Maryland girl with no hands wins handwriting contest

FREDERICK, MD. -- A young girl in Maryland is proving that nothing will get in her way.

WJZ reports 10-year-old Sara Hinesley has no hands and won a handwriting contest for how well she writes cursive - all with an artificial arm.

Sara is your typical 10-year-old.

"I like to play, I like to watch TV," she said.

She excels in the classroom at Saint John Regional Catholic School in Frederick.

She recently won a national handwriting contest, recognized for her excellence in cursive.

"I think it's kind of easy and sometimes kind of hard because you don't really remember all the letters to write," said Sara.

All the more remarkable because Sara was born without hands.

"Things I can't do, I try to figure out what way I could do it and try to best to make it work," added Sara.

"Well the artificial hand, I made out of mold and clay," said Veronica Hinesley, Sara's sister.

Her sister Veronica wanted to help so in science class she built an artificial hand for Sara so they could play together.

"So she could play catch or ping pong well because she usually can't play catch a ping pong ball," added Veronica.

Sara is an artist too.

Nothing stands in her away of her academic goals.

Principal Karen Smith said, "It's pretty amazing given the physical disability that she has."

The last day of class here is June 13th. That's when Sara will receive her trophy."

"I just try my hardest and put my mind to it and this is what happens," said Sara.

Helping hands, like when these sisters go rock climbing.

"Any time I fail, I just keep doing it with Veronica cheering me on and I can always get to the top," said Sara.