Meet the new Powell girls soccer coach! Positivity is the name of the game

Nobody has to remind Victoria Weinhandl about the impact – positive and negative – a coach can have on a high school athlete.

The new girls soccer head coach at Powell High School has seen both extremes and understands.

Weinhandl, 35, grew up in the St. Louis area as a soccer junkie. Her perspective on the game changed somewhat her senior year when she chose to play for a boys club team rather than the girls high school team.

“High school players can be stifled by a coach,” said Weinhandl. “I was always told (by the high school coach) that I wasn’t good enough. The coach was blunt and he was always putting me down.”

Before that spring of her senior year, Weinhandl had already developed a solid relationship with the Greenville (Ill.) College (now University) coaching staff and decided that would be her landing place.

“College was a great experience,” said Weinhandl, a four-year letter winner and two-time captain. “I was challenged, but I was never put down. I learned that a coach can be blunt and still be encouraging to improve.”

New level, new challenge

Those lessons will serve invaluably as the East Tennessee transplant embarks on her first major coaching opportunity.

Weinhandl came to the area about five years ago with her husband, Josh (a professor of biomechanics at the University of Tennessee), and daughters Kaydence (10 years old) and Kynzie (6). A couple years ago, she became involved in coaching various teams in USA North, a Knoxville soccer academy based in the Powell area.

When the Powell position opened up, she was encouraged by several people to take over the team that was 12-7 last year, ending the season in the regional semifinals.

“I really never saw the posting for the position,” said Weinhandl, who has a part-time clerical job at ABF Freight. “When people told me about it, I decided to give it a shot.

“I’m the kind of coach that really gets into it. I’ve learned that coaching at the high school level will be different. You’re part of shaping who these girls are. At this age, they might be a little set in their ways, but there may be some wiggle room.”

Always learning, always positive   

Weinhandl anticipates carrying 21 players on the varsity level this season. There will be no junior varsity team, which she hopes to change in the future.

During preseason workouts, Weinhandl invited Lincoln Memorial University coaches to share some advice.

“I’m learning about coaching every day,” she said. “My biggest takeaway from the LMU coaches was the intensity of practice. You don’t have to have separate conditioning time of just running, you can incorporate the conditioning into what you do during practice.

“Early in the season, I’ve been pleasantly surprised. I’ve evaluated the skill level of our top and bottom players. All 21 have had some sort of club experience, so that has helped. We can target the areas that need work and structure our practices around it.”

All the while focusing on positive feedback.