Abita Springs wheelchair tennis champion tells his story | Louisiana inspired

Max Barbier of Abita Springs never dreamed of becoming a college athlete. Born with spina bifida, Barbier was limited in athletics despite being a big sports fan. He discovered wheelchair tennis in high school, and is now a two-time national champion at the University of Alabama.

Barbier studies communications and has the ambition to announce all kinds of sporting events. Although his entire family lives in Abita Springs, he plans to stay in Tuscaloosa after graduation because it has become his home.

How did you discover tennis?

I was 13 or 14, and I didn't really do anything or exercise. My friend who I went to school with with his brother was an able-bodied tennis player and one of the top three in the state. His coach was doing wheelchair tennis clinics, but he had no players.

My friend's mom said, “Hey, why don't you come with me and try it out?”

I had nothing to lose, so we went to Baton Rouge. I jumped on the chair and it went from there. Now I'm here.

Who was the tennis coach who inspired you to try wheelchair tennis for the first time?

Ronnie Walters. He still texts me all the time. He texts me after my tournaments with a 'well done'.

My coach who I work with the most is Johnny Wahlborg in Slidell. He's probably the one who really developed my game. When I got older I went to Johnny, and that got me to a decent level.

What do you like about playing tennis?

It gave me so many opportunities in my life, from being able to go to college to playing a sport, that as a child with a disability you don't really think about.

For many healthy children growing up, that is a possibility. If you grow up with a disability, that is not realistic. Wheelchair tennis gave me the opportunity to go to college, a really great college to be honest, and be able to play a sport I love at a competitive level.

I really like the game the way it is.

Do you have a wheelchair tennis player you look up to?

Shingo Kunieda from Japan. He's currently retired, but he was actually the number one men's player in the world for ten or eleven years in a row.

He dominated the circuit and did everything you could do, won all the big grand slams. I reached out on Instagram after he won a tournament and congratulated him, and he messaged me back. He was already my idol. I had already looked up to him, so that was probably the coolest thing that ever happened to me when it came to tennis. I also met him once or twice in Baton Rouge at the Cajun Classic.

At the point in my career where I am now, I don't expect to ever be a Paralympian or number 1 player like him. But sometimes, when there were days when I wanted to quit, I thought, “Did he ever quit?” Do you really want to stop this? You're studying now. There's no reason to stop. Just keep going.'

What is the most challenging aspect of being a wheelchair tennis player?

The most challenging aspect is that we don't get the credit we deserve. I think, as any wheelchair athlete will tell you, they don't get the credit they deserve.

People don't think of them as someone who is a college football player or a college basketball player.

We are a bit in the shadows, but we work really hard every day. We go to the weight room or practice or do whatever every other college athlete has to do. But you get twice as much credit. So it's disheartening in a way.

What do you want people to know about adaptive athletics?

We live everyday life hard enough as it is. Despite all the work we put in, more people should be watching.

Even though some things in our sports are different, they are still very interesting to watch. If people would just take one chance to come and watch it, we could really grow the sport into what it needs to be.

What does it mean to you to be a national champion?

Each of them means something different to me because I was on a team of eight my freshman year and didn't get much playing time that year. To be honest, I didn't deserve it. I wasn't very good then.

The second one means the most to me because we did it with a team of three guys and I really got a lot of playing time. It means I have achieved one of the highest things you can achieve in my sport at the collegiate level.

Who are your heroes outside of tennis?

My parents, because without them none of this would be possible. They supported me and made sure I was taken care of and everything went well.

I would also say: my grandfather. He is a great influence in my life. He is a very big hero of mine.

Do you have any advice for children with disabilities who want to play college sports?

First, start early and find a sport you enjoy.

I would also like them to know that anything is possible, if you really put your mind to it. If you work hard at whatever sport you choose, you can get noticed by these coaches. It's not super difficult.

It takes a certain level of talent and hard work to get to where I am today, but I would like them to know that it is possible. If you keep your mind and work hard, there's no reason you can't do what I do. Don't give up on your dreams.