Name: Max Barry
Born: Jacksonville
Major: Management
Year: Junior
Hobbies: Going to the beach, traveling and speaking French and Spanish
Max Barry seems to have a familiar face you’ve possibly seen around campus before, and chances are, you have. If he wasn’t in one of your classes or in front of you at the line at Starbucks, you’ve probably seen him cheering on the Gators at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on Saturdays. Barry is a UF cheerleader, as well as an active Florida Cicerone campus tour chair and is involved with UF’s Dance Marathon.
Her Campus: When did you start cheerleading?
Max Barry: “I first started cheerleading as a freshman in college. I had never done it in high school or anything, but after one of my friends dared me to email the coaches and join, I never looked back.”
HC: Did you ever get made fun of for being a male cheerleader?
MB: “I’ve been teased about being a male cheerleader, but it was always playful teasing. Nothing serious. More often, people find it very cool and interesting.”
HC: What is your favorite sporting event to cheer at and why?
MB: “My favorite sporting event to cheer at is definitely football. There is nothing like standing on the field right before the team is about to run out and seeing 90,000 fans screaming and cheering for the Gators. It seriously is a feeling unlike any other. I get chills every time.”
HC: What is your most memorable experience as a UF cheerleader?
MB: “My most memorable experience as a cheerleader has to be when FSU came to Florida last season. It was right before the game was about to start and both marching bands lined up in the middle of the field facing each other, kind of like a face-off. I just remember feeling so much pride for UF at that moment, given it being such a big rivalry. I just remember getting so many chills and looking at my coach with so much excitement. Although it didn’t turn out to be a good game for us, at that moment in time, I was just so pumped for the game.”
HC: What is the most difficult thing about cheering that most people wouldn’t normally know about?
MB: “I would have to say the most difficult thing about cheerleading is that most people don’t know that it requires a lot of physical strength and endurance. For example, not only do I have to throw my partner in the air and catch her, but on any given football gameday I have to stay in uniform and perform for up to eight hours. We practice like any other sports team and work until our jobs are done. We try to do the best we can.”
HC: Do you have any advice for anyone who is trying cheerleading for the first time?
MB: “My advice for someone trying it for the first time would be to be patient. People that have been on the team for a while may make things looks easy, but we all had to work hard and take the time to get where we are right now. So, be patient and be open-minded!”
Photo Courtesy of Max Barry