Sometime this month Gov. Kristi Noem will get her seal of approval from the U.S. Senate to become the nation’s next secretary of Homeland Security. That paves the way for Lt. Gov. Larry Rhoden to be the next governor of South Dakota.

With Rhoden’s experience as a legislator and his six years as president of the Senate, he has a firm grip on how things work in the state Capitol. During her tenure, it often seemed like Noem was more concerned about where her next job was coming from than she was in learning how to do the job that she had.

All of Rhoden’s legislative and political know-how will be needed as he takes on the role of governor during a legislative session that includes an influx of lawmakers who are most kindly described as non-traditional Republicans. Given his experience, Rhoden may be the best choice to step into an ongoing legislative session and navigate what are sure to be some choppy political waters.

Anyone going into a new job, even a seasoned veteran of the Legislature like Rhoden, could use some guidance. Here’s some unsolicited advice for the man who will be South Dakota’s 34th governor.

Make peace with the state’s Indian tribes.

It’s best to let the tribes know early and often that there’s a new governor in town who doesn’t think that they’re collaborating with drug cartels and who would like to be welcome on the reservations. If you do believe they’re allied with the cartels, make sure you have some proof before you start making allegations. Even though the tribes are sovereign nations, they should be treated with the respect and courtesy due any other South Dakotans.

Don’t try to solve national problems with state dollars.

With the state budget you’ve inherited, there likely won’t be enough money for any more grand gestures. Even so, please resist the temptation to use taxpayer dollars on National Guard deployments to the Texas border. There’s plenty for you to spend those dollars on here at home.

Embrace the traditional forms of communication.

Sure, you can copy the social media apparatus created by your predecessor. But keep in mind there’s a significant portion of the population that still gets its information from legacy media. To communicate with those people, that means having regular news conferences during the legislative session. That means having a communications staff that answers media questions readily and fully. That means not wasting your time, and the media’s, by howling “fake news” when you don’t like what’s written about you and then calling regular press conferences to update the public during a disaster.

If you want to show that you’ve got a better grip than your predecessor on the importance of transparency, throw your support to Senate Bill 9. That bill calls for making public the calendars and appointment logs of statewide elected officials and department heads. Currently those documents can be, and the governor’s currently is, closed to public scrutiny. Backing SB 9 would show that you’re all for letting the public know how their elected officials are spending their time.

It’s possible to be a Republican without going full-MAGA.

You can have deep feelings about border security without investing South Dakota’s tax dollars in another state. You can hold on to your GOP bonafides without embracing popular conservative causes like Noem’s call for crippling budget cuts for public broadcasting or her plan to spend $4 million in taxpayer dollars on tuition for private school students.

Time is short, but don’t be afraid to take on a big project.

The next election for governor takes place in 2026 and while no announcements have been made, the field of candidates for the Republican primary already looks crowded. You’ll be the incumbent, likely pitted against U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson, Attorney General Marty Jackley and a player to be named later from the less-than-traditional wing of the Republican Party. There’s still time to offer a big idea about how to handle property tax reform or how to get teacher pay out of the basement of national rankings. Even with two years as governor to bolster your name recognition, you’re going to need to accomplish something big that sets you apart from the crowd.

It’s probably best if you don’t follow Noem’s example.

Noem was always shooting for higher office — when she wasn’t shooting pets or farm animals. Those national ambitions have paid off for her. Now it’s time for South Dakota to have a leader intent on leading the state rather than using the time in office to buff up a resume.

MITCHELL — High school wrestling in South Dakota has a new signal for when a wrestler executes a takedown.

Officials raise three fingers in the air instead of two.

As part of a series of rule changes by the National Federation of State High School Associations last April, wrestlers are now awarded three points for executing a takedown in order to encourage more attacking from a neutral position on the mat. South Dakota High School Activities Association-sponsored boys and girls wrestling uses the NFHS rulebook.

The changes come a year after the three-point takedown was implemented in the college ranks at the NCAA and the NAIA levels. As more points are now on offer to the wrestlers, running up the score early in matches proves advantageous.

“I’ve been telling my kids that you’ve got to be able to come out of the first period with the takedown or 0-0,” Chamberlain head coach John Donovan said. “Kids that are really good on their feet are cutting people loose and then getting another takedown right away. You’re now down 6-1 and that’s quite a lead to make back up.”

The traditional top-bottom style of wrestling, where the wrestler on top of their opponent controls the pace and movement of the match, has been replaced in essence by a style that features wrestlers trying to cut underneath opponents, aiming at the legs to go and secure takedowns.

Similar to college coaches and wrestlers’ observations last season, the high school coaches have noticed the length of a match has been trimmed with wrestlers trying to run up the score. The pace of a match can also take on a frantic feel, providing wrestlers with less time to reset.

“You always want to keep going,” Kimball/White Lake/Platte-Geddes wrestler Iden Myers said. “You never want to try and stall, but at the same time when you can catch your breath, you have to catch your breath because you always have to be looking to score.”

Though the additional points benefit wrestlers who are strong on their feet and can create good positions, it also places a premium on defensive tactics to protect large leads during a match. The goal for wrestlers is to still try and pin their opponents, and with higher scoring comes with a bit more desperation for the trailing wrestler.

