Tim Beaudin has been a fixture of Yelm High School wrestling for more than 30 years as an assistant to Hall of Famer Gaylord Strand but will now take the helm of the storied program in his own right.
Beaudin, a YHS graduate and 1994 WIAA state wrestling champion, will officially take over for Strand, who retired at the conclusion of the 2023-24 season.
Throughout his 30 year tenure with the Tornados, Beaudin has notched over 200 wins and coached over 100 Mat Classic placers and 18 WIAA state champion wrestlers. Growing up in the Yelm community, he also feels called to give back to the next generation of wrestlers in this region.
“I went through Yelm growing up. I was a state champion in 1994, probably should’ve been in 1993, but I was hospitalized and didn’t finish that season. My dad also started the youth wrestling program here, the Twisters, and I helped coach that in ’94, my senior year,” Beaudin said. “I have a lot of roots here, and each year I could think about doing something else, but then we get a new group of kids and they’re family.”
Beaudin has high expectations for the Tornados’ upcoming season, stating he expects the team to finish in the top six 4A programs at the WIAA’s Mat Classic tournament this February. With program returners like juniors Jonah Smith, Lake Harris, Wesley Thompson, AJ Erickson and senior Ethan Owens, Beaudin’s expectations might soon be validated.
“They’re great kids. It’s a privilege to have them in the room just because all of the young kids, the freshmen coming in, can see what it takes to be a state champion like Jonah Smith. They can see the dynamics that Wesley Thompson and AJ Erickson bring and also the determination that Lake Harris brings to the table, as well,” Beaudin said. “I want us to be a lot better on our feet since takedowns are worth three points now. It really changes the dynamics of the match. We have to be real aggressive.
“I think we can get quite a few kids to the state tournament and see what happens there,” he continued.
He added that, while the team is practicing drills and certain skills on the mat, the older leaders in the program will have the opportunity to mentor and practice with some of the younger, up-and-coming wrestlers, which results in a “much tougher” team, Beaudin said.
“I’m really excited about the 4A [South Puget Sound League] being tough. There’s no easy matches. We’re going to get a lot of good wrestling in during the duals, and our JVs are going to get a lot of matches, as well. That’s going to make us better,” Beaudin said. “Hopefully our weights can spread out because we’re real stacked from 150 pounds to heavyweight. We have a bunch of state kids who could be JV until we find them a weight class.”
Beaudin added that aside from the 120-pound weight class through the 144-pound weight class, the team will have “pretty good depth” with several wrestlers deep in each of the weight classes.
The YHS boys wrestling team will kick off its season on Saturday, Dec. 7 at Auburn High School in the Bob Jones Invitational, which will include Auburn, Auburn Mountainview, Bonney Lake, Chief Leschi, Kent-Meridian, Kentridge and Mount Rainier high schools.
The team’s first SPSL dual will occur at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 11, at Yelm High School against the Spanaway Lake Sentinels. Beaudin highlighted a road trip to Bethel High School on Dec. 19 as being a big dual for the program, as the Bison have a top-five 4A program. He’s excited to see how the Tornados match up with one of the SPSL’s top programs.
Taking over for one of the most well-renowned coaches in the state might offer a challenge, but, for Beaudin, the standard of YHS boys wrestling will remain the same. He said that work ethic is number one for him, and that all of his athletes need to have a little grit — a quality Yelm’s wrestling staff has revered for decades.
“There’s big shoes to fill, for sure. There’s no way I can fill that 50-year experience, but I have been with him for 30 years. I learned from the greatest. I’m going to run the program how it’s been run for years, with a little bit of me thrown into the mix,” Beaudin said. “Coach Strand is one of the greatest drill and sequence coaches. He teaches the moves and cares about the kids — more about the freshmen and seeing them grow from when they first enter the program to when they leave. He’s a fierce competitor but, yet, has the biggest heart. I’m hoping, after a month or so, he comes back into the room and helps out. I know he’s going to be itching to, but he wants to separate a little bit. He’ll be back around.”
