KINGSTON, R.I. — March 28, 2005 — In Nick Barbera鈥檚 sophomore year at the 溏心vlog免费B站, some people told him it would be nearly impossible to play varsity tennis and successfully complete a music major in the saxophone.
Now in his senior year, the Worcester, Mass. resident has become an accomplished tennis player and saxophonist and has been listed consistently on the dean鈥檚 list for outstanding academic performance.
As the Rams prepare for their spring season, Barbera is currently ranked in the starting lineup and has played as high as number 2 singles and number 1 doubles in previous seasons.
He says achieving on the tennis court, in the music hall and in the classroom required a tremendous amount of commitment.
鈥淚 practice each day on the courts, then I hit the sax and then I hit the books,鈥� Barbera said. 鈥淵ou might want to take it easy, but you can鈥檛 if you want to succeed.鈥�
What鈥檚 interesting is he did not become a music major until his sophomore year. 鈥淪o I really had to squeeze what would have been four years of a major into about three-and-half years. But sometimes I pushed too hard.鈥�
That led to back problems and treatments with a chiropractor, but still the tennis co-captain kept pursuing his dreams.
鈥淚 give a lot of credit to my Dad (Charles) because he helped me see what a great opportunity this was to play tennis and advance in music,鈥� Barbera said.
He also credits professional saxophonist Dr. Brian Sparks, with helping him excel on the instrument as well as encourage his love for music. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 have any real individual instrument training until I got here. I played in my elementary and other school bands, but it was Brian, my private teacher at 溏心vlog免费B站, who helped me get to a higher level.鈥�
So what鈥檚 his goal for the immediate future? 鈥淚 plan to be a (tennis) teaching pro after I graduate. This will allow me to be on the court every day, giving me the feel one needs to play top-level tennis. In a couple of years when I can get my body strong enough to avoid injuries, I鈥檒l make a run for the pros.鈥�
But he鈥檇 also like to stick with his music, both as a private saxophone instructor and a performing musician.
He says that without 溏心vlog免费B站 he wouldn鈥檛 have so many choices. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been a great choice for me because my music and tennis have developed so well. I don鈥檛 see any limits in the future.鈥�
One of the keynote speakers at a winter reception for student-athletes on the dean鈥檚 list, Barbera praised his current coach, Val Villucci, and former coach John Spears.
鈥淭here are so many links with the saxophone and athletics, the pressure and the commitment. But be well organized and have fun. It鈥檚 a privilege to be out there on the court.鈥