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Jim Flim Winona Senior High Year Inducted 2004 |
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In all, 39 of Flim’s teams competed in state meets, with 24 of them finishing in the top five. He coached 29 section championship teams and 30 teams won Big Nine Conference titles. Five times in his career, Flim was named a Minnesota State coach of the year. Flim was named to the Minnesota State High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2003, Minnesota State University-Mankato Hall of Distinction in 2003, Winona Senior High School Hall of Fame in 2003, and the Minnesota Girls Cross Country Coaches Hall of Fame in 1995, and the Minnesota Boy Cross Country Hall of Fame in 1992. Jim graduated from Ellendale High School where he participated in football, basketball, and track. At Mankato State University, he was on the track and cross country teams for four years. Since retiring, Jim does volunteer coaching at Winona Senior High. He also fills in his time with gardening, furniture making, and plowing for his son-in-law. He and his wife Maxine still live in Winona and have two daughters and three grandchildren with another on the way. |
Few
coaches in the long history of Winona High School athletics enjoyed more
success than Jim Flim. He built the Winona Senior High School boys and
girls cross country teams, along with the Nordic ski teams, into state
powers. He served as the cross country coach from 1972-2000 and won four
state titles (boys in 1982 and 1987, girls in 1986 and 1989). He was
instrumental in starting Nordic ski programs and was the head coach in
Nordic skiing from 1983-1995. In his twelve years as Nordic ski coach,
he took nine teams to state, and won state titles in 1988 (girls) and
1994 (boys). He had two individual State Champions, Amy Cichanowski and
Heather Cichanowski, and one second place finisher, Josh Brang. One of
Jim’s proudest moments was in 1994 when his boys Nordic ski team, which
was unranked going into the state meet at Giants Ridge in Biwabik, came
home with the state title. Jim also served as head boys track coach
from1972-1984.
