Patricia Wilhite (F) is the assistant soccer coach and bookkeeper for Lenoir City High School. She excels in her positions, earning the admiration and respect of the students at the school. As a coach, her style is a firm hand because she wants her team to improve as people, as well as players.
An important part of her coaching style is team work, she believes that everything falls to the sideline if the team can’t work cohesively. Wilhite said at a practice one day that she didn’t care as much about positions, and that we were working more on the skill of teamwork; passing the ball, communicating, being able to trust that your team is in the right position. When asked wait her main priority for the team was, she said that she appreciated watching her team work as a complete unit.
“[I want to focus on] Everybody coming together and working together as a team.” Coach Wilhite said.
Another very important topic would be the main core skills. Things like dribbling quickly and passing accurately. Just as important, she found, were the mental aspects. Coach Wilhite is big on body language. Not acting disappointed when you do something wrong is a cherished value
“It’s always next play in soccer. Next play, next play, next play.” Coach Wilhite said.
Some may know that before she was assistant coach to LCHS, she successfully head coached the soccer team at LCIMS. This change came with some new challenges, such as the leadership change and even the overall different environment caused by the different skill levels.
“It was a new challenge, high school coaching… Everyone has different skill levels, it’s more learning where people need to go, where in middle school you have to constantly yell to tell people where to go. I’m relearning my whole place,” Wilhite said.
Coach Wilhite has learned that the players now know what position they want to be in, and any yelling is telling them that they need to move to block players they couldn’t see before.
Overall, this coach is an amazing influence on the student body as a whole.
