This has been a very tough week as Brook Kaufman, CEO of Visit Rapid City and driving force of creating the Sports Commission, left to become CEO of Visit Corpus Cristi. For those that know Brook know she is one of the most driven people you will encounter, and she will create a lasting impact in Texas as she has in Rapid City.
The Sports Commission will continue to grow but Brook will be missed…
As the winter sports season ends, we want to give a shout out to the Rushmore Thunder Hockey team that is currently competing in the National Tournament and are currently 2-0. They play again today at 1:00, make sure to follow their journey at Nationals by following the Rushmore Thunder on social media.
The Rapid City Sports Association will be hosting their monthly lunch meeting on Wednesday April 2nd and this meeting will be focusing on Legion Baseball in Rapid City with Post 22 and Post 320 presenting on the upcoming season. We will also have State Champion Coach Konrad Reeder present. Konrad just led the Rushmore Thunder to a State Championship and is currently coaching the team at Nationals!
To Register for the lunch meeting please register here – Lunch will be provided so please sign up to ensure we have enough food for everyone.
The evening meeting is where RCSA member will vote for High School Male & Female Athletes of the year. The winners will be announced at our Hall of Fame Banquet on May 5th. We will forward the nominees for each High School soon!
The 2025 HOF class and honorees have been selected, and the list of honorees has been attached. There is a hyperlink to information about some of the honorees attached to their names.
The World Record Track Camp dates have been set July 14-15! For those that remember, this is a track camp where former Olympians & World Record holders will be holding a two day clinic on various events. This is an awesome opportunity to get top notch coaching from former Olympians! Check out the information here – https://worldrecordcamps.com/rapid-city
Here is a story from last year’s camp – Olympic heroes visit Rapid City for World Record Camp
Upcoming Sporting Events
- AAU Wrestling State Tournament – March 28 – 30 – Summit Arena – https://sdwca.net/state/
- Volleyfest Volleyball Tournament – March 29-30 – The Box and SDSM&T – https://www.bhjuniors.com/page/show/6757276-tournament-information
- Black Hills Nationals Wrestling Tournament – April 4-6 – Kjerstad Events Center – https://bhnationals.com/
- Frank Pavich and I were on the Morning show this week promoting the event https://www.kotatv.com/video/2025/03/23/black-hills-nationals-wrestling-tournament-is-coming-rapid-city/
RCSA Member of the year
Pam Junek – Pam has gone above and beyond to assist with events by leveraging her contacts to fill participation gaps to execute events.
HOF Contributor
Jayne Kraemer – Longtime partner for sports hosted at Civic Center/Monument
HOF Contributor
Jared Vasquez – Former AD at Stevens High School, longtime coach in Rapid City
HOF Coach
Wayne Sullivan – Longtime Football Coach at St. Thomas More and various leagues in Rapid City including current GM of Post 22 Baseball
HOF Athlete
Shane O’Connell – Longtime Bareback Bronc rider
Professional Athlete
Jakeb Sullivan – Current Professional football player in Germany (Also son of Wayne Sullivan, honoree)
Independent Athlete
Wyatt Reeder – Leading scorer of State Champion Rushmore Hockey Team, South Dakota Amateur Hockey Association All Time Leading Scorer. Only a Junior!
College Female Athlete
Kyah Watson – D1 basketball player at USD and West Virginia
College Female Athlete
Gracey Brink – NSIC Player of the Year for Softball at Augustana in 2024
College Male Athlete
Connor Hollenbeck – D1 Basketball Player at Idaho State University – # 6 on Sports Center Top 10 – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2oiEu7ezAqo
College Male Athlete
Cale Larson – National Champion Wrestler (149 lbs) at Augustana, member of team that finished 2nd in Nation
