning opened up the sport to him and his children.

When Nolan and Cam were young, Landis was a medical doctor, but decided to step away from medicine and became a professor at Lakeland Community College where he has now worked for two decades.

Having more time to spend with the family eventually opened up options for the boys to grow into Division I shot putters and discus throwers, and their father to take on new coaching responsibilities.

As Jamie Landis worked on the minutiae of the throwing events, he also sought out help from other coaches. He said trial and error was part of the experience but making contact with those in the throws game was essential.

Landis said he was able to learn from Nate Senger, the Kent State University track coach; Chris Stancliff, a former throws specialist at SPIRE Academy, and Juston Rodhe, who was an international competitor for Canada but trains area throwers now.

While Cam and Nolan were still in high school, the mutual love the sport grew between the family members.

“I had a lot of time open up with my schedule that opened up the door with everything the boys wanted to do,” Landis said. “I didn’t set out to be a throws coach.”

Nolan Landis won the Division I shot put and discus state championships. He started his college career Indiana University, but transferred to Kent State.

After the brothers moved on to college, Landis continued his involvement with the Madison boys and girls throwers. He helped Madelyn Moretti and Becca Martin to state-wide success, including Moretti’s 2022 state shot and discus titles in D-I.

At that point, Landis thought maybe his time as a coach had ended, but he was approached by Hiram College about potential interest in coaching the throwers there.

Eventually, he decided to take the job and has enjoyed the experience. Coaching any athlete involves a commitment to excellence tempered by a joy for the sport.

“I want it to be fun, but everyone [participating] knows it is hard work,” Landis said.

He said he is nearing retirement from his college teaching. and the new opportunity has provided him an outlet for his learning.

“I’m not good at fishing and I hate golf,” Landis said.

Landis has left quite a mark on Madison’s track program with his input not only into the throws program, but the overall track team, said Madison boys head coach Jeremy Verdi.

Verdi said he was especially helpful in creating weight training programs for other athletes on the team.

Mike Martin, present Madison throws coach, said all he knows about throwing came from Jamie Landis.

As Cam and Nolan prepare to close their college careers, their father is just getting rolling.

Cam Landis, who is hoping to make his third trip to NCAA Division I Track and Field Regionals, said it has been a good season, and he has wonderful memories of working with his father and brother over the years.

The original start, as his father said, didn’t go well.

“My dad tried to get us to throw six-pound shots and it was the most boring thing ever,” Cam Landis said.

When high school arrived, that all changed. He said the sport is something he believes the family will have in common in some way for the rest of their lives.

“The hours together are way more than I can count,” Cam Landis said.

He said some of his best memories are when his brother Nolan did well, especially the state championship in 2019.

Nolan Landis is also hoping to qualify for the NCAA Division I meet as well.

“This is actually my last go around,” he said of his track season.

Nolan Landis said he will atten physical therapy school at Slippery Rock University, and Cam is completing his MBA at North Dakota State University before taking a job in New York City in the insurance industry.

When next winter rolls around, the father who helped start the mission will continue helping young track athletes reach their own potential.

But the impact of Jamie Landis doesn’t just resonate with family members.

Moretti, a Duquesne sophomore, reset her own school shot put record for the second time this season and won the meet with a long of 14.72m (48-3.5) during the Saint Francis Red Flash Open last weekend.

She surged past her previous record of 14.50m set two weeks ago at Bucknell

As a sophomore, this was Moretti’s third school-record shot put mark of her career.

Moretti also won the Red Flash Open women’s discus throw with a long of 44.65m (146-6).

“They have become my second family, and have been so supportive in everything I have ever done,” Moretti said “Coach Landis has become a father figure like a father to me, and not only has coached me through three state titles, and college PRs, he’s there every step of the way for nursing school or just anything I have going on.”

Nikki Landis, wife of Jamie and mother of Nolan and Cam, has also been a big part of the journey. “Our family has been a part of the throwing community for 11 years. It has been a constant source of joy, and we have developed so many wonderful friends and made life long memories. Though I am said to see our boys throwing days winding down, I am thrilled to see the positive imprint that Jamie has had on both athletes and the local coaching scene,” she said.