Champions' TriBUne Archive

By: Shannon Hogue
 
Champions' TriBUne is a special feature through Baylor Athletics that will give you the student-athlete's perspective and tell their story in their voice. Shannon Hogue, a senior from West Chester, Pa., earned All-Big 12 honors in fences last year and has been part of two Big 12 championship teams in her four years at Baylor. She has made trips to Rwanda and Guatemala over the last year and is part of the Baylor Sports Ministry team that will trek to South Africa next month:

My mom tells this story that when I was two or three years old, I would constantly ask her if I could start riding horses. She rode when she was young, but I didn't know that at my age.
 
When I turned eight, my parents bought me a pony named China. She was actually the spawn of Satan, absolutely horrible. I'm not exaggerating. She threw me off every day for six months. She would take off bucking, and there was not much I could do to stop her. I was just done for. There was one time where I had minor gum surgery, and two days later there was a horse show that I really wanted to ride in. I wasn't supposed to be riding, but I begged my mom to let me do it. Like clockwork, China threw me into the fence, and I stood up with blood dripping from my mouth like a little vampire. My mom was about to sue my trainer for selling her to us, because she thought the pony was going to kill me.
 
It was so bad that to this day, I remember the exact moment when she stopped trying to kill me. One day I jumped one jump and she just behaved. I was like, "Oh, is that how this is supposed to go?" Honestly, I think she just thought, "This kid is not going to give up, so I guess I'll give up." She gave up, and I had her for three more years. Looking back, she taught me a lot. There's something special about learning how to ride on a horse that's naughty, because you're learning the basics at the same time that you're learning how to deal when things go wrong.
 
I think that propelled me forward at such a young age because I had to roll with the punches. I just learned how to handle situations like that. That's kind of how my whole career has gone. This sport is very expensive, and we didn't have the means to have a string of six-figure horses. After China, I didn't own another horse until I was 17. In between, I was known around the barn as a kid that would get on any horse – if it was bad, if someone just didn't want to do it. The barn was big, so I had a lot of opportunities to ride a lot of different horses, which has been helpful in this environment, because we ride a different horse every time we compete.
 
When I got my second horse when I was 17, my parents bought it as an investment for me. I rode him for a year, and we just built up his resume and sold him before I came to college. One of my friends that rides on the team at SMU actually bought him. I've always kind of viewed the sport as a business in a way. I learned at a young age not to get too attached because they would always get sold and leave the barn.
 
My mom has been instrumental in my success because she grew up in the industry. Even though we didn't have the means to own all these horses to take me to a top level, she somehow facilitated ways to get me rides that took me to that level anyways, in a way that most moms are not able to do. I call her my momager, but she's seriously the best in that aspect. Really, everything I ever wanted, she found a way to put me in a position to achieve it.
 
In grade school, I did track, soccer, and basketball, but I had to quit all but basketball before high school. Basketball was my favorite, but I eventually had to quit my junior year because for riding we train and compete in Florida over the winter. It was really hard for me to go up to my coach and say, "I can't play this year." But, riding always came first. It's what I really love to do.
 
I found a way to stay involved in high school by doing the books for the boys' and girls' games, which was oddly fun for me. Growing up in sports has been key in this environment, because I knew how to be a team player before I got here, which some people struggle with. It's hard turning a primarily individual sport into a team sport. It's difficult, sometimes, for people to be selfless through this transition. I think a reason why I did well when I first got here is because I understood that when you're on a team, it's not just about you.


 
Baylor appeared on my radar when I was a junior in high school. A friend that I used to ride with when I was young, rode for Baylor. She, along with the hunt seat coach at the time, convinced me that I wanted to be here.

Being a starter as a freshman was a tough transition. There's just some natural tension on a team with 65 girls, and when I was put on the show roster I was taking someone else's spot.
 
My first semester, our student coach was Sam Schaefer, who is an absolute legend in both the collegiate world and the real world. Even though I was unproven in this format, it gave me a lot of confidence that Sam put me in the lineup. I respected her so much. Despite what anyone could have said to me or about me, I would resort to thinking, "If Sam thinks I can do it, I can do it."
 
Sometimes, people think I'm emotionless, especially when I'm riding. I have emotions, I just don't get frazzled. When the girls are nervous I always tell them, "We are gonna make a plan, and if it doesn't work we are gonna make a new plan." If one thing goes wrong, I am pretty good about carrying on and making the rest of the round as perfect as I can. I guess I'm just even-headed; I don't get upset over things. If I win a point, I don't get over the moon thinking I'm amazing. And when I lose, I don't think I suck.
 
