Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Haynes' Olympic Dream Comes True

It was no April Fool's joke when Jeff Haynes' phone rang on March 29.

However, at the time, he didn't know this.

When the phone rang, the voice on the other end of the line said they were calling from the Atlanta Committee of the Games (ACOG) and he had been selected to be a chief trainer over the Georgia Dome venue.

Haynes thought this was an early April Fools Day joke. He didn't believe the caller, until they persisted in telling him it was legitimate.

He had seen an ad in a trade journal about two years ago for trainers at the Olympics. Haynes answered the ad, received a questionnaire and filled it out.

Nothing much happened until Nov. 1995, when he got an application from the ACOG in the mail. This, too, was filled out and returned.

Again, time passed for Jeff and Denise Haynes until March 29, when the phone rang with the news he had been selected for the games.

Haynes will be one of four chief trainers at the Georgia Dome, overseeing a staff of 40 to 45 other trainers.

While there, the trainers will be responsible for the health and well being of anyone who sets foot inside the building. This includes the USA men's basketball team (better known as the Dream Team), the U.S. women's basketball team, the gymnastics team, athletes of all countries, spectators, the curious and janitors -- literally everyone who comes into the dome.

While Jeff will fly to Atlanta on July 4, his wife, Denise, won't make the trip until July 13. He said this will be her first plane trip alone, and she's a little nervous about it.

In the meantime, though, Haynes is working to learn the rules and regulations of the ACOG from a binder the committee sent him earlier.

But, working with world class athletes is nothing new for Haynes. Last winter, he worked with the U.S. Bobsled team in Lillehammer, Norway.

Other than the cold, his only complaint about Norway was the food. Potatoes, he said, were served with every meal. Haynes said a Big Mac cost $6 and was cheap at the price after all those potatoes.

However, getting a decent meal shouldn't be a problem in Atlanta, and a Big Mac shouldn't cost six dollars. "I'll bet I can find some fried chicken in Atlanta," he said, laughing.

On the other hand, Haynes will have to travel light. The ACOG has instructed the trainers to bring as little as possible with them. The committee will furnish their clothing (he said the trainers' uniforms are ugly), and include a straw hat.

The committee, he said, is very particular about how those working the games appear to the public, and all will be dressed in a similar manner. The color of rings on the shirts designate which area a person works in.

"I'm looking forward to it (the trip)," he said. "I'm getting a little nervous. You never know what to expect until you get there; who you'll see and the events you'll work.

"But I'm more worried about the traffic." He said two million spectators are expected to attend the games on top of the normal population of Atlanta.

"I think Denise is excited about going. She doesn't get to travel much with me," he said.

Haynes will attempt to attend the opening ceremonies, if he can sneak in. Tickets for the event are going for $600 each with a limit of two per person.

In addition to being at the Olympics as a trainer, Haynes is also going as a fan. "I'm taking two suitcases for souvenirs and autographs," he joked. "I'm taking my dream team cards and a basketball to be autographed."

Haynes will be reunited with some friends he made while working in Colorado last year -- the U.S. women's Olympic basketball team. "I look forward to working with them again," he said.

In an effort to help raise money to make the trip, Haynes is putting together a men's and coed softball tournament, the Olympic Dream Tournament.

These tourneys will be held at the Kelly Softball Complex in Hope Saturday, June 29. The men's tourney will be an open division for all comers. Entry fees will be $100 per team, with trophies going to the top three teams. Additionally, the tourney will be double elimination, so all teams will play at least two games.

The umpiring crews will also be ASA sanctioned for the tourney.

For more information about the event, call 887-2622.

Once the Olympics end, however, Haynes won't just return to hearth and home, going back to work.

No, he'll be making a trip to work with the national in-line skating championship in August, and could be called to go to Italy for the world in-line skating competition in October. In addition, there is a chance he could be called by the U.S. bobsled team again in November, and travel to Sweden to work as one of their trainers.

Between these world-class assignments, though, he has to fit in football season. During the regular season Haynes works with the Hope Bobcats. Once their season ends, should the Curley Wolves' quest for a second consecutive state title still be underway, he'll work with the Prescott grid squad.