University of Georgia Athletics
Quick Chat: Kendall Gill
October 27, 2022 | Equestrian, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
Georgia equestrian rider Kendall Gill gets to see a very familiar face when she goes out to the UGA Equestrian Complex each day. Her horse, Clyde, is out there, a Bulldog just like she is, and she's even ridden him in a competition once.
During a recent Quick Chat, Gill, a fifth-year senior from Leesburg, Ga., talked about going from an individual sport to being part of a team, seeing her horse Clyde every day, having the same name as a former NBA player, and much more. Here's some of what she had to say:
Frierson: How much do you savor your afternoons out here, especially this time of year when it's cool, the leaves are changing and the setting is just about perfect?
Gill: It's absolutely wonderful coming out here, and it really takes all of the stress away. I'm really thankful for all that we have out here. It's pretty great.
Frierson: What is your favorite part of it? Is it the riding or the time with the horses?
Gill: Definitely the riding, but also being out here with teammates. I think before the team, this was definitely an individual sport that we did growing up. And being able to do something that we love with 60 other girls is really awesome. Some of my best friends are on this team, and I get to see them and ride, which I love.
Frierson: Did you have much team sport experience before you got to Georgia?
Gill: Not a ton. I did play some other sports growing up, but not really past middle school, and I did horse judging during high school.
Frierson: So what was it like when you suddenly had 60 teammates? That's a lot of names to learn and people to get to know.
Gill: It was very refreshing. First off, it's not like there's all the pressure on you to do something like there is when you're just competing for yourself and it's just you and your horse. There are other people here who can help you, and just from the first day everyone was so open-armed and really wanted to see you succeed, whether that was riding or in school. It was definitely a great experience coming onto the team.
Frierson: Based on our last conversation, how is Clyde doing?
Gill: [Laughs] Clyde's doing OK. He's here now, at UGA; he's actually in rehab right now but he's doing good. He's happy and gets lots of peppermints.
Having him here has been, really, a blessing. When was in practices, it was so fun to see my teammates ride him, and to see him in meets, it was really rewarding to see all the work that I did before the team pay off here. That was really awesome.
Frierson: Do you ever ride him in a meet?
Gill: I got to ride him last year in our last home meet, and it was actually more nerve-wracking to ride your own horse — he's your own horse, you should be able to do really well. I think the pressure was probably a little bit more, but in a different way. There wasn't an excuse not to do well. I did get my point that meet, so he was a really good boy. It was a very fun ride and a very good way to end the semester.
Frierson: Last night I interviewed some football players, and before coming out here I talked with a baseball player. Is it kind of fascinating that college sports can encompass all of these different sports and interests and passions? There couldn't be anything more more different from equestrian than, say, football or baseball or swimming, yet you're all Bulldogs. It's all under a really big umbrella.
Gill: It really is. Everyone that comes here for different sports has really different skill sets, but I think at the end we all leave with a lot of new skills that we developed, whether it's how to be on a team, how to do interviews, how to speak to people, how to represent something bigger than yourself. I think that's something that we all collectively gain when we're here.
Frierson: If could experience playing on any other team at Georgia, which would it be?
Gill: I think being a Gymdog would be pretty awesome. They have the showmanship aspect to their sport, too, so I think that would be so much fun to get to do that.
Frierson: Who is the funniest person on this year's team?
Gill: That's a hard question. I have to say H.J. (Hannah Jane) Lucas. She is really funny and always brings great energy. Her speeches are quite uplifting but also make everyone laugh.
Frierson: When you have 60-odd teammates, how do you go about getting to know them all?
Gill: I think it's really just putting in the time at the barn; stopping someone and saying, "How is your day? What's your major? Where are you from?" I think that's the best way to meet new people, and at workouts it's the same thing. Inside of the team, we do things together, as well, to help everyone get to know each other.
I think it's a little overwhelming for the freshmen and it takes them a while to learn all 60 names, but for those of us who are returning, it's only 16-20 names that we have to learn.
Frierson: Given your name, how often do you hear about the former Illinois and NBA player, Kendall Gill?
Gill: I actually had someone ask me one time at a horse show if we were related. They'd heard my name over the loudspeaker. There is no connection but my dad's name is actually Kendall, so that's where it came from. I'm named after my dad.
(This Q&A was lightly edited for length and clarity.)
