Katie Berlin, a senior at Orange Park High School, is attempting to be the first in her school to earn varsity letters in four sports – volleyball, soccer, track, and flag football – for four straight years. She has lettered in those four sports since her freshman year. Along with her athletic progress, she is ranked in the top five in her class and involved in a number of school activities.
Berlin said earning 16 letters in four sports is special to her.
“It’s an honor first because Orange Park High has given me a lot,” Berlin said. “It’s something memorable.”
Berlin said soccer, the sports she’s played the longest, is her favorite. She is also on a travel soccer team at Eagle Harbor.
OPHS girls soccer coach Brandon Fanning said Berlin is a strong, confident leader who sets a high standard for what a student-athlete represents in the high school arena.
“Katie’s experience is essential to the team’s success,” Fanning said. “She has grown in her ability to play the game, encourage her teammates, and apply her leadership attributes.”
Berlin was involved in cheerleading, gymnastics, and softball before committing to her current sports.
Spring sports require extra time management, since she plays flag football and participates on the track team at the same time. She both plays one sport and practices with her club soccer team almost daily.
Athletics allow Berlin to shift her focus from the other activities she is involved in such as being the editor of the school yearbook; a scholarship winner in the Miss OPHS pageant; co-president of Beta Club, which involves over 400 volunteer hours; president of the Student Government Association; and an officer in the National Honor Society and the Math Honor Society.
Berlin’s involvement in sports, academics, and school activities requires a lot of organization during her typical day.
“Both my parents (Her mother is a general surgeon in Clay County, and her father is the CEO of North Florida Surgeons.) are successful, so I learned at a very young age how to be organized,” Berlin said. “I have a calendar in our kitchen of what I’m doing every day. It’s usually always filled and in different colors. My planner keeps me organized. My parents help keep me organized. It’s a constant time management challenge.”
Berlin said her schedule will get tighter over the next few weeks due to final exams, the end of school clubs and her club soccer team playing in the Disney Showcase in Orlando.
After graduating from OPHS, Berlin wants to pursue a career in mechanical engineering. Her choice of colleges is either MIT, where she can also play soccer, or the University of Florida.
Berlin said she has enjoyed OPHS because of the various friendships that have enriched her life. She also expressed appreciation to the Raider faculty for helping her develop the tools necessary to do college work.
She said sports have also helped her balance her workload.
“Since I’ve been in the top five of my graduating class starting my freshman year, sports keep my drive alive,” Berlin said. “It encourages me to keep my grades in order, and it’s a way for me to work at being responsible and manage my time.”
Berlin, who is fourth in her class with a weighted GPA of 4.52, said her favorite subject is math.
“I like math because it has rules and you can’t shortcut it,” Berlin said. “Math teaches you about life in general.”
Orange Park High principal Clayton Anderson said Berlin is the epitome of what student-athletes should strive to be.
“She understands that academics are the key to her future while allowing sports to be a resource,” Anderson said. “Keeping this thinking in the forefront is what has allowed her to maintain a 4.5 GPA taking AP and Dual Enrollment classes while also excelling in four varsity sports for four years.”
Wale Leyimu, the coach of the Clay County Sol soccer travel team, has coached Berlin for two years and trained her for more than six years. Leyimu said Berlin is intuitive on the field.
“One of my favorite things to say for soccer is you have to be very cerebral,” Leyimu said. “She knows when to shoot or dribble. She makes very wise decisions on the field. She plays basically year round.”
He also said Berlin knows when to have fun and when to be focused.
“She brings the team back to focus,” Leyimus said. “She knows the seriousness of the game. She gave me a calendar two months in advance of what she’s involved in. She’s really good at being organized.”
Former Orange Park High Athletic Director Martin Aftuck said Berlin is one of the most driven student-athletes he has ever been around.
“When Katie puts her mind to accomplishing something, she’ll do everything to the best of her ability to get it done,” Aftuck said. “When you think about what she has accomplished in just four years, it’s amazing. She’s been Miss OPHS, class president, and a four-sport varsity athlete for four years while maintaining a 4.5 GPA. Most kids talk about being dedicated or working hard; she personifies it.”
Raider volleyball coach Katie Ruelas said Berlin is such an emotional leader that she was voted a captain by her teammates. Ruelas said Berlin has been very reliable and consistent on the court. Berlin has also successfully transitioned to different positions after some of her teammates were out for a period of time due to injuries.
Ruelas said Berlin adapts well to different situations on the court.
“She’s very intuitive, so she makes adjustments without having to ask or look at something else,” Ruelas said. “She knows where the ball’s going to go based on the situation.”
Berlin’s maturity and character have also been noticed by her coaches.
“She has schedule conflicts, but she’s always so professional and adult in addressing both her team and her coach about any practice conflict,” Ruelas said. “She’s able to be a leader in terms of a go-between if teammates having issues.”
Rob Garcia, who has coached Berlin in soccer and track, said Berlin is a true student-athlete.
“Her freshman year she’d be studying while we were on trips,” Garcia said. “She’s the poster child for the true student-athlete. She’s not on the field just to bide her time. She gives it her all. She’ll practice flag football then come to track practice. She has always worked for everything she has done on the field. Whatever she sets her mind to, she’ll achieve it. Her résumé’s amazing.”
Berlin has been a trailblazer on and off the field of play. It will be fun to follow her progress this year and beyond.
Doing It All – On & Off The Field
Written by: Brent Beaird
