Behind the Mic
Second man is added to announcer duties at the Black Hills Roundup
Florida native Andy Seilers will join Steve Goedert as co-announcer of the 2022 Black Hills Roundup in Belle Fourche, S.D. This year’s rodeo is June 30-July 4. Photo courtesy City of West Jordan, Utah.
Belle Fourche, S.D. – A new face and voice will be behind the microphone at the 2022 Black Hills Roundup in Belle Fourche, S.D.
Andy Seiler will join Steve Goedert as co-announcer of the 103rd annual Roundup, held June 30-July 4.
A resident of Ocala, Florida, Seiler cut his teeth as a team roper, winning the National High School Finals Rodeo in 2004.
As a student at Troy University in Alabama, he announced as many sports events as he could, including baseball and basketball games, honing his skills of educating fans.
In college, he also announced smaller rodeos, to pay for school, and when he realized he didn’t have the roping talent to make a living at it, he knew “I needed to find a way to make money and pay bills,” he said. “So I kept announcing rodeos.”
Seiler grew his trade and polished his skills, working rodeos across the nation. He’s risen to the top of the industry, having been chosen to announce the 2020 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, held in Texas, and the College National Finals Rodeo multiple times.
One of his favorite parts of the job is the crowd involvement. When a contestant makes a good ride or run, he can share it with the fans, who just saw it happen. “It’s outstanding to be part of that,” he said. “That’s an announcer’s shot of adrenaline.”
Seiler also likes working with the people and the rodeo committees across the country. “There’s a true volunteer spirit” in rodeo, he said. “There are very few rodeos with one or two people on staff, if that. When you have volunteers, you buy in very quickly to what these volunteers do.”
One of his goals, as he announces a rodeo, is to make rodeo fans of the spectators. “We want people to understand (the rodeo events), and what they were able to experience, and as they leave, we want them wanting more of it.”
Seiler looks forward to coming to Belle Fourche; this will be his first rodeo to announce in South Dakota.
When he travels with his family, including his wife Lauren, son Welles and daughter Rory, ages nine and five respectively, they go to as many different places as possible, “to teach (the kids) about different parts of the U.S.,” he said. They’re excited to visit the Black Hills region: “Mount Rushmore is on the list” of travel stops, he said.
But he’s also looking forward to announcing one of the biggest Fourth of July rodeos in the nation. It’s an honor, he said to work the Black Hills Roundup. “I’m excited to be part of a rodeo that has so much history and that is a huge part of Cowboy Christmas.
“I can’t wait.”
The Black Hills Roundup kicks off June 30 and runs through July 4 with nightly performances at 7 pm, except for July 4, which is a 3 pm matinee. Family night is July 1; July 2 is Chutes for Charity night, and July 3 is Tough Enough to Wear Pink night. July 4 is Military and First Responders Day.
General admission tickets are $15 for children 12 and under and $24 for adults. Reserved seating tickets $29-$34. They can be purchased online and at the gate.
Fireworks follow the July 2-3 performances; those performances sell out quickly, so the public is encouraged to buy tickets now, and buy online, to avoid waiting in line.
July 1 is Family night, with four tickets for $48. The Roundup will be aired live on the Cowboy Channel + app and replayed at a later date on the Cowboy Channel.
For more information, visit the website at BlackHillsRoundup.com or call the Black Hills Roundup Office at the Tri-State Museum and Visitor Center at 415 Fifth Avenue, Belle Fourche, S.D. (605.723.2010).