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Each year the association selects honorees who’ve shown dedication and passion for the sport of high school rodeo in South Dakota. Phil and Terri Kissack of Spearfish, South Dakota were recently named the 2015 South Dakota High School Rodeo “Persons of the Year.”
Passion and dedication are two very good words to describe how the  Kissack’s    feel about rodeo. Phil and Terri grew up in the rodeo community. Both competed when they were in high school. Terri competed for the Faith rodeo team and Phil rode for Spearfish.
In 1974, Terri earned the the National High School Girls Cutting Championship aboard a horse her dad, South Dakota Cutting Horse Hall of Fame trainer Darrel Griffith, had trained and shown. Her senior year, she was the South Dakota breakaway, cutting and all-around champion. Phil stayed busy running his family’s farming operation outside of Spearfish, but he made high school rodeo a priority and competed in team roping and tie-down roping.
Fast forward a number of years to when Phil and Terri’s two oldest children were in high school. Jesse and Billie Jo excelled in sports, but they loved competition outside the rodeo arena. Phil and Terri spent their time traveling to baseball and basketball games, and “loved every minute of it.”
In 2006, their youngest son Dane entered high school and their world shifted back to rodeo. Dane had competed in the Junior and Little Britches ranks, and his involvement in High School Rodeo was an exciting next step. That year Terri became the advisor for the Spearfish/Belle Fourche rodeo club, a position she held for five years.
In 2007 Phil became a Host Site committee member and a state director, roles  he served in until 2014. Over the past ten years, the Kissacks have invited countless high school kids to come and practice at their arena, oftentimes helping them with their horses and horsemanship. Terri has found a fun niche judging queen contests, and recently, Terri and Phil joined forces to co-judge the Deadwood “Days of 76” queen competition.
Phil joined the Host Site committee in its second year of hosting the State High School Finals rodeo. He quickly got to work organizing community support to improve the city’s rodeo grounds, and a partnership between the State High School Finals committee and the Black Hills Round-Up committee was born. The group hauled in sand to improve the grounds, installed drain tile under the arenas, and purchased new bucking chutes, roping chutes, and holding pens. They also enlarged both arenas, the cutting pen, and the warm up arena.
“I wanted to try and make the privilege that Belle Fourche had to host the event as an ongoing thing. We wanted to make it better every year,” said Phil.
“I’d describe Phil as the quiet person behind the scenes who’s making sure everything goes smoothly all week long,” commented Terri.
“I remember one year, it rained like crazy during the [state high school] finals, and Phil went and worked the ground all night long,” said Terri. “Then he talked them into starting the rodeo two hours late so the ground could be just right for the kids. He served because he loves the sport of rodeo and he loves seeing kids compete and work so hard at something.”
The work ethic of the contestants is a quality Terri and Phil believe is unique about the sport. They also appreciate the family-centric nature of the competitions.
“Rodeo is a really unique sport because you compete as an individual, yet the whole rodeo community is like a family. When one family sees another family in need of a horse, a place to practice, or advice, it’s freely given,” said Terri. “I like that you’re more in control of the direction of your kids. There’s so much family time to be had driving to and from rodeos, versus them riding to a game in a bus.”
“As we helped with high school rodeo, our mission focused on how rodeo builds character in everyone who participates,” said Terri. “Some will never be involved with horses again, while others will get full ride scholarships to rodeo in college. Yet their experiences in high school rodeo help them be successful in their future lives.”
“I feel very honored by this recognition, but I’m also very humbled knowing how many people are doing exactly what we’ve done to help the sport of rodeo in South Dakota. I’d like to share this honor with those people,” said Terri.
“We do it because somebody else was doing it for us when we were kids,” smiled Phil.

Macy Fuller has spent her time since graduating from Central Arizona Community College searching for a barrel horse for the CNFR. “I’ve tried four so far,” said the defending Women’s All Around Champion, who is entered in three events this year – barrels, breakaway, and goat tying – the same events she has qualified for in the past four years. “My black horse is out until September, so I need to find one for the whole summer. The barn at the college finals is tiny, and indoors, so I am looking for a horse that fits that as well as the big outdoor arenas that I’m used to running in.”
