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Craig Mattick:
Welcome to another edition of In Play. I'm Craig Mattick.
Today's guest has been involved with rodeo for a long time. Rodeo's been a huge part, not only for our guest, but for her family. From high school rodeo in Huron, to college rodeo at South Dakota State University, to now coaching college rodeo.
Our guest has overcome a very serious eye injury from rodeo, and has experienced tragedy with the loss of her father and mother and a niece in an accident a year ago.
She's a South Dakota high school rodeo goat tying champ back in 2015, and a five-time qualifier at the College National Finals Rodeo. And now, an assistant rodeo coach at Wyoming. She's Huron's Jacey Hupp.
Jacey, welcome to In Play.
Jacey Hupp:
Thank you for having me, and I noticed you almost said that my high school state title was in the nineteen-whatever. I was born then, but I didn't win it then.
Craig Mattick:
Two thousand fifteen, by the way, was that year. You know, you're just finishing your first year as a rodeo coach at Wyoming. How did the season go?
Jacey Hupp:
The season went ... it went so well, truthfully. We had an amazing set of kids. It was kind of interesting circumstances because I moved there in September and we had our first rodeo pretty much within a week, so I was kind of juggling getting to know the kids as well as learning how I can support them and coach them, and just kind of navigating my new role. Getting to know the kids is a big part of it, but it honestly went so unbelievably well. I really couldn't have asked for a better first year, and I was welcomed into Wyoming with such open arms from the university, from all the parents, and from the head coach. It was a really special year and one I will not forget.
Craig Mattick:
Wyoming is in the Central Rocky Mountain Region. There are about ten schools in that conference. Wyoming has a men's rodeo team and a women's rodeo team. What was your job? What was the main thing that you were a part of as a coach at Wyoming?
Jacey Hupp:
So my main part was ... I had nothing to do with the roughstock side, really, which I was kind of okay with. I did learn a lot, though, and we have a lot of very boisterous boys on that end of the arena, so I had a really good time getting to know all their personalities and their characteristics. My main part was helping the girls' team. Obviously, which you mentioned earlier, goat tying is one of the events that I have the most confidence in in helping with the girls. That was probably where I was pulled at most. I would have bits and pieces, because I team roped, as well, and I helped with the team roping, a little bit with the calf roping, and I learned a lot about the steer wrestling. I was able to analyze and learn a lot at that event, too.
Essentially my biggest responsibility was helping out with the women's team, and then kind of all the nature of what goes with hosting our own rodeo in the spring, and then traveling to all the rodeos in the fall, and then there were rodeos in the spring, too, that we didn't host. Every day is different, that's for sure, but I truly enjoyed it.
Craig Mattick:
How many members on a roster for Wyoming Rodeo?
Jacey Hupp:
This year we had 63 students.
Craig Mattick:
Sixty-three!? Oh, man!
Jacey Hupp:
Yes, yes, and it sounds like a large amount of kids and, don't get me wrong, it kind of is, but the way we're able to utilize our practice facilities and the way we structure everything we still were able to kind of have that really key one-on-one time with pretty much all of the kids, too, so that was really appreciated. Definitely by the end of the day I had my social fill. I was fine with going home and just kind of being quiet.
Craig Mattick:
How did Wyoming find Jacey Hupp to be a rodeo coach?
Jacey Hupp:
It's kind of an interesting story, because I didn't go ... I wasn't in that region for rodeo. I was in the Great Plains Region for SDSU, and I knew ... I had a lot of friends in that region and knew some of the coaches, but didn't really have any big ties. I just got a call last February after the Black Hills Stock Show from the head coach at the time and just said, "Hey, you're ..." Probably kind of how I'm on this podcast. My name just got thrown around. I was actually working as a loan officer at the time for the FSA, and I remember getting the call driving home from stock show. Usually, as you're learning throughout this podcast, I'm pretty chatty, but I really didn't have much to say. I was pretty surprised ... very surprised, to say the least. I was pretty floored and I couldn't even really have any follow-up questions because I just couldn't get over the fact that I was being called about it.
