Introducing Sam Berryman

Hailing from Portland, OR, Sam Berryman is best known by her friends and family as effervescent, fun-loving and unapologetically energetic! Having grown up playing every single sport she could sign her name against, it was no surprise to anyone that she’d one day make a name for herself in this area.

Excelling at track and field, Sam travelled around America for meets from the age of 9 and would eventually receive a full-ride scholarship to university for pole vault and heptathlon. Sam describes the heptathlon as a metaphor for her life, “I have so many interests - so why not find a way to do them all?”. Sam competed professionally until the age of 23 when she discovered her passion for coaching. “People give up so much to become a professional athlete and I came to really appreciate what it took to find balance.”

After graduating with a Masters Degree in Athletic Administration, Sam took up the head coaching position at her local high school before moving to California to mentor the next generation of collegiate athletes at San  Jose State University. In 2017, Sam decided to follow her star athlete, professional high jumper, Emma Sutherland, to the land of the long cloud, but it was New Zealand’s relaxed, friendly and super outdoorsy lifestyle (not to mention meeting her partner, Josh) that encouraged her to stay.

While living it up in Aotearoa, Sam began venturing into new areas of sport. She found open water swimming, trail running, mountain biking, and her deep love of triathlon. Once a multisport athlete, always a multisport athlete. After six years living in spring paradise, Sam, Josh, and their golden retriever Dudley decided to make the move back to the U.S.

As of 2023, Sam and fam are living in Sandpoint, ID. A beautiful small town in northern Idaho that has exposure to all seasons. Sam continues to explore the outdoors and writes about these experiences on her blog and other publications as a freelance journalist. She believes that sport can be used as a driver of culture through promoting sustainable practices, inclusivity, equal play, gender equity, and advocating for responsible policy within the industry. Her focus is to be a storyteller for women in sport and the outdoors.

Want to connect?

Shoot me a message below regarding any questions, collaborations, or potential freelancing.