University of Georgia Athletics
Georgia Soccer Q&A: Sophomore Madeline Barker
December 02, 2011 | Soccer
Dec. 2, 2011
ATHENS, Ga. ---- Sophomore midfielder Madeline Barker is a key power player and ideal teammate on the Georgia Bulldogs soccer team. From her experience, she proved she could be a strong contributor to any team. Barker set the school record for most career assists as a four-year varsity starter and team captain at Greater Atlanta Christian, earning her 2007 and 2010 Offensive Player of the Year awards and an ESPNRISE Georgia State All-Star selection. She stepped up for her rookie year at UGA, adding depth on the right wing throughout her freshman year with two assists and 12 shots, eight on goal. Barker kept that momentum going as she scored her first career goal in the first game of her sophomore year against Furman. Her speed and spark off the bench helped her finish the year with three goals after taking 14 shots, seven on goal, and tallying one assist. Barker shares her thoughts on the 2011 season and her deep ties to the University of Georgia in this edition of Bulldog Q&A.
Q: How do you feel about the 2011 season?
A: I feel like as a team, we gave everything we had to give. We walked off the field after Duke with clear conscience and no regrets. We played for each other, for our seniors, and for the love of the game. From pre-season all the way to the Duke game, we got through it all as a family. For the rest of my career here at UGA, the goal is to just keep getting better as a team each year, to keep setting goals for ourselves and doing everything we can to achieve them. My freshman year, we didn't make it to the NCAA tournament. As a sophomore, we went to the second round. All you can ask is to keep improving, and to keep moving forward in a positive direction. We will shoot for the stars again next year, and play for the chance to make history for this program.
Q: If you weren't playing soccer, what other sport would you want to play?
A: If I were not a soccer player, I think it would most definitely be a toss up between football and gymnastics. Unfortunately I'm not a boy, so football may be out of the question.
Q: What's your favorite part about playing soccer?
A: I think my favorite part about playing soccer is having the opportunity to play for something or for someone other than myself. I'm not just representing myself on the field, but I am playing for my family and friends and more importantly, for this university. That's something so few people in this world can say. Playing soccer gives me a feeling of accomplishment, and a feeling that I doing exactly what I was designed to do.
Q: Why did you choose to play for UGA?
A: This one is simple. I was born a bulldog. My entire family went here, and I intended on fulfilling the legacy. My family bleeds red and black and I knew from day one that if I were good enough to play at Georgia, then no one else stood a chance.
Q: What are your personal goals for next season?
A: I think my personal goals for next season are obviously to just improve myself as a player. Just to focus on the things I need to become better at, and putting the time and effort into making it happen.
Q: Why did you start playing soccer?
A: I started playing soccer at the ripe ole' age of three and a half. I didn't even know what I wanted to eat for breakfast at that age. My parents still ran the show back then, and I praise the Lord that they threw me into every type of activity possible. I don't think there is a sport in this world that I haven't been signed up for at one point or another. I am so grateful to them for that. It molded me into who I am today.
Q: What's your favorite food?
A: Mexican. For sure.
Q: What's your favorite movie?
A: This varies quite frequently, but I tend to stick to romantic comedies.
Q: What is something that people would be surprised to know about you?
A: I'm terrified of snakes. And I'm obsessed with Britney Spears.
Q: What are two words that you would use to describe yourself, on the field or off the field?
A: Passionate and Tenacious.
Q: What does it mean to you to be a Georgia Bulldog?
A: Being a Georgia Bulldog is more than just describing what mascot represents our school. Being a Bulldog means much more to me than that. My entire family went to UGA, and being apart of this school has been a way of life for our family. My uncle John (Griffen) played football here for Vince Dooley and has the great pleasure of possessing an SEC championship ring, something in which I attend on attaining while here at UGA. I came home from the hospital in a UGA onesie, for crying out loud! Being apart of this school is an honor, and something that I will proudly carry with me for the rest of my life. I hope that one day my children will be cheering for the Bulldogs on game days and that the family traditions will carry on for generations to come.