Iris Wallace
Junior Editor
New Webster Groves JV softball coach Tracey Handal has turned heads with the girls sports programs this year. This is Handal’s first year coaching the softball team, but she is not new to the team or sport. Her daughter was starting pitcher Kat Clark who graduated last year.
As a two-sport high school athlete and a college softball player at St. Louis University herself, Handal knows the game well.
In a world that puts women’s sports in the backseat, Handal prioritizes it. In support of training women in sports, Handal ran a summer program for all female athletes this past year. The program was three days a week, and consisted of girls not only from softball, but also volleyball, track, soccer, basketball, and more. The program was made for injury-prevention and technical training in the gym, but overall it was made to build camaraderie and connections between the different female sports at the high school.
When asked about what she wants the girls to get out of the workouts, Handal didn’t hesitate.
“I want them to be bigger, stronger, faster, and confident.”
The program included running training, weight lifting, and agility practice to strengthen their skills. Handal has been doing programs like this at other schools for 15 years, and has even run her own business teaching agility training to younger girls.
The goal for the program is to have the girls be able to walk into any gym and feel confident. The summer program not only built strength, but it built connections between girls.
“It’s a sisterhood,” Handal said, “you’re sisters on and off the field.”
