Featured Athlete of the Week: Wyatt Helterbrand, Cloverdale

Tuesday, May 14, 2019

Banner Graphic: How important are sports to you, and what have you learned from them?

Wyatt Helterbrand: “Sports have taught me a lot of things, from forming my personality to working hard. Coaching and sports have always done that. They have taught me to have respect for others, and that sportsmanship is key.”

BG: Talk about each of the three sports you have played this year.

WH: “I’ve always been on of the smaller guys, and I finally hit my growth spurt last year. That helped a lot in football this year. I had a lot of tackles out on the field, and being the last guy at safety in the defense was an important job. My first two years were not as successful as we had hoped, but when Tom [Winders] took over it was a good time. I’ve known him my whole life, and for him to coach was really important. We all had good chemistry with him already and that helped a lot. I think he enjoyed it as much as we did. I hadn’t played organized basketball since the fourth grade, but I decided it was my senior year and I was going to give it a try. I just wanted to come out and work hard in practice and push the guys. I didn’t get to play too much, but I know I pushed them every day to get better. I’m glad I played.”

BG: So then it comes to this spring and golf, where size is not a factor.

WH: “Golf is difficult. I decided in eighth grade to start playing, and Mr. [Doug] Wokoun has really helped me a lot over the past several years. I was pretty decent my freshman year, and I have improved every year as time has gone by. I am the only senior on this year’s team, and I like being the leader. It helps teach the younger guys how to play and be respectful. It’s pretty nice to have a sport where size doesn’t matter.”

BG: What are the best scores you have shot?

WH: “For nine holes, my best score is 41. I think I could get as low as 39, to be able to break 40. For 18 holes, right now it’s an 84. I’d like to get that down to about 80.”

BG: What’s the most embarrassing thing that has happened to you in sports?

WH: “This year was the first time I left a club on a hole. I wasn’t doing very well that day, and that didn’t help at all. It was a par three, and I normally set it down in line with my bag but I didn’t do that. I just walked right past it. Mr. Wokoun went back and got it for me; I really needed it, because it was my sand wedge. That’s one of my most-used clubs.”

BG: Do you have any rituals or superstitions that you observe during sports?

WH: “I just try to clear my mind and try not to get nervous when I’m about to hit, or do anything really. I always get butterflies in my stomach, so that helps to calm me down and breathe slower.”

BG: What do you like to do outside of school and sports?

WH: “I work at a construction company, and I hunt and fish a lot. My dad and I go out every year and hunt deer and turkey. I got my first turkey this year. I’ve been trying for about 10 years, so I was pretty happy about that. I got it with a 12-gage shotgun. I’m going to have the feathers mounted. It was the day of the prom, so after that I had to go and get ready for the prom. That was a great day.”

BG: What are your favorites in movies, TV and music?

WH: “In music, I kind of like everything. Alternative, some new rap stuff and classic country and rock. For movies, I like comedies and action movies. In TV, we watch a diverse number of things. We like to watch football, baseball and softball. My sister [Kelsey] played softball for a long time and we have liked watching it for a lot of years.”

BG: What is something you have never done before that you would like to do someday?

WH: “Skydiving. I’d really like to try that. I like rollercoasters, and the way those feel when you’re going downhill. Two years ago, I would have never said that’s something I wanted to do.”

BG: What is your biggest fear?

WH: “Losing family. That would not be a good time. I’ve always been close to my family, so not having one of them would definitely make a big different.”

BG: What are your favorite and least favorite foods?

WH: “My favorite is pancakes. My mom puts cinnamon into mine, and that makes all the difference. I don’t really have anything that I strongly dislike.”

BG: Do you have any pets?

WH: “I have a dog, Paisley, who is a Boston Terrier. We have two cats, but we don’t know what breeds they are. They are Tyrone and Brinks. The cats sleep with me most of the time. They are really fat. The dog is really small and tries to be our protection.”

BG: If your house was on fire, and all living things were already out, what is one thing you would go back and get?

WH: “A piggy bank my great-grandparents gave me when I was born. It’s in pretty good shape, but it’s getting pretty full. It’s got my birthdate on it.”

BG: If you were to describe your personality in one word, what would that word be and why?

WH: “Optimistic. I never really think about the bad things, and I always try to push through everything I can. That helps in golf. I used to get pretty frustrated, and now if I hit something bad I just try to brush it off.”

BG: What has been your favorite place to visit?

WH: “Destin, Fla. I go there pretty much every year in the summer with my aunt and uncle. The beaches there are nice, and the condo we stay in is really nice also. It’s on the Gulf Coast.”

BG: How important is support from your family and classmates to your success?

WH: “I get a lot of support from everyone. Everyone wishes me good luck when I go to do things, and everybody was pretty happy when I played in basketball since it was my first time.”

BG: Describe your overall school experience, both academically and athletically.

WH: “It’s definitely been one heckuva ride. I’ve always had happy times here. I’ve never wanted to move or anything. Everyone is nice and friendly, and the teachers especially have been really helpful.”

BG: What are your plans for after high school, and what career are you headed toward?

WH: “I am going to go to Vincennes University and study marine biology. I’m going to room with Parker Watts. I will transfer somewhere after that, maybe Coastal Carolina. I have always liked watching ‘Shark Week’ and a lot of shows like that about the ocean. I’m a big ocean guy. There is a ton of plastic in the ocean and it’s killing a lot of animals. I would like to discover new species of marine animals. We have only explored 20 percent of the ocean, and I’d like to find new species we haven’t seen before.”

BG: Is it difficult to keep up with your schoolwork being a three-sport athlete for the first time?

WH: “This year has actually been the easiest. My mom kind of spoils me, and I have two office periods this year so I can get all my work done in there. It’s been going well. I normally study pretty hard.”

BG: Which particular classes and teachers have helped you the most in high school?

WH: “Taking biology with Mrs. [Chelsey] Meluch was really helpful. I took human anatomy this year, and that helped a lot. We dissected a mink last week. I learned a lot from doing that.”

BG: After college, do you have plans to live somewhere in the mountains or on the beach, or do you want to live around here?

WH: “I’d love to live in Florida. I’ve always been a bigger fan of Florida than California. Everyone there is nicer, and the weather is better.”

BG: Do you think high school has gone fast, and are you going to miss it?

WH: “The first two years did not feel like they were going fast. Then my junior year hit, and at the end of the year it really hit me. And now I graduate next week.”