Her favorite event is a toss-up between tying goats and breakaway. “The goat tying I’ve really studied and I can give a lot more back with my style,” said the young lady that spends endless hours coaching students. “People ask me what I’m going to do when my career is over – and it’s not – it’s just beginning. I’ve got an outstanding stud and I want to give him every opportunity that I can.” The stud is Heza Judge of Honor, and she is excited to enter him in futurities. The other thing Macy is excited about is giving back all her goat tying knowledge to her students. “I have a few schools for the summer, but I like to do it over and over with my students and watch them progress slowly. When I’m in Arizona I have a goat practice every Tuesday night and we have fun and hang out. You really get to know them and that’s what I want – a long term relationship with the kids to make sure they are getting the most out of it that they can.”
The style she teaches is one that she picked up through the years with the help of her mom, Karen, who made the college finals and was reserve champion goat tier. “I didn’t ever go to any clinics – it was me figuring new things out. Some kids use the style now – I get off late and flank by the collar and gather in the air. I don’t hang on the side of my horse at all. My horse is truly amazing and is so fast – when he feels me make a slight move, he slows down.” Now that her career chasing a goat tying title is about over, she is excited to have sold this amazing horse. “I’ve had him since he was six and he’s 19. Kaiden Ayers is the new owner – from California. I can’t wait … she has fire in her eye and likes to go fast so it’s a perfect match.”
Macy got her start in rodeo through her dad, Mike, who was rodeoing hard when Macy was young. “When I was three weeks old, I’d been in 17 states while my dad was trying to make the NFR. I actually enjoy being in a truck – I don’t think I’ll ever stop traveling. It’s too much fun and I can’t imagine staying at home. I love to see new people and new rodeos and have fun going.” Mike finished 16th a couple different times, missing the NFR by just a few hundred dollars. He and Karen were college rodeo coaches at LCSC in Washington State, which is where Macy grew up. She continues to hold the record at the National High School Rodeo Association as the only person to win seven consecutive All Around championships at the junior high and high school level. She had plenty of opportunities to practice during those years in Washington and credits her dad with training all the horses she rides today.
“He makes sure that if one’s down, I’ve got another one,” said Macy. “He and my mom always make sure I have the best opportunity I can have. She’s been the one on the phone telling me where to go to try horses.” Macy is an only child, something she has liked. “I am spoiled and I appreciate everything that’s been done for me. I don’t take anything for granted.”
Macy started giving back her knowledge when she was in grade school. “I went to a school of 17 kids and there was a kid at school in the special needs program. I decided to make a change and became his best friend. I still stay in touch with him, but that friendship made a difference in my life. As long as I have something to offer and someone asks me for help, I’m going to give it to them. I’m sure if I’m stuck somewhere, I’m going to ask for help too.” Macy wasn’t involved in any school activities. “I played basketball for a couple years, but it cut into my riding time. My horses are my babies. They have shavings in their stalls and blankets on. They truly are like having kids. I’ve always been like that. Making sure they are comfortable and happy makes me happy.”

Laughter is a precious commodity for “Backflip” Johnny Dudley. The rodeo clown, dubbed for his backward springs, has been splitting sides and spreading smiles at rodeos since 2006, but his dedication to his work is no laughing matter. “It’s my passion!” says the 37 year old from Aubrey, Texas. “I tell people all the time that I’d be a rodeo clown for free, I love it so much. I’m a certified air traffic controller, and I could be making $180,000 a year, but I love being a rodeo clown.”
Though built like a steer wrestler at 6’3”, Johnny’s only ties to rodeo were the local rodeos in Dayton, Texas, that he and his family went to in the summer. The antics of the rodeo clowns were a highlight for Johnny, but by the time he was in third grade, his parents had divorced and he and his mom moved to Groesbeck, Texas. No more rodeos or rodeo clowns until 1999 on the Marine Corps base in Beaufort, S.C.. Johnny was 21 and had joined the Marines immediately after graduating high school. A rodeo was being held on the base and Johnny, who had no intention of going, was volunteered into taking tickets at the gate for the first half of the rodeo. He found a seat in the bleachers for the second half and unknowingly met his future. “I was paying attention to the clowns, and this short, chunky, older guy runs into the stands and sits on a good looking blonde lady’s lap,” Johnny says, recounting one of his favorite stories. “Her husband laughed, and a light bulb went on for me.” Johnny met the clown after the rodeo and was offered a role in his clown act the following night. “I bought some big pants and makeup and showed up as a clown. In my mind, I was thinking I’d be a clown, not a prop,” Johnny recalls humorously. “The fire was lit!”
