Getting to Know... Barry Munkasy
8/30/2009 2:15:00 AM | General
Dr. Barry Munkasy, professor at Georgia Southern University and head cheerleading coach.
What is your favorite moment on game day?
Being at the stadium in the quiet still before the masses arrive knowing what will ensue a few hours later.
What gets you through the long days of practice, performing and competition?
Watching the cheerleaders grow as adults and become better cheerleaders.
What Georgia Southern moment will you always remember?
Oh, the moments I have lived through...there is never a dull moment when you are responsible for 40 college-aged adults. I guess what comes to mind is winning the Football National Championship in Chattanooga and the Cheerleading National Championship in Daytona. Both represent significant moments in the life of a cheerleader.
How did you get involved in coaching cheerleading?
I was a high school and college cheerleader and when I graduated I moved back home and helped my sister's team. Then the job at the University of Miami opened and I got that.
What is the hardest part about balancing your day job as a professor with your position as cheerleading coach?
Having the chance to eat properly. I still haven't figured that one out yet.
Can you tell if the fans are into a game or how can you help get fans into the game?
I can tell. I live for the spark. Those are moments of absolute clarity to me. There is a palpable buzz in the air that feels like a static charge all around. All that's missing is someone, hopefully my cheerleaders, creating the SPARK that sets it off. The controlled mayhem is exhilarating!
What do you want to accomplish for GSU Cheerleading?
My goal is to create a first-breath program. That is, when people talk about elite cheerleading, the name Georgia Southern comes out with their first breath.
Nobody knows how much...
Georgia Southern cheerleaders invest in their University.
What is your personal motto?
I have two. The first was instilled in me by a baseball coach when I was young - "Results not Reasons." The second, I think, sums up my cheerleading perspective is from the movie Gladiator - "Win the Crowd."
What question does everyone ask you?
Who is GUS?
Who is GUS?
I'll never tell.
