If you find yourself on the edge of your seat at a soccer game on AU’s campus, you’ll likely spot a white jersey with the number 20 on it. That jersey belongs to Vinny Barone. The Pittsburg native, a junior here at AU, divides his time between being a member of our D1 team, studying health promotion with a minor in marketing, and working as the associate equipment manager for the Varsity Athletic Equipment office. Her Campus American sat down with Barone to discuss what it’s like being an athlete on AU’s campus, who inspires him, and more.
Her Campus American University: How long have you been playing for?
Vinny Barone: I started around age four.
HCAU: Wow, that’s a long time! What is your favorite part of being a member of the AU athletic community?
VB: Ever since I came here freshmen year, starting with the coaching staff, you feel very welcomed – to like a family oriented community. It’s passed down from the coaches to teammates. When I came freshmen year, I didn’t have that feeling of like, “no one’s here with you.” That’s why I’ve really enjoyed this program so far – I know it’s cliché, but it’s like one big family.
HCAU: Awesome! So what’s it like balancing life as a student, having a job and being a varsity athlete?
VB: It’s very hard. But, Ashley Rozendaal – she’s my athletic academic advisor – meetings with her, seeing her all the time has really helped. She’s very good at planning, organizing and helping you, essentially, figure out your life! I would say she’s a big part of my time management here! My freshmen and sophomore years were when I was really bad at time management, but now I’ve kind of moved on to be more “adult-ish” in that sense.
HCAU: Time management can be tough, there’s no doubt about that. So how else are you involved on campus?
VB: I definitely want to work towards graduate school. My passion, honestly, is health and fitness; so another person I look up to is our strength coach here, Sean Foster. Any sort of health promotion outreach is what I’m interested in.
HCAU: How has being an athlete helped you in your personal and everyday life?
VB: Being an athlete is more than the sport aspect of it. It teaches you a lot of other things: team building, leadership and responsibility. I feel like being an athlete, especially at this university, teaches you all those important morals that you can pass on later in your life when you’re finished with athletics.
HCAU: Tell us about a specific soccer player whose career you admire. Why do you admire his or her career?
VB: I would have to say Cristiano Ronaldo – that’s a big player I look up to. If you follow his career and how he was brought up – he was from Portugal, born into a very poor family, his dad passed away when he was young, so it was just him and his mother. I think when he was around eight years old, she sent him to Lisbon and he played for that club without his family nearby; but somehow still managed to be successful – it was his hard work and dedication. I kind of can see myself relating to him. I’m a very family oriented guy and being away from them definitely takes its toll on me, but I like to relate to him in that way. If someone like him can do it, why not me?
HCAU: Now that is the right attitude to have – why not me! So what advice would you give to other college athletes?
VB: It sounds a bit weird to say, but never giving up. Especially here at American, we’re a very competitive Division 1 team. You’ve definitely got to have thick skin, be able to take constructive criticism and you’ve really got to love what you’re doing.
HCAU: You mentioned earlier that you really admire Ronaldo’s career. If you could pick one team to play for, which would it be?
VB: Hmm, probably Juventus FC in Turin, Italy. It’s a funny story as to why – when I was probably eight years old my dad went to go visit my cousins in Italy. When he came back, he brought me back an Alessandro Del Piero jersey. He played for Juventus, and my dad brought me back that jersey and I was like, “Wow, I want to have my name on that jersey.” That was very inspiring for me.
HCAU: That’s fantastic! Well, to wrap it up, is there anything else we should know about you?
VB: I’m very religious – I feel that God always has a plan. So my freshman year I came in, I played a couple of games, and then I tore my ACL. So I didn’t play at all my freshman year; I was out for eight or nine months. I tore my ACL October 2014 and I got cleared in July 2015. So, I personally believe that having the faith that God will do good things for you helped me get back on the field. Now every game before I play, I say a prayer to Him and to my Papi. One thing I do before every game or before I step on the field is that I say a prayer for him, make sure he’s looking down on me, and to just stay healthy and be successful.
All photos provided by Vinny Barone.