Caden Helmers

I am a sports journalist for The Canberra Times, but the road that led me to the sports desk there almost five years ago started when I was a kid.

I might have been five or six years old when I grabbed a pencil, a piece of paper and sat down to watch The Mighty Ducks movies.

I wrote match reports about their thrilling against all odds victories over enemies like the Hawks and Iceland before rushing to show mum my work. It was then I learnt the difference between “won” and “one”.

Safe to say sports journalism has been my passion for as long as I can remember – a deep dive into the camera roll in my phone will prove it. There you will find a photo of me alongside my dad, both wearing matching rugby league jerseys, both reading the sports section of a newspaper.

Every time I step through the gates at Seiffert Oval or Canberra Stadium I am greeted by a wave of memories.

That’s why I get such a thrill out of telling the Canberra region’s stories, because I want to give people that same feeling. I want to ask what the fans want to know, and tell people what the players have to say about it.

Sport doesn’t follow a script and a scoreline is only part of the story. I want to bring it to life.