BHSU rodeo team receiving more than just ‘moral support’
Starla Lyon
May 6, 2008
It’s been four years since the Black Hills State University rodeo team was re-instated and once again joined the ranks as an official school team sport. With the help of numerous volunteers and fundraisers, the team boasts 14 traveling members this year.
Seven Downs Arena near Spearfish, SD hosted the Will Lantis Yellow Jacket Stampede as they have for the past four years. The competition was fierce as students who traveled long distances from every corner of the massive sized Great Plains Region converged at the arena east of Spearfish to do what they do best.
“We are one of the area’s best kept secrets,” said Faculty Advisor Faye LaDuke-Pelster. “We have great facilities and the kids here are extremely motivated.”
Seven Down Arena allows the team members to use the indoor facility for practices and many of the students board their horses right there on location.
“I brought my own calves down and we get roping cattle from other places as well,” said BHSU sophomore Cheryl Cowan. “This year’s rodeo went well and we all worked really hard to get everything done. It’s really been nice to have that facility to use.”
Haling from Turner, MT, Cowan is majoring in Biology with a Chemistry minor and plans to pursue a career in Pharmacy.
“Faye and her husband Chad have been great and helped us a lot,” continued Cowan. “Robin Temple has been great as well. We’ve had a lot of help from a lot of good people. We wouldn’t be here without them all.”
The BHSU men’s team currently holds the fifth position in the regional standings and the women are currently sitting seventh.
Yellow Jacket team member Charles “Chuck” Schmidt won the saddle bronc event at the Yellow Jacket rodeo and is currently sitting second in the region. The sophomore History major who hales from Keldron, SD, said he has too many mentors to name when it comes to folks who have helped him over the years.
“My dad has always been supportive and helped me to break my rides down,” said Schmidt. “We would watch the video tapes and talk about it a lot and that helps.”
Schmidt went on to say that while he really doesn’t have a venue in which to practice formally, he tries to go to as many schools and rodeos as he can.
“This is the first year I’ve missed Brad Gjermundson’s school up in Dickinson (ND). The very first bronc I ever got on was at Korkow’s school there at the ranch near Blunt (SD). Right now I just try to go to any rodeo just to get on.”
As is important with any organization, community support is imperative to the success of a college rodeo team. Spearfish and the surrounding area are certainly no different.
“Courtney Higgins with RodeoRigs.com sponsored the team jackets this year and has for the past four years,” said Laduke-Pelster. “He’s been great as have been other local businesses such as First Western Bank and Claire Donovan.”
In addition, the team hosts a Cowboys and Candlelight benefit dinner and entertainment each February.
“Joe and Cindy Painter kind of helped spearhead the project to get the rodeo club going again,” said club supporter and respected community member, Claire Donovan. “This is just a fantastic group of young people. They are good for the college and community and they represent us all very well.”
College President Kay Schallenkamp had some great things to say about the team as well. Schallenkamp came to Spearfish two years ago from Kansas where she served as president of another university. Although she has no real background in rodeo, she is very proud of the young people on the team and the accomplishments they’ve made.
“When I arrived, rodeo had been re-instated as a school sanctioned team sport,” she said. “These kids are savvy. They made sure I saw the good things they do and I took notice. They are a phenomenal group of young people and I look forward to watching this program increase and grow.”
“The history of rodeo at Black Hills State is rich with stories, personalities and success,” said local radio personality and PRCA rodeo announcer Jim Thompson. “Unfortunately it has come almost exclusively on the strength of the young people in the program. There have been some great adults who have taken responsibility for the students. Lil and Gordon O’dell gave many unpaid hours of support and Josh Sand helped and more recently the revival in interest has come from rodeo parents Joe and Cindy Painter. But the administration has by and large, ignored the rodeo program, prayed for no injuries or police reports, and offered moral support.
“Jerry Willuweit of Quinn, SD offered the best line while a student ‘a hundred years ago’ at Black Hills State,” Thompson continued. “The team had done well and was sending several students to the College National Finals Rodeo and the president came to see them. ‘Kids’ he said, ‘We’re so proud of you, we’d like to offer all the moral support we can muster.’ ‘Thank you,’ Jerry said, ‘Mr. President, we appreciate your moral support, but what we could really use is some travel money.’ President Kay Schallenkamp is finally offering more than just moral support and the results should be staggering in positive reaction.”