Quick Chat: Sophia Pilla

By John Frierson
Staff Writer

Sophia Pilla will have some very familiar company on the Georgia equestrian team next year. Her younger sister, Sienna, signed with the Bulldogs on Wednesday.

A Jumping rider from Ridgefield, Conn., Pilla earned All-American and All-SEC honors last season. After playing some team sports as a young girl, Pilla focused on riding, a much more individual pursuit, for many years before coming to Georgia. She said being a part of the team at Georgia has made her college experience very special.

During a recent Quick Chat, Pilla talked about her sister joining the team, her start in equestrian, what she enjoys most about being out at the UGA Equestrian Complex in Bishop, and much more. Here's some of what she had to say:

Frierson: What is your favorite thing about coming out here each day?

Pilla: There are so many. I would say coming out to the barn is a little bit of a break from reality. Just getting to come out here and be with the horses is my favorite part, probably, and practice with my teammates. Just getting to be out here, have fun, and be around the animals we all love is therapeutic in a way.

Frierson: Has college equestrian been about what you expected when you first got here?

Pilla: Coming into college is definitely different for English (riders), especially, because (outside of college) it's all individual and you don't really have many opportunities to be on a team and represent something bigger than yourself. I've really loved and appreciated opening that door here at Georgia

Getting to be a part of something much bigger than yourself is a truly amazing thing that I hadn't experienced for a while. I played team sports as a little girl, but I had to quit that at a young age to dedicate all of my time to riding. Getting to get back into that is kind of the best of both worlds for me. I loved horses and that was what I was best at as a kid, and getting to do that with 50-60 other girls is amazing.

Frierson: When you get here and you suddenly have those 50 or 60 teammates, was that almost a little overwhelming at first?

Pilla: A little bit, I would say, just because there's so much talent on this team. And getting the opportunity to compete and be competitive yourself but also helping each and every one of us learn how to do better and lift each other up and be that strong support system for each other, that was something I had never really been given the opportunity to do that.

Being put in that situation where we can all work toward a collective goal is something that is amazing and was very different at first for me because I hadn't been in a team situation in a long time. And I couldn't be more thankful for that because it has just been amazing, and a very good growth opportunity for me.

Frierson: Do you come from a riding family?

Pilla: I don't come from a horse background. My mom was a swimmer, and my dad was a soccer player, so sports have always been in our family. I tried every sport under the sun [laughs], and ended up going soccer and equestrian. I ended up having to pick one day and went with equestrian, and I'm sure my dad was a little bit upset about that one because he was so into soccer and so was his father.

But they've always supported me in that decision and have always been that backbone for me.

Frierson: How did you first get introduced to equestrian?

Pilla: It was my mom. She randomly signed me up for a pony camp one day in the summer when I was around five or six years old. I think it was a two-week program, and ever since then, I was hooked and always just wanted to be around horses, no matter what. It kind of took off from there.

Frierson: In a perfect world, what are you doing in 10 years?

Pilla: In 10 years, I'd probably like to be back home up North, and my dream is to work for our family business. Getting to work with my dad after college and carrying it from there, I see myself doing that.

It's Pilla Performance Eyewear, so he sells and manufactures sports eyewear for various sports. He started in shooting sports and has spread into archery and is trying to get into stick and ball sports, and potentially cricket and stuff like that.

Frierson: How exciting is it to have your sister joining the team next year?

Pilla: I'm super excited. I couldn't be more proud of her; she's worked really, really hard, and just being able to be here with her for one year, I'm so excited, and I can't wait to see all of the things that she does. We're five years apart, so we've never gone to the same school, just because we've been that one year off.

Getting to experience this with her is going to be such an amazing opportunity. And I know it's going to bring us even closer.

Frierson: Did you have to do much recruiting to get here to choose Georgia?

Pilla: It did not take much convincing. I think from the first time she visited, Georgia kind of stole her heart as it did mine. We're very alike in that sense. We fell in love with the school and this program.

(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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Sophia Pilla

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