I finished my drive and just was kind of processing, and I remember sending out a text to the family like, "This just happened to me." I just was in disbelief. That was in February, and then I stayed in contact with the coach, and then about in April I went and visited, and I fell in love with campus, and the facilities, and the town. Ultimately, just because of where I was at in life I was kind of leaning toward saying no, and then just kind of decided to ... I was going to get a raise in the job I was at and just was kind of making realistic, grownup decisions, and kind of thought it wouldn't be the best move for me. Then that head coach ended up leaving, and then shortly after that ... I just found out about that, I think it was over Facebook, or a text, or something, and didn't really give it much thought. Then after my parents and my baby niece passed away in May of last year, I really didn't give it much thought. It was truthfully buried in the deep, deep corners of my mind.
Then, last summer I got a call from the now-head coach, Seth Glause, and just said, "Hey, I know you've looked at a few things and were in the running for this originally. Do you still have interest? Your name's still being thrown around to fill this assistant coach women's position."
Craig Mattick:
Nice!
Jacey Hupp:
Once again, I was ... I didn't even have a response. I even had to ask him at a later date, "What did I even say that day, because I can't even remember." Then I expressed my interest after some hesitation because I lived with my parents when they passed, so I kind of just naturally took on the role of keeping the place afloat and tending to everything at the place and still working. My nephews, because of the accident, were close to the cities in the hospital, so we were up there visiting quite a bit. After having a long talk with the family, I ultimately decided to go through with some of the interview processes. I think it was August ... after I did a couple interviews they said that they were going to be offering me the job.
Right away I just ... I told them I'd give them a few days before I'd let them know, but right away I just said, "There's just no way. I have too much to do here. I take a lot of pride in taking care of the place." By the end of the weekend my family's just like, "You need to do this. It's once in a lifetime. We'll support you, we'll do what we have to do, but you need to do this." So I had about two weeks and I think I aged 10 years, but we got a house down in Wyoming and I moved to Wyoming.
Craig Mattick:
Rodeo has been just a huge part of your life, not only for you but your family. You're the youngest of four siblings. I mean, a big-time rodeo family. Your mom and dad were huge in supporting the kids in rodeo and other sports, but you did lose your mom and dad and a niece. It was almost a year ago. It was a house explosion near Fort Pierre. You know, so much support came to you guys from across the state and especially from the rodeo family. What has the last 12 months been like?
Jacey Hupp:
It's kind of funny. I've come home a few times and people will ask, "What's new?" It's kind of like, where in the world do I begin? Everything's new. Everything, but it's been a lot of ... I've had so much support from, not only family, but just friends and neighbors. I would not be in Wyoming, I would not be able to do my dream job without them. I've learned a lot about myself, I've learned about my capabilities, and I've really learned a lot about just who's in my circle and who deserves to be in that circle.
There's definitely been a lot of growth and dang sure a lot of tears, but a lot of truly happy moments as well the past year.
Craig Mattick:
You grew up in Huron. Rodeo was huge for you when you were in Huron, but how old were you when you got that first little taste of the sport?
Jacey Hupp:
That's kind of a hard question but I understand why you're asking, because I'm sure a lot of people remember their first basketball tournament or remember their first basketball camp they went to, but I really don't have that first memory because my parents moved to the place that they were at for almost 30 years before I was born, about a year before I was born, and one of the first things they put up was the arena to practice in. I don't really recall my first ride or roping my first calf. I think I just did it as soon as I was able. My family, after school, after they came home from work, we went to the practice arena. I was not just going to sit in the house by myself, so I was outside and I joined them. I think a lot of the reason why I'm rodeoing is just because I wanted to keep up with everybody else.
I really don't have any first memories. Probably some of my earliest memories are warming up some of my dad's horses for him in a saddle that was way too big. Those are probably some of my earliest memories of my first rides and stuff, but it's all kind of a blur because I think I just did it from the second I was able to because everybody else was doing it.
