Virginia Beach Piranhas Feature - www.vbpiranhas.com
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - The W-League's Virginia Beach Piranhas are celebrating their 19th anniversary this season. Head coach and former player Wendy Waddell has been a part of the Piranhas organization since 2004. We recently sat down with Coach Waddell and asked 10 questions as we explore “Life on the Pitch.”
What is your home town and what brought you to Hampton Roads?
My hometown is Conesus, New York and I came to Virginia Beach to play for the Piranhas.
What first got you into playing and coaching soccer?
My track coach got me into playing soccer in the eighth grade and I started coaching kids in high school during summer camps.
What part of coaching the Piranhas do you best enjoy and what frustrates you the most?
The most enjoyable part about coaching the Piranhas is meeting new players every year and looking forward to seeing them again the following year - also just having a great time, especially on road trips where we really get to bond as a team. Most frustrating is getting all the players here and ready to play before our first game, which is usually only a couple of days.
What is your idea of the perfect day off?
Being at home with my family and running all around with my son.
Do you have any hobbies other than soccer?
Wow - other than soccer - hmmm. Shopping with a Starbucks in my hand!
If you could have any job in the world other than teaching, what would it be?
My other job would be working with animals or being a physical therapist for those with severe trauma.
What is your funniest road trip story?
Funniest road trip story – oh gosh – I don’t even know if I can say some of them. There have been so many in the last 10 years.
Sprinting through the airport so we didn’t miss our flight that we ended up leaving the balls. Vicky saying 'Umm Wendy I – I – I, ummm, lost my ticket!' Playing 'Taboo' for six hours straight. Charades - 'sled dog' [that’s an inside joke].
And this one. We had played Washington and were headed home on I-95. I was driving one 15-passenger van and there was another one behind me. All of a sudden I heard what sounded like a gunshot and slowly saw the van behind me pulling over on the side of 95 at 10 p.m.
Flat tire.
No problem, we are soccer players. We can change a tire. Well, by now traffic had stopped and we had 20 'hot' soccer players standing on the side of the road. We got so many honks and a lot of people kept trying to talk to us. We realized there was no spare under their van, so we decided to go to my van and use my spare.
Now, a cop pulls up and orders most of us to go into the vans cause we were obviously quite a distraction, especially for the men. So we pulled the spare off my van and not only was it completely bald, but it also had a nail sticking out of it.
So, by now it’s around midnight and there we were, waiting for a tow truck. Finally, at 2 a.m., a tow truck arrives and we all pile in one 15-passenger van and a car [thanks to a parent that came to our aid].
By then all the laughs turned to frustration, but as we look back all the players that went through this just laugh! I could definitely tell you every time we get a rental van there are a bunch of girls looking under the van to make sure we have a spare!
What is your favorite food / beverage?
Favorite beverage, Starbucks. Nonfat-½ café-Carmel macchiato-grande in a venti cup with extra whip and upside down!
What music do you listen to before a game.
I have a wide variety of music I listen to before a game, from country to hip-hop!
What is your favorite movie?
Favorite movie is 'As Good as it Gets.' It’s an old movie, but I still love watching it!