“This is the transition of the program from old to new,” Bernabe said. “There’s going to be a lot of growing, but I’m also excited for that because it’s a challenge.”
Bernabe, who was hired in July, said he has high hopes for the volleyball team this season.
“My vision for the girls is to be competitive with our entire conference,” Bernabe said. “That would be amazing, because win or lose, you’re gaining experience for the next four years … I would love for these girls to learn how to compete consistently.”
Bernabe said he’s faced multiple life-threatening brain health complications, which altered his mindset on coaching and life.
“I was supposed to be dead at 23,” Bernabe said. “I had less than a five percent chance to survive. I was paralyzed. But prior to that, I was afraid of putting myself out there for new jobs, especially for college jobs … so once I had my brain surgery, basically dying, I changed my mindset. I was like, ‘If I want to do something, I need to just do it. Just try.’”
Bernabe said his close call with death also helped him positively develop his mental approach.
“I’ve always had the same personality, but I’ve done a lot better with not letting the little things bug me anymore,” Bernabe said. “No matter how tough a day is, I just have to look at my pictures before [surgery] and go, ‘Okay, no matter how hard today is, there could always be something harder or worse.’ [That] really helped me put things into perspective.”
Bernabe said he’s experienced important growth from his coaching experience.
“I always want to learn and grow,” Bernabe said. “That’s what excites me with coaching. Every team is completely different and I want to better myself as a person and as a coach by learning through them.”
Trevor Vlaming, hired a month after Bernabe, said he is also excited to take on the responsibility of the role.
“I’m focused on technique and assisting players,” Vlaming said. “I help run drills and prep. It’s a lot of fun to be involved with the players directly. [Bernabe] has a lot more coaching experience than I do and I’m really looking forward to learning from him.”
Vlaming said he grew up spending time on Occidental’s campus and is excited to return as a coach.
“I grew up in Pasadena and I went to summer basketball camps at Oxy,” Vlaming said. “My school would host our winter performance at Thorne Hall. When I got the [assistant coach] position, it was super exciting to be more involved in the community. Now I get to meet the staff and the people and actually contribute to the program itself.”
Vlaming said he previously coached in Japan and learned more about work ethic and volleyball through working with the youth players there.
“There is no offseason,” Vlaming said. “[The Japanese youth players] practice year round … I was definitely shocked by the level of commitment they have, but I did appreciate the effort they put in. They’re young, but they’re always asking about pointers and wanting to improve their game.”
Vlaming said as a young coach, he highly values communication with his players and being able to teach them more about volleyball.
“I’m 23, I’ve only been out of college for a year,” Vlaming said. “I want the players to know that I want to help them … I want [them] to think a loss is always unfortunate, but [that] it’s not that big of a deal if you’re learning from it.”
Vlaming said he thinks Occidental volleyball is creating a winning culture through hard work and dedication.
“You have to stay committed to it to actually see it grow, and with the hiring of more staff and bringing in more recruits, Oxy has shown they are committed,” Vlaming said. “I’m hoping that we’re able to achieve [success] in the next few years, and from the level that the freshmen are playing at already, it’s definitely possible.”
Emily Foster, the head coach of the volleyball team, said trust was what she cared about most when selecting Bernabe and Vlaming as assistant coaches for this season.
“We can work with different position specialties, but if you don’t trust someone, you can’t work with them at all,” Foster said.
Foster said she is happy to have both Vlaming and Bernabe be a part of the volleyball program.
“We all are very competitive and that’s really fun to be around,” Foster said. “Getting to know [Bernabe and Vlaming] really well made me sure that they’d be people that I’d want to surround the team with.”
Contact Angus Kapstein Parkhill at parkhill@oxy.edu