Craig Mattick:
You were in rodeo, but I know you also played volleyball at Huron. Shelly Buddenhagen was your coach. She said you were a fierce competitor, an intense practice player, and a huge personality. You were an outside hitter, of course, for volleyball, and Coach Buddenhagen said that you may have had the biggest vertical jump in the history of Huron volleyball. Where did that intensity come from for you playing the sport of volleyball?
Jacey Hupp:
I really didn't start volleyball until I think seventh grade. I was a huge basketball player growing up. I loved basketball. I truthfully thought I was going to the WNBA. I loved it. I played it with my siblings, I played ... I loved it. I did all the Y tournaments, everything, but I really didn't start volleyball until about late middle school. I'll be honest, it just kind of came pretty natural for me. The thing that I really appreciated about the sport was, and it also reflected a lot with rodeo, too, was just kind of the ... taking the opportunity in moments, and just being really fast and reactive, and having some finesse versus ... basketball is just rougher and tougher and grittier, where there's just a lot of finesse to volleyball.
I didn't know I was the best vertical jumper from Huron, and I don't think we even measured it, but I did have a lot of people think I was taller than I was, for sure, because of it.
Craig Mattick:
I also heard that you won a saddle at a rodeo, and you brought that saddle to volleyball practice, you placed it on a hitting box and made Coach Buddenhagen pretend to ride a horse!
Jacey Hupp:
Yep, so the little bit of backstory to that is I think I was a freshman ... I know I was either a freshman or sophomore, and I kind of let Shelly know, "This rodeo thing's pretty serious to me, and when I'm in rodeo season, I'm in rodeo season." Our very last rodeo of the year overlapped with our first volleyball game, and that last rodeo of the year was 4-H Finals. You have to be 4-H aged to compete in 4-H rodeo, and that's where they gave away the year-end saddles, and that was our truly last rodeo of the year.
I just told Shelly, "I really don't want to miss this." We had a really good talk and she just said, "Okay, the only way I'm going to allow you to miss this and still have a varsity spot is if you bring home a saddle." I said, "All right, deal!" That very next practice, Monday, after my rodeo I brought that saddle in and just said, "Here you go! Now you've got to sit on it."
Craig Mattick:
Well, Coach Buddenhagen says you taught her that she would coach a rodeo girl any day because they're tough. You graduated from Huron High back in 2015. You had scholarships to play volleyball in college but you also loved rodeo. What was going on at that time making a decision of whether maybe volleyball or sticking with rodeo?
Jacey Hupp:
Yeah, I had a lot of ... I went back and forth a lot, especially after I had ... there were quite a few college coaches that went to the state tournament, and I had quite a few reach out to me after that. I really wasn't ready to make a decision yet, so I kind of went forth with basketball just kind of to see how I was feeling. When summer came I just was not sure, and I visited campuses, and met all the coaches and was still back and forth, and I just ultimately placed it on ... I loved volleyball, but I never got near as excited and passionate about it as I did rodeo. My sister was going to be ... she's three years older than I am, my sister Tarin. We were going to be a senior and a freshman combo. I just remember her telling so many stories of her and my brother being a freshman-senior combo and just the memories and all the great experiences they had, and I just kind of ultimately decided that that's what I wanted to do.
I think it was honestly in August or late July when I finally decided. I texted Ron Skovly at SDSU and just said, "I finally decided and I'm coming." It was a very late process, but I have no regrets. Especially seeing where I'm at now and looking back, I have zero regrets with rodeo at SDSU.
Craig Mattick:
Well, goat tying was your specialty, and I'm still trying to figure it all out how ... you lasso it, and then you jump off a running horse, and then put it-
Jacey Hupp:
It's already on a tether in a collar, so you don't really have to catch it with the rope, per se, because it's already caught, but you ... we call it "straddling the rope," which is where you put it between your legs, and that's how you reel them in. You just keep running toward them and have that rope between your legs, and just keep [crosstalk 00:17:08]-
Craig Mattick:
But you got to jump off a running horse!
Jacey Hupp:
Yeah, I think it's a little more graceful than that. I think it's more of a step off, but yeah, it's a pretty tough event to explain to people who have never seen it before, because they just think it's crazy. It really probably is a little bit, but when you grow up doing it it doesn't seem that crazy, I guess.