Staff Writer
Georgia equestrian rider Kendall Gill gets to see a very familiar face when she goes out to the UGA Equestrian Complex each day. Her horse, Clyde, is out there, a Bulldog just like she is, and she's even ridden him in a competition once.
During a recent Quick Chat, Gill, a fifth-year senior from Leesburg, Ga., talked about going from an individual sport to being part of a team, seeing her horse Clyde every day, having the same name as a former NBA player, and much more. Here's some of what she had to say:
Frierson: How much do you savor your afternoons out here, especially this time of year when it's cool, the leaves are changing and the setting is just about perfect?
Gill: It's absolutely wonderful coming out here, and it really takes all of the stress away. I'm really thankful for all that we have out here. It's pretty great.
Frierson: What is your favorite part of it? Is it the riding or the time with the horses?
Gill: Definitely the riding, but also being out here with teammates. I think before the team, this was definitely an individual sport that we did growing up. And being able to do something that we love with 60 other girls is really awesome. Some of my best friends are on this team, and I get to see them and ride, which I love.
Frierson: Did you have much team sport experience before you got to Georgia?
Gill: Not a ton. I did play some other sports growing up, but not really past middle school, and I did horse judging during high school.
Frierson: So what was it like when you suddenly had 60 teammates? That's a lot of names to learn and people to get to know.
Gill: It was very refreshing. First off, it's not like there's all the pressure on you to do something like there is when you're just competing for yourself and it's just you and your horse. There are other people here who can help you, and just from the first day everyone was so open-armed and really wanted to see you succeed, whether that was riding or in school. It was definitely a great experience coming onto the team.
Frierson: Based on our last conversation, how is Clyde doing?
Gill: [Laughs] Clyde's doing OK. He's here now, at UGA; he's actually in rehab right now but he's doing good. He's happy and gets lots of peppermints.
Having him here has been, really, a blessing. When was in practices, it was so fun to see my teammates ride him, and to see him in meets, it was really rewarding to see all the work that I did before the team pay off here. That was really awesome.
Frierson: Do you ever ride him in a meet?
Gill: I got to ride him last year in our last home meet, and it was actually more nerve-wracking to ride your own horse — he's your own horse, you should be able to do really well. I think the pressure was probably a little bit more, but in a different way. There wasn't an excuse not to do well. I did get my point that meet, so he was a really good boy. It was a very fun ride and a very good way to end the semester.
Frierson: Last night I interviewed some football players, and before coming out here I talked with a baseball player. Is it kind of fascinating that college sports can encompass all of these different sports and interests and passions? There couldn't be anything more more different from equestrian than, say, football or baseball or swimming, yet you're all Bulldogs. It's all under a really big umbrella.
Gill: It really is. Everyone that comes here for different sports has really different skill sets, but I think at the end we all leave with a lot of new skills that we developed, whether it's how to be on a team, how to do interviews, how to speak to people, how to represent something bigger than yourself. I think that's something that we all collectively gain when we're here.
Frierson: If could experience playing on any other team at Georgia, which would it be?
Gill: I think being a Gymdog would be pretty awesome. They have the showmanship aspect to their sport, too, so I think that would be so much fun to get to do that.
Frierson: Who is the funniest person on this year's team?
Gill: That's a hard question. I have to say H.J. (Hannah Jane) Lucas. She is really funny and always brings great energy. Her speeches are quite uplifting but also make everyone laugh.
Frierson: When you have 60-odd teammates, how do you go about getting to know them all?
Gill: I think it's really just putting in the time at the barn; stopping someone and saying, "How is your day? What's your major? Where are you from?" I think that's the best way to meet new people, and at workouts it's the same thing. Inside of the team, we do things together, as well, to help everyone get to know each other.
I think it's a little overwhelming for the freshmen and it takes them a while to learn all 60 names, but for those of us who are returning, it's only 16-20 names that we have to learn.
Frierson: Given your name, how often do you hear about the former Illinois and NBA player, Kendall Gill?
Gill: I actually had someone ask me one time at a horse show if we were related. They'd heard my name over the loudspeaker. There is no connection but my dad's name is actually Kendall, so that's where it came from. I'm named after my dad.
(This Q&A was lightly edited for length and clarity.)
Assistant Sports Communications Director John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files. He's also on Twitter: @FriersonFiles and @ITAHallofFame.
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