Haines adds his assistance to SVE squad

• Spring Valley-Elmwood Redbirds

Spring Valley-Elmwood Redbirds

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SPRING VALLEY - Jim Haines hadn't been involved in coaching since he had retired from coaching prep softball in Pepin. But a call for assistance from Spring Valley/Elmwood Head Coach Carter Turner brought him out of retirement.

Haines has a volunteer assistant with the Redbirds squad this season, bringing his expertise as former NCAA champion with the University of Wisconsin and as member of the 1976 U.S. Olympic Team.

"Well, he twisted my arm pretty well," Haines joked. "No, Carter was nice enough to ask and it was something I was willing to do because I enjoying teaching things to be done the right way."

Haines has been at practices and meets providing his experience not only from days as an athletes but also as a coach. He's coached in high school at Laona and Cochrane-Fountain City and with youth programs in Pepin. His coaching background, of course, extends over to softball where he helped turn Pepin into a powerhouse program, winner of two state championships and 11 Dunn-St. Croix Conference titles.

"He's jumped right and I think more than anything has helped the kids know well and maintain the basic and fundamentals skills of wrestling which provides a base you can work from." Turner said.

Haines said he appreciated the way the SVE wrestlers accepted and listed to what he had to say and show from an outsider's perspective to a largely veteran squad.

"The kids were dynamite," Haines said. "They've worked very hard and have been very receptive. All I wanted to do was just help out when asked. It's nothing I want to take credit for. Ultimately it's about them and what they accomplish. All the same though it's been very enjoyable experience."

Tags: spring valley, prep, wrestling, elmwood