Craig Mattick:
So how do you practice the timing of getting off a horse to go after the goat to tie its legs up?
Jacey Hupp:
Lots and lots of reps. One thing I can attribute to my volleyball career, too, is the warm-ups I did and the way that I knew that my muscles and my mind felt the best. I would warm up for almost all of my college rodeos the way I would warm up for volleyball. I just knew that's how my muscles were loosest, get most reactive, and so I attribute a lot of my time in sports to my goat tying career, for sure. My dad took us to some clinics growing up, and he would take little nuggets from the places we went, and him and my mom probably held a million goats for me and, through lots of reps, it became less like jumping and more like stepping off, and more graceful, I guess.
Craig Mattick:
You were the 2015 Goat Tying Champion your senior year in high school. Was that expected or did you have to work extra hard to win that championship that year?
Jacey Hupp:
So the three years prior I always did really good at regionals, and how that works is we have four regional rodeos, and then you take those qualifying points to state. I always did pretty well at regionals, it was state where things would go awry and I didn't quite have enough points for nationals. I think just the maturity is what really helped me that year. I took less pressure off myself and things just really went my way. I had a great regionals. I maxed out all the points I could, and I had three good runs out of eight, and it really just all came together for me. That's probably a big deciding factor of why I went in college rodeo, too, because I felt really confident like I could go to the next level and not just be there, but compete well, too.
Craig Mattick:
Did you have the same intensity from volleyball that you did in goat tying?
Jacey Hupp:
I would say so, yeah. I would say so. You might have to reference Shelly back for that, but I would say so.
Craig Mattick:
Well, 2018 a freak rodeo accident while at South Dakota State University. Tell me what happened to your right eye.
Jacey Hupp:
I was team roping at a place called McCook, Nebraska, and essentially what happened is you're supposed to rope two horns, and when I went to pull the rope tight and go to my horn, the rope came to only one horn. I was already going left and the steer was straight, and then it just snapped off that right horn and hit me just directly in the eye. If you've ever seen a tow rope snapping or a chain snapping, it was essentially a lot like that motion. It just hit me right in the eye and threw me off my horse, and probably I was a little concussed but we were a little more worried about my eye at the time.
We went to the ER right away, and they kind of pried it open and I'm like, "Oh, no, it's black. I can't see a thing." It was the size of a softball. We hurried home that night and met my hometown doctor, and she was like, "Yeah, you're too serious for anything I can do," so we went to Sioux Falls to see some specialists the next day and they just reinforced the severity. Long story short I had to wait about 10 months for surgery. There was a lot of scheduling conflicts because I needed two surgeons on hand to do my surgery, so I was kind of living on eye drops and glaucoma pills for what seemed like a very long time. We had to wait for some of the parts for surgery to actually come from Germany and go through the Customs process, as well, so that made the scheduling a little more difficult, too.
Essentially, they replaced ... Physically right now my eye is good except for my retina, which is in pieces. There's like, chunks missing out of it, essentially, so that's why I can't see. The retina is what gives the signals to your brain and it's not giving a full signal. I had my iris replaced, and I'm actually the first person in South Dakota to get an artificial iris, so there's something, I guess.
Craig Mattick:
I heard it was a hand-painted iris that they did to your eye.
Jacey Hupp:
Yes. Yeah, they took a picture of my other, good eye and sent everything over to Germany, and they hand-painted it for me and sent it back. It's supposed to kind of look like my left eye. Looking back now it was a little bit of a blessing that surgery took so long, because they said if I would have got it right away I probably would have had a black eye, or a leather brown eye, or a blue eye. Those were your only options, but with the advances in technology they could try to paint it to look just like my other eye.
Craig Mattick:
Do you have to wear glasses today?
Jacey Hupp:
I don't as much ... I did a lot when I was in the office. Just with computer work and when I have to focus from far to near my eyes take a long time to adjust, but when I'm outside I don't have to near as much, which I really wasn't expecting. I thought I'd have to live in them, but right now my eye is pretty much just decoration. I pretty much just see completely out of one eye.
