Ken By Jason Bryant
LONDON – Ken Berger can still recall the voice over the pub- lic address system at the 1973 NCAA Championships in Washington saying he was in trouble on mat four. The voice was that of legendary wrestling announcer Ed Aliverti and Berger was struggling in an opening round match at 126 pounds representing the U.S. Naval Academy. Fast forward 39 years and this time, the voice across the pub- lic address system at the ExCeL Exhibition Centre in London for the 2012 Olympic Games was Berger’s.
Originally from Frenchtown, N.J., Berger calls home Virginia Beach, Va. He has been an active voice of wrestling for the past two decades. After working the previous four Olympic Games in various
capacities, Berger finally got the opportunity to call the action full-time in London.
He gives much of the credit for his success to the Aliverti,
who passed away in February 2010. The pair started working together at the 1996 Virginia Duals in Hampton, Va., and remained close friends until Aliverti’s passing. “Ed Aliverti announced at five Olympic Games and was the voice of wrestling throughout the world,” said Berger. “My hat’s always off to Ed, because he is the man. He brought the announcing aspect to our sport of wrestling. “Ed taught me a lot, he was my mentor, a great guy and one of the very important things Ed taught me was make sure you are true to the sport of wrestling,” said Berger. “Wrestling is a sport of the heart, so make sure when you’re announcing, you’re announcing for the athlete and make sure that you keep it pure and do the best you can.” Berger’s road to London started in 1990 as an assistant at
W.T. Woodson High School in Fairfax, Va., where he first started out announcing Woodson’s Christmas tournament. He started getting serious about announcing after retiring in 1993 from the
32 USA Wrestler
Berger
American announcer informs, fires up crowds during Olympic wrestling tournament in London
Virginia Beach’s Ken Berger educated fans on the history and rules of wrestling in London. Larry Slater photo.
U.S. Marine Corps, where he spent 20 years as a pilot. In 1994, Herndon High School coach Karl Spinnenweber brought Berger in for the Hornet Holiday Classic, a mid-sized, but fiercely competitive tournament in Northern Virginia. Berger started to hone his announcing skills and added to the
spectator experience with music, introductions and background on the wrestlers throughout the event. Since, Berger has been the a voice at the Virginia Duals, mul-
tiple Virginia Group AAA State wrestling championships and large national events like the Beast of the East and the EIWA Wrestling Championships. He’s also been active in announcing road races and marathons nationwide, lending the same type of excitement and production values he learned announcing wrestling to the run- ning community.
In London, Berger wasn’t a one-man show and he’s quick to give credit where it’s due. With the large production needed for an important event like the Olympic Games, the British organiz- ers covered all bases. “I want to commend John Taylor, who is the British announc-
er, he’s doing all the introductions and medals,” said Berger of his announcing colleague. “Taylor is the voice of rugby known throughout England. He’s learned the rules of wrestling, I keep
Continued on page 33
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44