Jared Helmstadter, left, applies intense defensive pressure during a game against Sultan. (Shelli Trumbull photo)
Jared Helmstadter is a walking, talking miracle.
Watching the six-foot Coupeville High School freshman crash through the paint, hauling in rebounds and terrorizing opposing shooters, you would have no clue at what a transformation you are seeing.
At how you are watching a young man who not only has the heart to compete on the court, but possesses the fight to survive in real life, as well.
Born prematurely at 26 weeks, Helmstadter came into the world weighing just two pounds.
“They didn’t expect me to live.”
They were wrong, many times over.
He not only survived, he thrived, fighting through the loss of his vision in his left eye (“I can see some shadows out of it, but that’s about it”) to become a hard-working student and a four-sport athlete (tennis, basketball, baseball and track).
Playing for a Wolf JV basketball squad that went into Christmas break on a two-game winning streak, he is a bolt of energy slashing across the floor. Whether as a starter or off the bench, once Helmstadter is inserted into the game, the intensity always ratchets up several notches.
“I have come a long way since I first started playing basketball,” Helmstadter said. “I think my biggest strength that has changed is being aggressive.
“I use to be afraid when I would play that I would be too aggressive and hurt somebody,” he added. “My parents and Coach V have said that they like seeing me be aggressive.”
Helmstadter, who flops between the wing and the post (“I like playing post the best. I don’t have to remember as much. I have scored most of my points inside the key, so I am happy about that”), first picked up the sport in fifth grade. It’s been a mutual love affair ever since.
“Ever since I started watching basketball on TV I have always thought that ‘this is the sport to play’,” Helmstadter said. “I love being part of the team. The boys here are like family. They pick me up and help me if I’m doing something wrong. They make basketball fun.”
A hard worker, he is continually fine-tuning his skill set. Whether watching his favorite NBA teams, the Miami Heat and Los Angeles Clippers, or hitting the court in his free time, he is always looking for that next upgrade.
“There are lots of my game that I need to work on,” Helmstadter said. “The main one is my ball handling. I probably have one of the worst handling skills on the team. My weakness is going to the right. I have a hard time doing anything with my right hand, so I prefer to go to the left.
“I need to improve on my man-to-man defense,” he added. “Also, I would like to improve my jump shot as well.”
A big fan of the film “The Hurricane Season,” which documents the rebirth of a high school football team after Hurricane Katrina, Helmstadter also finds time for excelling in the classroom as well as on the court.
“I love welding,” he said. “I decided to try it this year as something new. So far, it has been lots of fun.”
After playing tennis in the fall, he plans to try his hand at track in the spring, with an eye on running sprints.
For the moment, at least, he will leave behind the baseball diamond, where he and younger brother Grey Rische (a star on the eighth grade Coupeville Middle School hoops squad) have been known as Thunder and Lightning. Since his part of the nickname derived from his speed, fans may still be using it as he runs track.
“My parents came up with that nickname many years ago during baseball,” Helmstadter said. “I’m Lightning and Grey is Thunder.
“They called me Lightning because I was so fast at stealing bases and they called Grey Thunder because of the power he had when he hit the ball,” he added. “We always played on the same little league teams so everyone started using the nicknames and they just stuck ever since.”
Family plays a large part in Helmstadter’s life. They can be found in the top row of the bleachers during his basketball games, sister Camilla Rische, a Wolf volleyballer, is quick to inform reporters on the correct spelling of her brother’s name and his grandmother is always sure to have a post-game meal waiting for him when he exits the locker room.
“My parents have been a big part in my life. They have always been there for me,” Helmstadter said. “They have helped me with sports and school. They push me on school work. They want me to do good in school and so far it has helped. I never thought that I could have good grades and do sports.”
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