Barring a major plot twist come track season, Jared Helmstadter will be the only CHS senior to have played 12 seasons. (John Fisken photo)
I want to take a moment to tip my hat to Jared Helmstadter.
Why, you ask?
Well, there’s a lot of reasons. The Coupeville High School senior is a hard worker, a good teammate, a solid citizen, capable of being a cut-up or serious and has always seemed like just a good dude.
But, for the moment, we want to pay tribute to him for an achievement on the horizon.
Unless Jared suddenly takes an unexpected detour on us, when he turns out for track this spring he will become the ONLY person in the CHS Class of 2016 to have played the maximum 12 seasons in his prep career.
From the moment he stepped on campus, Mr. Helmstadter has played tennis and basketball and run track, season after season, a three-sport athlete for four years.
Coupeville Sports hit the internet in August, 2012, right as Jared was about to become a freshman, and he has never let me down.
At a school as tiny as CHS (smallest 1A school in the state), extra bodies on the bench is not always a luxury.
Coupeville needs every athlete it can get, especially those who choose to commit themselves year-round.
In the first year of this blog, 18 Wolves played three sports.
That jumped to 23 in 2013-2014, then retreated a bit the next year, falling to 20.
This year, as we sit in the middle of the school year, there are currently 22 Wolves — 12 girls and 10 boys — who have played both a fall and a winter sport.
How many will add a spring sport and fully punch the clock? Always a good question.
You never know when injuries will occur, and, as they get closer to graduation, some seniors opt to let go of athletics.
Looking at the list, I see at least three athletes who did not play a spring sport last year, and you never really know which way the freshmen will go (there are eight on the list currently) until we actually get there.
In a perfect world, we would hold and have 22 three-sport athletes come spring.
Reality says we could be looking at our lowest total in the last four years.
And that would be a shame for a lot of reasons. And also even more of a reason to hail Jared for his commitment in bucking the trend and leading by example.
The biggest argument for not playing three sports these days is “we’re in an era of specialization.”
Which is a load of crap big-city select coaches use to get money from parents.
I’m going to break it to you right now — barring a miracle, there’s not a single athlete currently at CHS who will see a single day as a professional athlete. Not one.
I would love for one of you to prove me wrong, and, if you do, I will stand next to the overpass wearing a huge sign that says “I’m an idiot!!” in your honor.
But, there ARE a lot of you who could go on to play college sports at various levels.
And guess what? If we look at the former Wolves who are currently doing just that, guess what they all had in common?
Yep, they played multiple sports in high school.
Joel Walstad, Ben Etzell, Nick Streubel, Mitch Pelroy, Hailey Hammer, Monica Vidoni and the only D-1 scholarship athlete we currently have — Tyler King — all were three-sport athletes at CHS.
Jake Tumblin and Josh Bayne spent most of their high school days as two-sport athletes, while softballer Madeline Roberts, the only “specialist” in the bunch, was also a cheerleader.
Of course, when she got to college, she went and surprised everyone by picking up basketball and becoming a two-sport star again for awhile.
Whether you dream of a D1 scholarship or just hope to keep playing at a community college, coaches at every level are adamant that they seek out athletes who play multiple sports.
And you know, I have no clue if Jared plans to play any of his sports after high school.
If he does, he has established work traits a coach desires.
If not, his days as a high school athlete, a time when he showed commitment, loyalty, a willingness to work with others, a desire to participate, will help him in whatever direction he goes in.
Either way, he wins.
I hope as many Wolf athletes as possible, current and future, look to Helmstadter, and match him.
Stretch yourself. Try something new. Your future will be brighter for the effort.
And the rest of us? We’ll be over here raising our glasses to you, Jared. You make your school, your town, your family, your coaches, your fans proud.
P.S. — Don’t skip track season, man. Or else I go back to misspelling your last name again!
