SCHOHARIE, N.Y. — When Shane Helmstadt recently signed a letter of intent to pitch for the Stony Brook baseball team, local politicians and his fellow residents in Schoharie, N.Y. toasted him with a festive day in his honor.
Truth be told, it really was Helmstadt who made their day.
Helmstadt's signing finally gave the village something to celebrate. It raised the spirits of the community, about 30 miles west of Albany, that had been dispirited in the aftermath of a devastating flood that damaged homes, destroyed heirlooms and displaced families. It brightened the skies after the town had become synonymous with a horrific limousine crash that killed 20 people.
National headlines followed what was the worst road disaster in the United States since 2005. There is a Wikipedia page entitled "Schoharie Limousine Crash." Even though locals were not involved in the accident, Schoharie's 900-plus citizens grieved and were traumatized on behalf of the visitors who became victims.
"Everybody goes to the Apple Barrel and it's just different now, when you drive by and see the memorial set up," Helmstadt said, referring to the country store parking lot where the incident took place. "Not many people know about Schoharie other than bad news."
So when news emerged that Schoharie High School had produced its first Division I male athlete in more than 40 years, the village saw it as a new day. Fate was on Schoharie's side for a change.
Assemblyman Christopher Tague personally delivered a certificate from the New York State Assembly and told a TV crew at the ceremony, "I've been waiting for something positive to happen for this community for a long time."
Kevin Scofield, the high school's co-athletic director, choked up when he recalled the way things had gone over the past eight years.
Mayor Larry Caza, reflecting on Shane Helmstadt Day weeks later, said, "It just makes you so proud to be able to celebrate someone like Shane, knowing that they're having their dreams come true. And in a way, as part of the community, you're sharing their happiness."
The Helmstadt home is located on a hill, so it was not flooded the day the Schoharie Creek rose 17 feet in 12 hours back in 2011. But he knows how much it scarred his hometown. His family was among the many who waded through the water to assist however it could.
"There are only about 65 kids in my grade, so I know everybody," he said. "We're all we have, so everybody was helping."
Caza never will forget what that time was like. He and his wife required the National Guard to escort them to their Main Street house, which had 4½ feet of water on the first floor.
"You see things on the news with regularity and it's always in other places," the mayor said. "And then to come home to my house … you see the boxes of kids' memories from their early days of school and they're just saturated. You wonder, 'How do you ever get past that?'
"When you have a successful individual like Shane, who comes from a nice family, it just makes you feel, 'We can come back from the flood — and come back in such a way that we can produce such a smart, academically talented athlete.' It's a shared bond," Caza said. "Even though he's not your kid, there's a sense of pride that goes beyond the fact that he plays for Schoharie."
On Shane Helmstadt Day, Schoharie was filled with emotion.
"I didn't know how impactful this was going to be until the signing actually occurred," Stony Brook baseball coach
Matt Senk said. "He's such a humble kid. He handled it great. It's a heartwarming story."
Helmstadt will begin playing with the Seawolves during the 2020-21 academic year, after a final prep season this spring.
Senk first saw Helmstadt play in a summer tournament on Long Island, on a night when the future Seawolves player was at shortstop, not on the mound.
"I looked at his athleticism. He just had `terrific player' written all over him," the coach said. "We found out the next tournament he was playing in and when he was pitching. So I sent my associate head coach,
Jim Martin, up to see him. Jim was instantly impressed with his poise on the mound, and just his stuff, overall.
"We feel very, very lucky to have him. Not only is he a talented kid, he just seems to be one of those kids who has something special about him."
Helmstadt said Stony Brook was the first school to formally recruit him. He hit it off with the coaching staff. An honor student, he liked what he learned about the university's academics. He knew about the program's history of reaching the College World Series and having players reach the major leagues. It was an easy choice.
Now, Stony Brook has a prized recruit, and a whole village of new fans upstate.
"You never know how these things go," Senk said. "It's certainly always a big deal for any young man and his family. But to see how it extended to the whole community that he lives in is pretty amazing."
Author Mark Herrmann recently retired from a distinguished sports writing career at Newsday. He will periodically contribute features to StonyBrookAthletics.com.