After getting out of the Marines in 2004, Johnny found the practice bull riding arena in his hometown of Dayton, Texas, and started learning to fight bulls twice a week. “I knew that bull fighting was my gateway to being a clown. I was young and athletic, and the guy who owned the practice pen also produced several local rodeos, so he hired me to clown for him. Cleveland, Texas, was my first rodeo. I made $50.” At the same time, Johnny attended San Jacinto College in Pasadena, Texas, paying for his degree in international business with his rodeo income and Montgomery G.I. Bill. He also continued to attend rodeos and study how other rodeo clowns worked. The experience wasn’t always comfortable. Some people were more welcoming than others, and a few rodeo clowns wanted nothing to do with the competition. “I didn’t have any buckles or boots,” says Johnny. “I was just some guy out of the Marines that wanted to learn! I didn’t know the rodeo terminology – I just wanted to clown.” Yet the people who were willing to help Johnny influenced one of today’s funniest men in ProRodeo. These included Rudy Burns and Lecile Harris, two of Johnny’s rodeo clown idols. “Rudy helped me with anything I wanted and sold me one of his clown cars. I learned from the old guys, so I’m more of a traditional clown. I’m not much for dancing around or clapping – I like to tell jokes and do clown acts.”
Johnny has six different acts and a slew of jokes at the ready for what he calls “situational comedy”. “I don’t go out with a plan,” Johnny explains, “I just go out and wait for something to trigger a joke in my mind. It could be a girlfriend and boyfriend walking down the bleacher, or a guy with long hair. I want to relate to the crowd with a current situation that’s happening, not just tell little Johnny jokes out of nowhere.” None of Johnny’s banter with the rodeo announcer is ever scripted, and his title backflips are also spontaneous. The crowd pleasing maneuver is one of Johnny’s childhood talents that started with showing off for the girls at the swimming pool. Of the thousands of backflips he has made, only two have gone awry – once at a PBR event in Salt Lake City when the fence gave way beneath him, resulting in a broken neck, and one other rodeo where he slipped and barely made his rotation in time.
Johnny is also known for his electric blue wig and large foam cowboy hat, courtesy of any mall in Texas. One of his best known acts is Cow Patty, performed to Jim Stafford’s song of the same title, completed by a mechanical bull mounted on a three wheeler, blowing smoke out the nostrils and shooting water from the rear. Another favorite act involves Johnny’s skunk, Rosie. His first skunk, Flower, was in the act for six years before passing away, and now Rosie performs to the frightened delight of rodeo audiences. “Everyone thinks she’s trained, but I just act off her instincts,” says Johnny. “If I want her to lift her tail, I’ll run at her to startle her a bit, or jump around in front of her. Then I’ll throw a dummy skunk into the audience, and depending on where I throw, they scatter!”
Though the rodeo arena is a second home to Johnny, his home in Aubrey with his wife, Emily, and 18-month-old son, Jase, is still his favorite place to be. They recently purchased a 40 foot motor home so that Emily and Jase can travel with Johnny. The husband and wife first met in 2009 at a rodeo – Johnny clowning and Emily barrel racing. Emily is also the owner of Deuce’s Wild Tack, known by many professional barrel racers for its bright colors and bling. While helping Emily with the business, Johnny spends his time at home going to the gym, duck hunting, watching football and announcing barrel races, many of which Emily competes in. He recently became a certified hypnotist, and plans to do several shows during his off weekends. Johnny is also the cook of the family, having dinner with Emily’s parents several nights a week. “I have a killer lasagna, and I can put anything on a pit and smoke it,” he says.
Taking to the road again, Johnny will be performing west of the Rocky Mountains this summer, with rodeos from Utah up to Montana, and even several in Alaska. He’ll work the All American ProRodeo Series Finals in October for the second year in a row, and is also the PRCA Turquoise Circuit Finals barrelman for the second time. “Everybody wants to do the biggest rodeos for the money and prestige, and I do too, but my favorites are the small hometown rodeos that I grew up working,” says Johnny. “When it comes to prestige in this business, I’d love to work Fort Worth, Pendleton, and of course the WNFR. But the one I thing I want even more is the Coors Man in the Can award, because that’s about who’s best at protecting the bull fighters. I’m just a family guy that likes clean comedy and rodeo.”

