This fall, the Westside girls golf team finished runner-up at state for the second year in a row. They also placed first at Metros and districts. However, there was much more going on behind the scenes. This team wasn’t just fighting for a trophy–they were fighting for their head coach, Jered Hellman, whose wife, Sara, was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer in June.
Coach Hellman has been the head coach of both the Westside boys’ and girls’ golf teams since the 2022-23 season and was a boys assistant coach for multiple seasons previously. During that time, Hellman has led the boys team to two Class A state championships, in addition to the girls team success. He is also a fifth grade teacher at Westside’s Sunset Elementary School. Hellman is a 1995 graduate of Westside High School himself and was a basketball player.
Bailey Harriger is the girls golf assistant coach at Westside and has held this position for the past four years, alongside Hellman. She also teaches math at Westside Middle School. The two coaches work together like their very own team. From working with Hellman for a few years now, Harriger has seen firsthand the impact he has on students and what makes him an extraordinary coach and teacher.
“Coach Hellman is special because he cares about every player! The No.1 varsity girl that shoots in the low 70s just as much as the JV girl who is starting competitive golf for the first time. However, you see that same energy from him when we are out at Westside events and students of all ages are yelling ‘Hi, Mr.Hellman!!’ and he always acknowledges them. He cares about everyone and I truly think that’s why so many athletes and students love him!” Harriger said.
When the Hellmans got their difficult news this summer, friends and family of the team and the entire Westside community, have all stepped up and given back. The boys and girls golf teams and families set up a GoFundMe, which has grown dramatically, reaching around $25,000 in just a few weeks.
Chloe DiPrima is a junior on the varsity golf team and a returning medalist at state for Westside and explains that the golf team and parents want to do whatever they could to support Coach Hellman and his family because of all he has done for them. For example, DiPrima mentions how making sure his kids have rides and making a meal for their family may seem like such a small gesture, but as a community we can provide that for them.
“The truth is, no one really expects it to happen until it happens to you, and I think it’s made [Coach Hellman] more present in what he does and [has] made him love what he does even more,” DiPrima said.
Audrey Nielsen is a sophomore at Westside High school and has been a part of Westside golf for the past two years. Hellman was also her fifth-grade teacher and now her golf coach, so they have a longstanding relationship. Nielsen notes that not just Hellman but also his wife have been supportive of the team. Even during the difficult months of treatment, Sara Hellman and their kids would show up to practices, local tournaments, and bonding events.
“No matter what was going on at home, [Coach Hellman] was always present, he was always there and so was [Sara]. She came to [the] state [tournament] and was there both days to support us no matter how she was feeling, she just showed up to everything” Audrey Neilsen said.
“You never think you’re going to be that person’s picture on [a GoFundMe page], but the response [from the community] was immediate and it relieved so much pressure, so much tension (…) Student athletes that golf at other schools have donated, families that don’t have a lot have donated, even families that have a lot to take the time, and no in a small way they’re helping out immensely,” Hellman said.“This is hard for me, I want to write them all thank you letters.”
Despite everything going on at home, Jared Hellman’s passion for not only coaching, but also teaching his fifth grade class at Sunset, has never dimmed.
“I think the greatest source of joy is working with kids and children. And it’s our community, when I go to the football games or I go to other places with my kids, I don’t need to wear my pain because there’s so much beauty still in life,” Coach Hellman said. “We don’t know what tomorrow looks like, or next year, or 10 years, but you’re gonna be okay if you have a community that surrounds you.”
