Interview by Abernathy Cochran intern and North Hall High Senior Tori Skinkle
Meet Sam Borg! Sam is the athletic director and assistant principal at North Hall High School. In his career he has coached cross country, basketball, and track. He is currently still coaching cross country. Sam’s wife teaches fourth grade at Mount Vernon Elementary School; and they have two sons, one in ninth grade at North Hall High School, and one in seventh grade at North Hall Middle School.
We want to thank Sam for spending time with us recently and telling us more about his life and love of Hall County.
Question: What inspired you or led you to your current career?
Answer: “I love sports, so coaching was the motivator for what I wanted to do with my life. And also Spanish. I love speaking Spanish. So that led me to become a Spanish teacher and coach of three sports for 15 years. That then led into more leadership. And now I’m more into the administration with the high school. Still very much involved with sports and still very much love to speak Spanish.”
Question: What is your favorite restaurant in Hall County, and what do you love there?
Answer: “I would say Longstreet, I love the biscuits and gravy and the people. And then I love the leadership there and how generous they are with our local schools. And I love the tradition of going to Longstreet.”
Question: How long have you lived or worked in Hall County?
Answer: “Since 1996. My family moved here in 1996 from Chicago.”
Question: Who is the most interesting person you’ve met in Hall County and why?
Answer: “This one’s very difficult, but I’m going to stick with Bubba Little. Bubba Little was custodian here at North Hall High School for decades and him and his family served this building for a long time. He is one of my favorite people, just his work ethic and how much he loves this building and how much he loves this building and how much he loves North Hall.”
Question: What is your favorite childhood memory
Answer: “Growing up in Chicago was much different than Hall County, we lived in a neighborhood where we rode our bikes to school, locked them up at the bike rack and walked to each other’s houses after school. I grew up in Chicago during the 90s Bulls…so just being a kid in Chicago while Michael Jordan was winning championships is something I’ll never forget.”
Question: If you could travel anywhere in the world right now, where would it be and why?
Answer: “The Dominican Republic because I have a lot of friends there and we have kind of a mission base there in the country and some of my greatest friends in our church are all down there. Anytime I have time or money to go anywhere it’s always going to be the Dominican Republic.”
Question: What is the first movie you remember seeing in a theater?
Answer: “‘Home Alone 2.’”
Question: What advice would you give a crowd of people?
Answer: “I would probably and hopefully talk about Jesus and about how good he is. And some sort of inspirational message about how he created us for a purpose and gave us a reason for living. And to just try to motivate people to give their lives to him and to invite him to give you a life of peace and joy.”
Question: What is something on your bucket list?
Answer: “Probably Heli Skiing or snowboarding out of a helicopter. So you’re riding in a helicopter, they drop you off on this untouched mountain that’s really steep and you jump out of the helicopter and go snowboarding.”
Question: What is your favorite music/three bands you would like to see (dead or alive)
Answer: “My playlist is very unique. My favorite genre is worshipful music in Spanish so not a lot of people in Hall County listen to Spanish worship but that’s my favorite genre. So Barak is the name of this band, I have a lot of Hillsong in Spanish, and Maverick City has some Spanish-English crossover songs. That’s what I’m listening to in my truck everyday.”
Question: What local business makes you the most nostalgic about Hall County and why?
Answer: “I would say 129 Salvage because it reminds me of so many times we would go through there and find some really cool stuff for sale that you don’t find anywhere else.”
Question: Choosing anyone (past or present and a non-relative), with whom would you love to have lunch? And where locally would you have this lunch?
Answer: “Michael Jordan, we would go to Buffalo Wild Wings. And I would have them play ‘The Last Dance’ Documentary about Michael Jordan on all the tvs. And we would sit and talk about all these moments in his life and his career.”
Question: What is your favorite thing about Hall County?
Answer: “The people, I think we have great people. A lot of kindness, a lot of generosity, a lot of great people. And I love how in Hall County you can easily get to the city and fly anywhere in the world. But you also can be in the mountains very quickly, and you’re not too far from the beach.”
Question: Where do you see yourself in five or 10 years?
Answer: “Hopefully leading or serving in some capacity. I want to use whatever talents and experience God has given me to lead others and to serve whether that be school system or ministry.”
Question: What is something interesting that most people don’t know about you?
Answer: “I can’t go to sleep at night without eating an enormous late-night bowl of cereal. There’s an urge that comes over me, I have to go eat cereal and it happens every night.”
Question: What three words mean “home” to you?
Answer: “Rest because when you’re very busy rest becomes more and more important, so home is like rest. Then the Dominican, because to me when I think of home it’s like part of my heart is in the Dominican Republic, so everyday there’s a moment in my day where I yearn to be there. And Family because home is where your family is, wherever your family is that’s where your home is.”
Question: If you were cast in a major motion picture and had your choice of anyone to be your costar, who would you choose?
Answer: “Michael Jordan, we would dominate something.”
Question: If you had a full-time staff member that was fully paid for, who would you choose?
Answer: “Definitely a chef, and I don’t know who that chef would be but it would be amazing to not have to worry about cooking or diet. It would just be there for me to eat anytime I need to eat.”