From RFD-TV’s The American, to the Diamonds & Dirt Barrel Horse Classic, barrel racer and trainer, Sharin Hall from Kingston, Okla., has burst into the spotlight, but she’s by no means a stranger to the barrel pen. As a lifelong competitor, Sharin, originally from Sunbury, Ohio, was born to turn three barrels. Her father, Jackson Hall, was a barrel horse trainer. Sharin’s mom was also into horses, so it was only natural their daughter would saddle up as quick as she could.
Every cowgirl has that one horse who really lights the fire, and for Sharin, that horse was T’ Heck, a winning barrel horse of her father’s. She was 8 years old when she started running barrels on the horse. “I won on him until I was 13. I basically learned how to ride and sit right on a horse, and then when I was 16 my mom bought my first horse to train for myself,” Sharin said.
Since that first training project, Sharin has learned how to help shape different horses, while allowing for their individuality, and she’s made a career out of the skill. “I’ve learned that not every horse is the same, and you have to adapt sometimes to their style and their way of doing things, all the while asking for what I want.”
Initially, Sharin’s grandmother stressed a college education, but Sharin quickly realized that a 9-5 desk job wouldn’t be something she could do long term, so she practiced cosmetology at first. “I did that for 10 years and rode my own horses, and then when I was 28 I got a phone call and got a job offer in Oklahoma training horses, so I took the job,” she said, eventually branching out into her own full time training business that’s still thriving today.
It’s a profession where the biggest challenges are, in some ways, also the rewards. “The challenge has been when you pour your heart and soul and everything you have into a horse and develop it into a winner, and it gets sold or it goes back home, you separate from something that you love and created into a winner,” she said but added, “I love it though when they go on to win, that is probably the most satisfying thing that I experience in what I do.”
Over the years, in addition to her training program, Sharin has competed in multiple futurities and pro-rodeos. She has a strong faith in God, and remains close to her family. Sadly, Sharin’s father passed away in December of 2011.
In 2013 she organized an annual memorial barrel race in Ardmore, Okla., in his honor.
To balance the difficulties of saying goodbye to horses she’s trained, Sharin is starting to ride more of her own horses these days, such as the breakout star of the Diamonds and Dirt, a mare named Bulleva Sharin co-owns with attorney Brad Oesch. They bought Bulleva in Oklahoma City. It didn’t hurt that the Bully Bullion breeding in the mare appealed to Sharin. “I picked her and just loved the way she felt, it was a good fit. We’ve just gotten better and she’s gotten better and more confident to the point of winning the slot race. It was my first slot win. It was really special to be on something I part owned, and I just feel very blessed,” Sharin said of her win at Diamonds & Dirt, where she and Bulleva took home over $110,000.
This year also brought success when it came to RFD-TV’s The American. Sharin, riding a client’s horse, Streaking Ta Fame, whom she trained, was the only qualifier to make the final-four in the Shoot Out round, where she ended up third. In the long go, she ran the second fastest time of the entire rodeo against the world’s fiercest competition.
“It’s really a lifetime experience. I think that the American is a golden opportunity for someone who is not able to be on the road and rodeo all year. It’s a great opportunity to be able to run at that money,” she said.
Sharin plans to continue to rodeo on some of her mares and young horses this year, as well as continue down the futurity trail with Bulleva.
It’s that don’t stop attitude that embodies Sharin, explained her apprentice Stevie Ann Tucek, who previously traveled and trained with NFR barrel racer June Holeman and chronicled her tales of inspiration for the rodeo world.
Now, Stevie is finding inspiration in Sharin. “Sharin has amazing will power and drive and gives 110 percent all the time. I believe her having this mindset, faith, and hard non-stop 18-hour days, is what has gotten her to where she is, and where she is going.” Stevie said and added, “She is a great teacher and has passed down some of her techniques that I will cherish and apply in my career for a lifetime. She has a gift, and she knows what she wants from life: to live it to the fullest, and make herself better each day. We could always use more Sharin Halls in this field.”
And if Sharin has anything to do with it, that field is only going to get faster.