Behind the Balance: Henry Berling ’27 — Keydet Football 

Virginia Military Institute’s cadet-athletes have to juggle cadet life, heavy academic course loads, and their NCAA Division I sport. Committed to both academic and athletic pursuits, balancing their rigorous schedule in both sports and school requires a certain level of commitment and discipline. Behind the Balance is a series that focuses on those cadet-athletes and how they handle the hurdles of the day-to-day. 

As a 3-year-old, Henry Berling ’27 had a football in his hands. Starting out with flag football and then moving onto touch, his dream had always been to play in college.  

“I’ve played it my whole life, and a lot of my good friends come from football,” he said. “It’s always been a big part of my life.” 

He followed his older brother’s college career and eventually made Division I football part of his college plans. When it came time to choose a school, Virginia Military Institute offered a familiar environment — and the chance to keep playing the game he loved. 

Growing up in Richmond, he attended Benedictine College Preparatory, a private Catholic military high school. Berling had several family members attend VMI, so he knew what the Institute was about and what he could gain by attending — alumni connections, a solid education, and the opportunity to play football. 

Berling has found creating bonds with teammates has been the best experience for him.  

“The memories you get from hanging out with your friends every day, that’s the best part,” he stated. “It’s definitely taught me to have other people to rely on through hard times. The people who are around you will help you out a lot. You’re all going through the same thing, so you all understand it the same, so it’s easier to relate to each other and help each other.” 

He found that to be true in his 4th Class year when he tore his MCL. His first year on the team was exciting — he was playing a good number of games.  

“I was happy and in a good headspace,” he admitted. “Then I tore my MCL. I felt like I was forgotten about … I don’t know how to describe it.” 

“But then, I got really close with a lot of people at that time,” he added. “Like a lot of my roommates I live with now, I became really tight with during that time period.” 

Luckily, he didn’t need surgery and was able to rehab the injury, allowing him to come back by the end of the season, making it to special teams and back on the field.  

He said the big thing is to just keep going, even when things get tough. 

“I’m a big believer that if you start it, you’ve got to finish it.” 

The economics and business major is currently taking 14.5 credits and will graduate in the spring. He has busy days — filled with weightlifting, practices, classes, and cadet duties.  

Cadet-athletes at VMI not only have their responsibilities with their selected sport but cadet duties on top of that. Cadets are also required to take physical fitness classes twice a week, participate in ROTC all four years, prepare for room and uniform inspections, practice for parade, guard duty, and more. 

His days start at 5:30 a.m., then he’s weightlifting, eating breakfast, and going to class. Practice starts at 4:30 p.m., primarily with meetings then the physical practice, going to nearly 8 p.m. Berling said they eat as a team at 8:45 p.m. 

To get his work done, he’s doing assignments throughout the day. 

“If we’re traveling, I’ll usually get it done before we leave. That way, I don’t have to worry about it,” he said. “I’ve always kind of been that way. It just takes the weight off your shoulders. You don’t have to worry about it anymore.”