For Orange Lutheran senior Landon Mills, throwing the discus began as just another track and field event, but it quickly became a sport he's deeply passionate about and committed to mastering.
 
Having spent significant time at track meets watching his older brother, Logan Mills '21, compete as a four-year athlete for the Lancers, Mills developed a strong connection to the sport early on. He played football during his freshman year, and once the season ended, he transitioned straight into track and field. With some prior experience in throwing events from middle school, he gravitated toward the discus and chose to specialize in it after his first season.
 
"You're a one-man team," says Mills of throwing the discus. "If you mess up, you can't blame anybody. You can't blame your head coach, you can't blame the refs, you can't blame your quarterback. It's all on you if you didn't throw as far as you should have."
 
Mills is serving as a captain this season for the Lancers, and he believes leading by example is essential for younger athletes, just as he once looked up to senior captains as a freshman. Now in the role himself, he takes an active role in mentoring younger teammates, offering both guidance and support during practices and meets.
 
"Landon Mills is one of those athletes who just gets it," says OLu track and field head coach Kevin Gillian. "He's multi-sport guy who decided to focus in on throws, and that choice has really paid off. Coming from football, he's always been a natural leader, and that's carried over. He's now our throws captain and someone the younger athletes really look up to. Because of the work he's put in, he's in a position now where he gets to choose if he wants to throw at the next level. That kind of opportunity doesn't come without serious commitment."
 
The technical demands of throwing can be challenging, and despite his dedication, Mills didn't see major gains in distance until late in his junior season. Even so, the journey has taught him the value of patience.
 
"I've gone to so many practices that were terrible," says Mills. "But then you go to the meet and you do better than last week, and it just shows that you're getting better. Patience is when the best things don't come right away. You have to wait and wait and wait and wait, and then you'll get your reward."
 
Away from the track, Mills has been active in ASB at OLu, serving as junior class president. He enjoys a variety of hobbies and has a love for cars, which led him to rebuild a 1968 Mustang from the ground up.
 
During his time at OLu, Mills has leaned on his faith to help him keep athletics and academics in perspective, no matter the circumstances or outcome.
 
"It's helped me to think bigger picture and not be too stressed over little things," says Mills of his faith. "If I'm having a bad practice, it's about not getting too down on it. With faith, there's no need to stress…and you can relax. And if you don't hit your number, nothing's going to happen. It's not the end of the world at all. It just brings a calmness."
 
He is grateful for his throws coach, Coach Chris, a supportive and approachable mentor who has been a guiding influence since before his freshman year. He also credits his father for the motivation he has consistently provided.
 
"I'm thankful for my dad and his work ethic," says Mills. "My dad is the one who keeps encouraging me. It really helped my sophomore year when I was in my big slump. He was the one that said, 'You've got to keep at it, because it's going to pay off.' And it did. So I'm really thankful for that."