Q & A with W-League Piranhas' head coach Wendy Waddell

Virginia Beach, Virginia – The W-League Piranhas and Wendy Waddell go hand in hand in the world of women’s soccer in Hampton Roads. Waddell, a native of Rochester, New York and former college player for Virginia Tech, first joined the Piranhas in 2004 as a player and became the team’s player-coach in 2008. This year she will just be known as “coach.”

Waddell, who works as special education teacher and head coach of Varsity and Junior Varsity girls soccer teams at Deep Creek High School, resides in Suffolk with her husband David and their baby son, Ryan. I recently had the opportunity to talk to Coach Waddell about the upcoming season and her personal history with the Virginia Beach Piranhas.
Q. Coach Waddell, the time of waiting is over and the season finally kicks off on Saturday. Are you excited?
A. Yes, I’m definitely excited. We have worked very hard in the last months to recruit a strong team and can’t wait to see how it will pay off on the field.


Q. Is the team ready for Saturday? The Charlotte Lady Eagles, a conference powerhouse, are awaiting the Piranhas.
A. As far as the individual talent of our players goes the team is definitely ready to compete. No matter what, we’re aiming for a win on Saturday and want to show from the beginning that we want to be successful.

Q. What did you emphasize in your training sessions this week?
A. The main emphasis is on getting to know each other. That starts with the simple things, like knowing each others’ names and goes as far as knowing each others’ habits and preferences on the pitch. How does your teammate like to play the ball? How does she like to receive it? It sounds simple but is so important for our success on Saturday.

Q. Although there wasn’t much time for you to drum your philosophy into the players heads, what type of soccer do you want your team to play?
A. I would like to see us pressure the ball and take possession so we can attack over the wings, use our speed and create chances for our strong finishers.

Q. What are your goals for this season?
A. We want to make the playoffs - that’s the bottom line.

Q. Compared to last season’s team, what makes your squad better so your goals can be accomplished?
A. If you look at our roster, we have promising names that are well known and of course we hope and expect that they will produce. We have five returning players from last year, and some exciting new players.

Q. Coach Waddell, you have been the Piranhas’ player-coach for three years. This season you will not leave the coach’s bench for the first time. How are you getting used to it, and do you like it so far? Or would you sometimes like to put your boots back on?
A. As of right now, it’s an adjustment for me. When I see the ball I still want to jump in, grab it and score (laughs). But seriously, it’s better for me to look from the sideline - obviously that makes the coaching side a lot more effective. I want to get the girls to where they need to be and get them disciplined. That is hard is hard to do if I’m with them on the pitch. I will see how this year goes. If I feel like I need to play again then I might come back next year.

Q. If you think back to your career as a player for the Piranhas, what are your favorite memories?

A. There are so many. Generally I loved the level of competition. When I first joined the Piranhas it wasn’t for long after I played college ball. For a college player the goal is always to get to the next level and the Piranhas presented that avenue for me. The teams I played with have always been very good. What I cherished the most however, is the Piranhas’ family feel. Memorable conversations on the bus trips heading to away games, developing friendships with your teammates - that’s what I like to think back to.


Q. You have been with the Piranhas since 2004, and became the coach in 2008. What makes this club so special that you dedicated seven years of your life to it?
A. Definitely the people behind the scenes. Marcie Laumann, for example is such a dedicated owner. She puts so much time and effort into the team and made me feel like a family member since my first day with the Piranhas

Q. If you could sum it up in a few sentences, what does it mean to you to be a Virginia Beach Piranha?
A. It’s an honor. It’s an honor to be a part of this program for eight years now and it has been and still is such a great opportunity for me. If I think back to my days as a player, I remember dreaming about being the coach one day, but I never knew if it was going to happen or not. It’s an honor to be a part of a program that made my dreams possible.

Q. In addition to coaching the Piranhas you work as a high school teacher, coach high school soccer varsity and junior-varsity teams as head coach, and you are married and have a little son. How do you balance all that?
A. (Laughs) It’s hard! I try to juggle it, and especially at this time of the year with high school still going on and the W-League kicking off, it gets a little crazy sometimes. But coaching soccer is what I love to do and of course I have a great husband behind me who helps me out.

The W-League Piranhas will kick off their 2011 campaign with a home game against the Charlotte Lady Eagles on Saturday at 8 p.m. in the second half of a doubleheader. Action at the Virginia Beach Sportsplex starts at 5.30 when the PDL Piranhas will face Real Maryland.
For more information on the 2011 Virginia Beach Piranhas, including tickets, sponsorships, internships or to volunteer, please visit http://www.vbpiranhas.com/ or call 757-572-1592.