Craig Mattick:
So you were out of competition for almost a year.
Jacey Hupp:
Yep, I missed-
Craig Mattick:
Was there ever a time you thought that your rodeo career was over?
Jacey Hupp:
Honestly, right way we didn't know how severe it was, but about two, three months in and we realized how serious it was, and I really did not think that I would be goat tying and roping again. I thought I'd be more of a barrel racer or something that was a little less hands-on. My parents were really supportive and just always positive of just, you know, you don't know 'til we know, and just went to every appointment and just reinforced that, "This is not it. You're not done yet."
No, there was definitely time where I had my doubts of coming back. When I did finally come back, the most humbling part was goat tying was the hardest, because I couldn't just rely on muscle memory, it was so hands-on, and my depth perception really kind of threw me for a loop. If it was dark out or if it was light out ... my pupil's at a set size, so my eyes don't adjust as well. That was just kind of more factors to learn to deal with, but I was pretty fortunate that the roping was not as hard to come back to. That was a lot of muscle memory and reaction, but that goat tying was humbling for a very long time.
Craig Mattick:
Who kept you going during that time saying, "Yes, you can get back on the horse again?" Were there some folks that were pushing you?
Jacey Hupp:
Honestly it was ... I had a lot of people supporting me. I had constant cards and texts of just checking in on me, how I was doing, but the biggest supporting factors were definitely my parents. Definitely. They were there hands-on throughout the tears, all the frustration, and they were definitely my biggest supporting factors. When I came back it really felt like it was kind of a win for all of us when things started clicking together.
Craig Mattick:
What was that very first time back on a horse ... after you've had the eye surgery, you're going to try again and see if you can be competitive. What was that first time back on the horse?
Jacey Hupp:
So I actually was kind of bedridden for quite a while. I couldn't ride a horse for a while, and with surgery ... I had surgery in July and I couldn't really do anything for a month after surgery, so I had time for one rodeo before the college season began and that was in White River, South Dakota. That was the Amateur Association, and I did goat tying, I did mixed team roping and breakaway. I remember thinking, "I'm really excited to be here," but I had no idea what to expect. I really didn't. I felt like it was my first rodeo, truthfully. It ended up going really well, and my horses took care of me, and then I just kind of solidified ... You know, I think I had a couple weeks until our first college rodeo, and I kind of just had the understanding of it will be weird, it will be different, I'm probably going to have to work harder than I ever have, but I can do it.
Craig Mattick:
You were a five-time qualifier for the College National Finals Rodeo ... goat tying. What did you come away with those trips to the National Finals Rodeo and, maybe not placing at the top, but what was that experience like?
Jacey Hupp:
Mm-hmm. In my sophomore year, right before the accident, I did have almost a National Championship won and then I had a goat get up, which means that if the goat doesn't stay tied for the full five seconds then it's a no time. I thought after that ... my heart broke and after that I figured everybody would remember, everybody would know I had a shot and missed out on it, but they crown national champions every year and nobody remembered. One thing I really take out of those ... I always competed pretty well in that arena, and not a lot of people do, so I do hold a lot of pride in competing well in that arena and handling all the intense environments and the competition. Really, the memories out there with my coaches and my parents was truly, truly special, and the friends that my parents would invite to come watch me and the family that would come out there. Those are some of my favorite memories being out there.
You could argue now that it set me up for where I'm at now because I made the connections with the coaches in other regions.
Craig Mattick:
I know rodeo can be quite physical. When you're preparing during the season, or even the off-season, is there a lot of weight lifting? Is there running? How do you stay in shape? How do you prepare yourself for rodeo to prevent injury in the sport?
Jacey Hupp:
I was pretty lucky. I always enjoyed the gym, which Shelly could argue for, as well. The one thing that I always liked to do, especially in the off-season, was I'd actually help the men's club team at South Dakota State University ... just kind of help them coach and play volleyball. That was a lot of times what I did during the winter was help them and help me stay in shape.