There's a lot of uncontrollables in what we do. If the horse is listening to you, you can control it. And if it's not, sometimes you just have to really fake it. You can't control the judge, how the horse is going to be for you, or how the horse is going to be when the next girl gets on it.


 
My freshman year, I didn't show in the postseason because they didn't think I was ready. It was frustrating, because I was sitting on the sidelines, we were not winning, and nothing was changing. I wanted nothing more than for my teammates to ride their bests and win their points. If they win a ring, I win a ring. It's just frustrating when you're on the sidelines and you think you can do something to help the cause, but you don't have the chance to.
 
My sophomore year, I competed in fences the whole year. At the Big 12 tournament, I won both of my points and had the highest score when we won on championship day. That was a really good day, because it was here in Waco and we didn't have the long bus ride home afterwards. How we came together was really special, probably one of my favorite memories, that day and when we won again two weeks ago.
 
When Coach Maxwell came in the summer before my junior year, she brought a lot more structure to the program. At first, we were caught off guard. We were getting emails with spreadsheets and meet day schedules calculated down to the minute. There is just a much greater attention to detail, which has made my time out at the barn much more enjoyable and effective. Coach wants us to perform to our highest potential, and she strives to give us the best means to do that.
 
Coach Mar (Marlena Beckham) is now the full-time hunter seat coach, and we love her so much. She is the college coach that I had always wanted to have. When things go awry, she will ask us what we think went wrong. She knows that we already know when we mess up, so she does not belabor the point, but she helps us to fix it. She knows that it's important for us to be able to understand it and articulate it in order to fix it. Because she was riding at Texas A&M three years ago, she understands how different the pressure is when you're representing a whole team and a university, as opposed to when you're just at home doing it for yourself, when no one else is counting on you.


 
Winning another Big 12 title was really special, because this year's team culture is the best it's ever been. We're all really close friends, which isn't always the case on a team. I honestly couldn't be any more grateful to be here at this time. As seniors, we really wanted this team to be unified and authentic, because when we were freshmen it was kind of intimidating.
 
It hasn't really hit me that this is almost over. It is very surreal, thinking that this week is the last time I'll be competing in that hunter green coat. I'm trying not to think of it like this could potentially be my last college ride. Rather, I have decided to think that this could potentially be my BEST college ride. I believe this is the most prepared we've ever been going into nationals. Our motto for the week is: being all in so that we can go all out. 
 
Next year, I'm planning on getting my MBA in health care administration. I think horses will always be there, my mom loves it so much. I don't think either of us would be okay if I just stopped. There is something special about sharing your passion with your mom.
 
I have a passion for helping people, innovating, and solving problems. The most defining experiences of my life have been going to Rwanda with the entrepreneurship department last summer and then going with sports ministry to Guatemala in December. From my travel experience abroad, I have come to realize that I want my work to impact others in a positive way. It's hard to get over there and make an impact by yourself, so I think if I could work hard here then that would give me the means to then give and serve. I am still figuring out the logistics, but I know it will continue to be a part of my story.
 
A couple weeks ago, Pastor John at Highland was talking about how God whispers at you. I've always wanted Him to scream at me, but I guess that's not how it works. Now I think I hear so many whispers, you would think I'm schizophrenic. Nonetheless, I will keep listening to Him and trusting His plans for me.

Previous Champions' TriBUne Features
Women's Tennis - Angelina Shakhraichuk (April 9, 2019)  
Women's Basketball - Lauren Cox (March 22, 2019)
Track & Field - Wil London (March 7, 2019)
Men's Basketball - Jake Lindsey (March 4, 2019)
Softball - Nicky Dawson (Feb. 21, 2019)
Baseball - Josh Bissonette (Feb. 14, 2019)
Men's Tennis - Will Little (Jan. 31, 2019)
Men's Basketball - King McClure (Jan. 17, 2019)
Women's Basketball - Chloe Jackson (Jan. 3, 2019)
Football - Blake Blackmar (Dec. 13, 2018)
Volleyball - Braya Hunt (Nov. 29, 2018)
Soccer - Jackie Crowther (Nov. 16, 2018)
Cross Country - Alison Andrews-Paul (Nov. 8, 2018)
Football- Ira Lewis (Nov. 6, 2018)