High School Sports Awards: Premier Kansas track and field athlete Casey Helm embraces team-first approach

Madison High School (KS) track and field athlete Casey Helm has crafted an impressive list of accomplishments during his tenure with the Bulldogs, with the achievements including a 4.0 grade point average; back-to-back Kansas High School Activities Association Boys Class 1A shot put and discus championships; and establishing a new boys high school state record in the discus event.

But that is not how the Princeton University-bound senior, who will be recognized during the USA TODAY High School Sports Awards national show broadcast premiering on July 31, 2022, wishes to be remembered.

"I would like my legacy to be not necessarily the accomplishments of sports, but the teammate, friend and person I was on the field and in the school," he said. "You never know what someone is going through, so I believe it's more important to show them that you are there for them."

Madison High School Track and Field Head Coach Alex McMillian said the mindset serves as a prime example of what makes Helm the person he is.

"He's just one of those kids that's going to be nice to another kid, no matter what the situation is," McMillian, who also serves as the school's head football coach, said. "He just wants to make friends with as many people as he can and establish a positive relationship with those people. That become contagious. When you've got a whole school of people with that approach, it makes my job as a coach a lot easier."

Helm's grandfather, Fred McClain, a member of the Madison High School track and field team coaching staff, introduced the 2021-2022 Gatorade Kansas Boys Track and Field Athlete of the Year Award recipient to the sport when Helm was in elementary school.

"My grandpa was a track and field coach for many years and one day when I was in the fourth or fifth grade, he brought home a girls disc from track practice, and he told me to see if I could throw it over our fence in our yard," Helm recalled. "I practiced for a couple of weeks, just figuring it out by myself, and when I finally got it over the fence, I realized it was pretty fun throwing the discus."

Helm said thanks to McClain, once he reached junior high school, he was more experienced than most of the other student-athletes after an extra year and a half to two years.

"And I just fell in love with the sport," Helm said. "He's the one that got me started in track and field. I owe my success to him for getting me started at a young age. He was my coach throughout the way."

The Bulldogs have claimed consecutive Boys Class 1A state runners-up finishes and McMillian commended the team for buying into the system.

"Our kids have bought into the weights program, especially kids like Casey that walked into my weight room as a sixth or seventh grader as just a little guy and by the time he was a junior and senior, was one of the strongest guys in the state of Kansas," McMillian said. "Having a successful program makes my job easier, because I've got some of the best assistant coaches in the state of Kansas. The kids are excited about track and field season and it definitely shows when we're winning league championships and competing for state championships."

During his senior year Helm eclipsed the 200-feet plateau in the discus for the first time during the Eureka Invitational, but there was more to come as the Bulldogs hosted the Madison Invitational a couple of weeks later.

"I threw an outdoor PR (personal record) in the shot put, breaking 60 feet for the first time outdoors," Helm said. "I transferred over to the discus and threw a new PR of 214 feet, 1-inch, which set the all-time state record in the discus. It was really an on cloud nine type of moment that day, because I PR'd in both of my events."

Helm shattered the previous all-time state record discus throw of 213-6 established by Shawnee Mission South's Clint Johnson in 1980.

"Breaking that all-time state record in the discus held by Clint Johnson was something I could only dream of when I was a little kid," Helm said. "Clint Johnson is a legend in Kansas and breaking that record was so special."

As a stellar performer on the gridiron as well as the throwing circle, Helm acknowledged making a decision regarding whether to pursue football or track and field at the next level would be difficult.

"Pretty much growing up throughout my childhood, I thought that I wanted to play college football," he said. "That was what I wanted to do until just about probably a year and a half ago. It was not an easy decision. I felt like I couldn't pursue both of them at the same time in college, because I'm a person who likes to give 100 percent effort on everything. Ultimately, what it came down to was the academic opportunity, as well as the athletic opportunity."

Helm, who indicated he received collegiate offers to continue his football career as well as his track and field career, said once Princeton University entered the picture, he could not pass on the opportunity.

"I'm extremely excited," he said. "For a while, not knowing where I was going to go was beginning to take a toll on me, because it was all that was on my mind in the free time. I kind of knew after taking my official visit that there was where I wanted to be. It felt truly like home. Princeton's got a great track and field team. And they compete at the national level as a team and individuals."

McMillian said Helm's opportunity is well deserved.

"He's a very competitive kid," McMillian said. "The amount of time he puts into the sport outside of practice is what is very special about him. He's one of the most consistent throwers I've ever seen. Typically, when you're throwing things that far, you're not very consistent. But the consistency level with Casey is pretty unbelievable."

Helm encourages Bulldog underclassmen to fully commit to any undertaking they wish to pursue.

"If you only give half effort, you're never going to see the results you want to see," Helm, who also volunteers with Meals on Wheels, Special Olympics and blood drives, said. "Don't make everything about you, make it about the team and the community. The Madison community, faculty, staff and teachers are the people who have gotten me to where I am today. I'm thankful for them and never take anything like that for granted."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Casey Helm is an elite high school track and field performer