86 SIDELINES JANUARY 2014
FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE
Starting from Scratch:
USC Aiken Student Founds Eventing Team
By Dani Moritz
A trip to Hitchcock Woods and she was sold.
The University of South Carolina Aiken is where
Marissa Collins was meant to be.
Now in her junior year, she is even more in
love with everything Aiken has to offer – from the
opportunity to live and ride alongside the nation’s
top competitors to the simple things, like horse
silhouettes on street signs and equine statues
decorating the town.
“I love the horse community and the community
in general,” she said. “Everyone is so supportive
and friendly. There are so many opportunities for
equestrians and owning horses is just easier in a
community that revolves around it. I love living in
a town that feels like a horse Disneyland.”
Of course, the move to Aiken from her
hometown of Yarmouthport, Massachusetts,
was also made easier by a love of her school,
USC Aiken. A business major with a focus in
management, Marissa has been very involved at
the university – so involved that she co-founded
the eventing team.
“I knew coming to USC Aiken that the
equestrian program did not include eventing,
in fact most schools didn’t,” she said. “However, the school
recognized that eventing was a huge part of Aiken. There was
talk of incorporating eventing, just nothing done yet. Two other
eventers and I knew that eventing could be huge for the university
and started the process to create a strong group of eventers.”
This was Marissa’s first time founding an organization and it
was a great challenge for her as a young adult. Marissa says
founding the team helped her come out of her shell, taught her
to take on more responsibility and become a more well rounded
individual. She is now the vice president of the team.
“I have thrown myself into everything I could involving the
equestrian program at USC Aiken,” she said. “I have been able
to make many connections with faculty on campus and people
within the community. A few months ago, I was named Aiken
Sunrise Rotary Club USC Aiken Student of the Month.” Marissa
is also interning with the admissions office to help other incoming
equestrian students find their way.
As for the eventing team, it has grown to 15 members – ranging
e
Sidelines Success
from beginners to advanced-level competitors. While some
members compete consistently, others prefer to attend events as
grooms, photographers, videographers and observers. Marissa
competes at training level.
“I love the variety we have,” she said. “I think we all learn from
each other. We all are from different places, at different levels
and have different types of horses. Some of us go and ride each
other’s horses just to get a feel of something different than our
own ride.”
Unlike most equestrian teams, the group has decided to not
designate one trainer and location. Everyone boards and trains
where they want so they can do what works best for them. When
they can, they get together for group trail rides or to school cross-
country and they compete at shows as individuals. They do plan
on participating in team challenges during the spring semester.
Another exciting event for the team is going to the Rolex
Kentucky Three-Day Event. Marissa went with the team for her
first time last year and says she absolutely loved it. She looks
forward to returning this year with new team
members.
Marissa also looks forward to a career in
which she can combine her talents in marketing,
advertising, event planning and social media. She
is even considering continuing to work with USC
Aiken post-graduation. As it turns out, heading
south to Aiken was one of the best decisions she
has made so far.
Editor’s note: You can keep up with Marissa’s adventures in
Aiken on her new blog, “Pacer Pride,” located on the Sidelines
Magazine website (
). Marissa posts
updates about Aiken’s new eventing team and all her adventures
as a student at USC. Good luck with everything, Marissa!
Marissa competing at the September combined test at Highfields in Aiken.
Photo by Barry Koster Photography
The University of South Carolina Aiken’s eventing team.
Photo by team advisor Randy Duckett
