Duluth native Hill may sign Swiss deal

Agent Ben Hankinson said former Wild defenseman Sean Hill, a native of Duluth, is close to signing a contract to play next season in Switzerland.

"His No. 1 choice is to play in the NHL, but he doesn't want to risk not finding the right NHL fit and being without a job in October," Hankinson said.

Hankinson also says free agent Mark Parrish has "a few good options" and should sign an NHL contract soon.

MICHAEL RUSSO

Proctor High school football coach, 58, dies Dave Hylla, 58, the head football coach at Proctor High School for 27 years, died Tuesday of an apparent heart attack at his home. He had planned to retire from coaching after the 2008 season.

Hylla had a career record of 196-78. Assistant coach Derek Parendo has been named interim head coach; football practice begins Monday. A visitation for Hylla will be held Friday from 5 to 8 p.m. in either the Proctor high school auditorium or the gymnasium. The funeral will be held at the Proctor football field Saturday at 11 a.m.

JOHN MILLEA

• The National Sports Center in Blaine will hold a two-day Velodrome race Friday and Saturday. The 2008 Midwest Sprint Challenge will feature Olympic-style racing and begins with racing from 7-10 p.m. on Friday and resumes from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. and 6:30-9 p.m. on Saturday.

• The United States Paralympic tennis team will hold a pre-Paralympic Games training camp Aug. 11-13 at the Baseline Tennis Center on the University of Minnesota campus. The team heads to Beijing on September 6-17 for the 2008 Paralympic Games.

Dan James of Oakdale will serve as the head coach of the Paralympic tennis team while Jon Rydberg, also of Oakdale, is the top male player in the United States. They will play both singles and doubles.