July 13, 2011
COLUMBIA, S.C. – Rising South Carolina senior Maggie Fortune had her most successful season as a Gamecock in 2010-2011. Fortune posted seven wins during the regular season while earning three MVP awards. She added another three wins during postseason competition, giving her a career-high 10-wins for the season. Her impressive season earned her an honorable mention on the inaugural Varsity Equestrian All-America team in Horsemanship. She recently answered some questions for GamecocksOnline.
What have you been up to during the summer?
“Working, riding, relaxing, and of course getting ready to meet my new teammates and start this season.”
You were elected Captain of the western team at the end of last season… what does it mean to you to be a Captain as a Senior?
“It means I’ve got a big responsibility! But in all seriousness it makes me happy to know the girls have faith in me. Though ultimately I think any one of the rising seniors who ran would do a good job, and that means more to me than anything. I’m pretty sure we are going to have a really strong group of upper-classmen this year.”
How will you use your position as Captain to help out your fellow Western riders?
“For me it’s all about communication. So my primary charge will be to facilitate and direct that communication when needed. When we have trouble it needs to be addressed, when we succeed it needs to be acknowledged, and we need to always be aware of not only our own strengths and weaknesses but also those of our teammates.”
The Western team lost two of its most successful riders (Chloe Gray, Hailey Thornton) at the end of the 2010-2011 season… what will the challenge be for this year’s Western team to make up for those losses?
“Losing Chloe and Hailey is definitely a hit. They’re both riders I’ve looked up to for the last three years and I’d be lying if I said their leaving wont take some getting used to. But that’s really what it is – getting used to it and finding our dynamic for this season. After all, every season requires changes, so we will just make sure we find our rhythm early on.”
You are on the Horsemanship team, and the Horsemanship riders were the most consistent and successful group on the entire team. Why did the Horsemanship team do so well?
“We were each other’s biggest fans and biggest critics all at once. We really did communicate and listen wonderfully – we knew each other as competitors and paid a lot of attention to what was going wrong and what was going right for each rider. Ultimately, we had a solid bond, and once we had that, we had support and confidence. And as we all know, sometimes confidence is worth an awful lot.”
Rising sophomore Johnna Letchworth had a great freshman season in 2010-2011, going 15-2-1 and earning a spot on the Varsity Equestrian All-America team. You have been friends with Johnna before both of you came to South Carolina, so what is it about her that makes her such a good rider?
“Johnna is a competitor. If any of your favorite sports writers were to sit down and outline the ideal competitor I think they would draw her. She is all business when she steps in the ring, and that mindset is contagious – the judge feels it, the horse feels it, her opponent feels it. Experience aside, I think a lot of her success comes from her mentality.”
The majority of last year’s team returns for 2011-2012, so with the growing pains of last season over with, what will this year’s team need to do to compete for a third national championship?
“We definitely had some tough breaks last year. But moving forward the key is going to be to keep our heads on straight, keep our confidence, and not lose sight of our goals – and those goals absolutely include rings. We have the talent, and for the first time since I’ve been a Gamecock, we have experience on our side. We boast a large and impressive junior/senior group, and a lot of this season will be about how well this group can lead. And I anticipate the answer to be quite well.”
What would it mean to you to win a national championship as a senior?
“There aren’t words! And I always have words.”
Equestrian is classified as an emerging sport until 40 schools sponsor it at the varsity level. Currently, 23 schools sponsor the sport of Equestrian… do you feel like the sport will continue to grow and eventually reach championship status?
“I think it can and I think it should. But like anything young, it needs to be properly guided. Last season, in particular, I think a lot of really positive strides were made, but they aren’t over. The subjectivity that plagues this sport’s reputation needs to be minimized and potential new teams need to better understand how many opportunities this sport can give to young women. So do I think Equestrian will reach 40 teams next year? No. But do I think it has enormous potential to do so in the near future? Yeah I do.”
