Jim Berry, MEd, ATC, SCAT/EMT-B, is the Director of Sports Medicine and Head Athletic Trainer at Myrtle Beach High School, in Myrtle Beach, SC. Jim was born and raised in the small farm community of Caro, in Michigan's Thumb region.After graduating from Caro High School in 1985, he attended the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor where he also served as a Student Athletic Trainer for 4 1/2 years. During his time at MICHIGAN, Jim worked with numerous Wolverine teams including Football (under college coaching legend Bo Schembechler), Ice Hockey (under former NHL star, Red Berenson), Mens Basketball (under well known coaches Bill Frieder and Steve Fisher), Womens Gymnastics, Womens Track and Field, and Co-Ed Cheerleading. Jim completed work on his Bachelor of Science degree at MICHIGAN in December, 1989.
In August, 1989, Jim was hired as an Assistant Athletic Trainer at Pioneer High School in Ann Arbor, where he also completed his student teaching assignment in Physical Education. In January of 1990, he was hired as a full-time physical education teacher at Haisley and Mack elementary schools in Ann Arbor, while still working in his athletic training capacity at Pioneer. He also successfully passed the NATA Board of Certification Examination and became a Certified Athletic Trainer.
In the Fall of 1990, Jim was laid off from his teaching position at Haisley Elementary School due to district wide budget cuts. He remained in his position as Assistant Athletic Trainer at Pioneer, however, and assisted with coverage of the football, basketball, and track teams and substitute taught for the remainder of the school year.
In the summer of 1991, Jim was hired by Myrtle Beach High School and charged with establishing a full-service sports medicine program for the Seahawk Athletic Program. Since it's inception in 1991, the Seahawk Sports Medicine Program has grown in both size and scope. Today, the program is housed in a fully equipped training room facility and Seahawk athletes enjoy the best possible medical care a staff of two NATA Certified Athletic Trainers, one volunteer sports medicine assistant, 6 team physicians, and 12 student athletic trainers can give to them. In the Fall of 1998, a college student internship program was formally launched. In this program, students from cooperating college athletic training programs spend approximately 16 weeks working with the Seahawk Sports Medicine program under the supervision of the MBHS staff.
All of this has resulted in MBHS being nationally recognized by Athletic Management Magazine twice. In 1994, the Seahawk Sports Medicine Program won the magazine's National Award of Excellence in Athletic Training. In 1996, the program was again honored with an honorable mention.
Jim is also actively involved in community, state, and national activities and associations. Currently he serves as the District 3 representative to the National Athletic Trainers' Association Secondary Schools Athletic Trainers' Committee and the NATA's Memorial Resolutions Committee. On the state level, he is the former Public Relations Coordinator for the South Carolina Athletic Trainers' Association and still serves as a member of the SCATA's Public Relations Committee. Jim is also actively involved with the South Carolina Athletic Coaches Association and serves as the program coordinator for the "Medical Aspects" portion of the annual SCACA Coaches Clinic each July. He also serves as the Executive Vice-President and Medical Director for the SCADA South Carolina North/South All-Star Football Game which is held each December in Myrtle Beach. In this capacity, Jim plays an active role in planning and supervising all aspects of the game with direct responsibility for all medical services. On the local level, Jim serves as member of the Board of Directors for Dream Catchers Therapeutic Riding Center, Inc., a non-profit horseback riding center for mentally and physically disabled children and adults.
In addition to his athletic training duties, Jim also teaches courses in Athletic Training and Psychology at MBHS and serves as an Administrative Assistant to the building principal. He completed his Master of Education degree in Educational Administration in the Summer of 1999 at the University of South Carolina.
Jim is a member of the National Athletic Trainers Assocation, Mid-Atlantic Athletic Trainers Association, South Carolina Athletic Trainers Association, South Carolina Athletic Coaches Association, Academy for Sports Dentistry,
National Education Association, South Carolina Education Association, and the Association for Curriculum and Development.
In addition to his certification as an Athletic Trainer, Jim is also licensed as an Emergency Medical Technician in both South Carolina and Michigan and is a CPR Instructor for the American Heart Association.
Jim and his wife Becky reside just outside Myrtle Beach with their son Carson , who suffers from Spinal Muscular Atrophy, a rare, life threatening, neuromuscular condition. They are members of the First Presbyterian Church in Myrtle Beach. In his free-time, Jim enjoys playing golf, reading, working in his yard and vegetable garden, browsing the internet and working on the computer, and most importantly, spending time with his son.