Craig Mattick:
You did have one year at SDSU when you and your sister, Tarin, was on the team. What was that like?
Jacey Hupp:
I was really lucky because a lot of people go to college, and have so many questions and don't know who to ask, and they've got to figure it out the hard way, but I went under Tarin's wing and just ... teaching me everything that she learned, and the dos and the don'ts, and just ... we traveled together to all the rodeos and she just really took care of me. I ended up making college finals my freshman year, and we actually made it together. She was a huge part of that. I think I was able to avoid some freshman mistakes.
Craig Mattick:
Jacey, you've ridden a bunch of horses over the years. Which ones were your favorite?
Jacey Hupp:
Yeah, I'm pretty lucky. My siblings would probably argue I'm pretty spoiled. I had a lot of hand-me-down horses. I've rode a lot of horses throughout my career, but a lot of times they'd be maybe a touch slower or not quite what my brother needed at the college level, so I'd get him for a little bit at the middle school level. I really got to piggyback off of the horses that they trained, and I was really lucky to be able to do that. They kind of had maybe one or two horses their career, where I had so many because I would get their hand-me-downs.
Probably the horses that stick out the most to me is my really, really special mare named French Fry. She really sticks out. When I talked about ... to piggyback off of my first rodeo after my eye injury, that was probably the most nervous I've ever been in the goat tying because I just had no idea what to expect. I kind of thought we'd make a nice, controlled, smooth, more or less slow run, and then she just ... the gate opens and she goes, and I just get off, and react, and just kept up with her. She really just let me come back from my injury and just come back and hit the ground running, versus probably being more safe and conservative like I probably wanted to be. She actually my senior year was voted Horse of the Year by my college region, so that was really, really special, too. She's the horse I took to every single college finals and I credit a lot of success to her.
Then probably my second favorite one ... not really a ranking of, I guess, but just one that also sticks out to me was a head horse we had, and his color was black, and we just called him Black. That's thanks to my Uncle Rod and his naming skills, but all three of us kids rode that head horse in college. I actually rode him at the college finals, too, when I made it in the heading one year. He was so automatic and coming back to team roping again after having that eye injury, I was probably not the best jockey at the time, and he just really took care of me and let me fully focus on me and not him. He let me come back from my injury so beautifully. He took really good care of me, so as far as my career, those are probably the two horses that really stick out to us as a family and then just me as an individual for my college career.
Craig Mattick:
Just a couple more here for Jacey Hupp here on In Play. What has rodeo taught you over the years?
Jacey Hupp:
The special thing about rodeo is just the connection throughout the entire state. When my parents passed away, it was really a lot of the rodeo families that stepped up and helped us in the ways we needed it, without being asked, and the families that we've met throughout the years that are still in my life. Even the ones I met in middle school at Junior High Finals, they're still in my life. I think a lot of it is just the support and the opportunities that I've been given just because of the wide stretch of people that I met through rodeo. It truly feels like a second family. That's the really special part about rodeo is just how tight-knit it is, and everybody is kind of for your success. They want to see not only you do well, but have a good run for your horse, too. The support across the state is just beautiful.
Right after my parents died we went to ... we were in the city for a while and I hadn't touched or even thought about a horse since last fall. My mixed team roping partner for the summer, he texted me when we were up in the hospital about going to some rodeos over the Fourth of July and just was really encouraging me to get back. I really respect him and he's a great roper, so I couldn't say no. If it wasn't for him I probably wouldn't have even rodeoed last summer. So, just that unbelievable amount of support from people is probably the biggest thing.
Craig Mattick:
So what's next for Jacey Hupp?
Jacey Hupp:
Well, some of my family and friends might be ... it might be kind of bittersweet for them to hear this, but I did truly, truly enjoy my first year at Wyoming, and I don't plan on leaving there anytime soon. I think University of Wyoming is where I'll be at for hopefully a very long time.
Craig Mattick:
In Play with Craig Mattick is made possible by Horton, in Britton, where smiling at work happens all the time. Apply now at hortonww.com.
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