Article by: Ryan Santos
The start of the new school year also marks the beginning of first season sports, and this year, ISM is fortunate enough to not only welcome new student-athletes, but also new coaches. One of these coaches is Mr. Blair Berg.
In addition to teaching ninth grade Geography, tenth grade World History, and AP U.S. History, Mr. Berg (or Coach Berg) is serving as the new Boys Varsity Volleyball head coach. With the departure of longtime coach Mr. James Atkinson, Coach Berg is looking forward to continuing the excellent legacy as ISM’s Boys Volleyball Program has seen tremendous success in recent seasons, including three medals in the last three years. But when asked about coaching at ISM, Coach Berg highlighted that he “is glad to be a part of such a winning culture and with a program so used to being set with high expectations.”
Coach Berg has had his fair share of success. In previous years, he led the Rocky Mountain High School Girls Varsity Volleyball team to the 5A Colorado State Championships and the Kuwait American School Boys Varsity Volleyball team to consecutive NESAAC titles. Additionally, Coach Berg represented the Singapore American School Eagles in IASAS volleyball, rugby, and softball, collectively winning five medals during his high school tenure there. Despite this, Coach Berg has assured us that he is now a Bearcat, humorously noting to have “broken all ties with SAS, including with the alumni services.”
In terms of the outlook on this year’s volleyball season, Coach Berg feels “optimistic” about the team’s chances in both local leagues and at the IASAS championships to be held in Bangkok in early October. “Despite our lack of size and height compared to the other schools, I feel that if we can really drill our skills, we will be able to take down powerhouse schools like SAS and will be able to contend for that IASAS title,” he remarks. Moreover, although many first season teams are often plagued with athletes returning unfit and rusty after the summer break, Coach Berg feels that this is not the case with his volleyball athletes. He mentions, “It is quite prevalent that many of those vying for a spot on the team have worked and trained hard over the off-season and summer.”
With the coming season looking promising for our Boys Volleyball team, one thing’s for sure: our Bearcats are in good hands with Coach Berg at the helm!