St. Albans Vermont – On February 11, 2026, Coach Richard Berthiaume reflected on what has stayed the same and what has changed through female sports at Bellows Free Academy throughout his career. “I have coached programs that were struggling before taking over like soccer and softball, I have coached teams that were successful like basketball, and I helped introduce the game of Volleyball to BFA. He has coached 1500 games since 1986 and has excellent expertise about athletes. 

The main thing Berthiaume has noticed change through the years were female sports v. men’s sports. “In my early days it felt that the Comets were not at the same level of appreciation as the Bobwhites were. I think that has changed with the Comets success in so many sports, women’s college and pro sports appearing on television. I feel that the Comets are now on par with the Bobwhites.” 

Another thing where he observed change was the feeling of wanting to be a part of the Comet family. At first, his sports teams struggled bonding together and coming closer. “There were always strong personalities that resisted the touchy feely part of becoming a team.” Now, many athletes play the sport they do, not just because of the competitiveness, but because of the support and relationships they grow. Over the years Berthiaume, “realized players wanted and needed this and spent more time fostering this development.”

Picture taken during the Comets Varsity Volleyball team semifinals match at Bellows Free Academy in the 2025 season

While he noticed some changes over time he’s also noticed some things haven’t changed and might never will. “Between my Comets of old and my Comets of today. They have always wanted to be pushed, they have always wanted to be successful, they have always been some of the hardest working athletes in the state.” Berthiaume says the drive and determination to be successful in the sports he’s coached has never changed. He realized many characteristics between the older generation and newer generations have carried on. “Emma who asked me to share my thoughts is a very intense, driven, passionate athlete, so was her mom Shannon. Jillian Smith is a committed kind driven athlete just like her mother was. Jade Garceau is so similar to her mom Jen, when she played for me. I could name countless other examples of different generations with the same qualities.”