“I think more than anything you can’t get careless,” Parkston boys head coach Dan Bonte said. “You have to have cleaner finishes and execute on your feet better in order to stay in matches. Otherwise, you can get yourself in a hole that’s hard to crawl back out.”

The three-point takedown, in addition to revising the near-fall criteria to award wrestlers a maximum of four points for keeping their opponents down in a pin attempt, has seen technical falls increase across the state and matches finishing sooner.

“More talented wrestlers are able to get that tech fall sooner,” Parkston/Ethan girls head coach Dustin Bouza said. “The wrestler is more under the gun to score the points versus being able to sit back and go, ‘I can wait until the third period.’”

A technical fall occurs in high school wrestling when a wrestler jumps out to a 15-point lead in a match, the sport’s equivalent of a mercy rule. Last season, Burke/Gregory boys wrestler Judd Hansen led the state with 14 technical falls, and Bennett County’s Finley Evjan led the girls in the category with three.

This season, five boys and 14 girls wrestlers have surpassed last year’s state-leading totals with six weeks remaining in the season. Philip/Kadoka Area/Wall’s Kale Crowser has a boys-leading 19 technical falls to his name, with Wagner’s Gannon Knebel second in the state at 16. Sisseton’s Vi Anderson and Sioux Falls Washington’s Olivia Kolbrek share the girls lead with seven.

While the changes have led to more attacking at duals and tournaments this season, some in the community feel the prestige of some stats and the old style of wrestling was taken away from the sport.

“Bottom wrestling is probably not even a big deal anymore,” Burke/Gregory head coach Seth Webster said. “I’m not a big fan of (the rule changes), but a lot of people are. Tech falls used to mean something back in the day. Now you get two takedowns to the back and then one extra point off the bottom hit, you got a tech fall already.”

However, wrestlers themselves believe there’s still a place for traditional wrestling today, whether to slow the pace down or score points off escapes and reversals of opponent holds. It also allows an opponent to be less fearful of getting pinned on the mat, knowing they can make up points as easily as losing points.

“I’m not wrestling as scared as I was last year,” Mitchell girls wrestler Frankie Kranz said. “I know that if I can get a reversal or an escape, I can get on top and make up those points if I do get taken down. That’s more points on my feet.”

As the stakes get higher with trips to the state tournament and hardware on the line, the matches could see more aggressiveness out of the wrestlers to score points and execute pins, especially the trailing wrestler. But if there’s one detail everyone is in agreement on, the action on the mat’s been entertaining for everyone in attendance.

“It makes it more exciting for the fans,” KWLPG head coach Thomas Konechne said. “The wrestlers understand the rules and they know what they need to do to make sure that they’re staying in these matches or pulling away in these matches even. But wrestling is still wrestling.”

“It’s a good change moving forward,” Bonte added. “Everybody likes seeing offense, and that’s kind of what we like to coach, too. You’re being rewarded for being on offense more, and it’s more fun for the fans to watch.”

The Class B boys dual state wrestling tournament takes place on Friday, Feb. 14, in Pierre, with the Class A boys dual tournament being held on Saturday, Feb. 15. Region tournaments for both boys and girls on Feb. 20 through Feb. 22, with the individual state wrestling tournament running from Feb. 27 through March 1, at the Summit Arena in Rapid City.

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) – There’s a saying that goes, “Laughter is the best form of medicine,” and one new business is bringing that medication to the corner of 7th and Saint Joseph Streets.

West River Comedy Club had its grand opening earlier this month and what makes this place so unique is “it’s the only comedy club in South Dakota,” according to Trevor Ryan, owner of West River Comedy Club.

Ryan is a stand-up comedian who has been touring and hosting with West River Comedy in the Black Hills since 2019.

“We wanted our space for so long, so we were able to make that leap and sign a lease here and get something going,” Ryan said.

Ryan said the name and location of the venue came about because, “‘West River is the best river,’ you know? So, I just wanted to name it because I just love this area.”

Before opening West River Comedy Club, Ryan started open mic night at Aby’s.

“I was trying to find a place that was eclectic enough that, you know, where the misfit toys could go hang out, and Aby’s was perfect for that,” Ryan said, “They stuck with us whether we had two people or twenty people.”

Keeping the local feel, you can enjoy brews from breweries around the Black Hills and food from Ugly Graffiti before the show.

“We’re such a tight-knit community in this town. You know one person, you know six other people that knows that person. So, these people have been encouraging to me, and I wanted to pay it forward, plus they make good beer,” Ryan said.

Besides supporting other local businesses, Ryan said he wanted to give back to the community and have something open regularly.

“We don’t always have something to do for the locals, you know, when the tourists come in, things ramp up and there’s a lot more events,” Ryan added. “But I wanted to do something year-round because shoot, we live here year-round right? So, I wanted to make sure we take care of the locals.”

Ryan doesn’t just own the comedy club, he also makes appearances on stage.

“I still perform from time to time. You know, I’m an only child and I need the attention so every now and then I’ll still be on the stage,” Ryan said.

If you do plan on getting a good laugh, Ryan recommends getting your tickets early and online.

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