The Badlands Big Sticks baseball team played a series in Pierre, SD in 2023. It would be a live-changing experience for Big Sticks Broadcaster Dylan Simmons. “I loved the city and everything that came with it,” he recalls. “South Dakota as a whole is a beautiful state with special people.” 15 months later, Simmons is going to work full-time in Pierre. He’s joining KCCR/KLXS radio as a program director and sportscaster.
“It allows me to work in a market that has a great high school sports scene, and gives me on-air reps for various sports,” Simmons enthuses. “The sheer amount of sports to call is staggering. I will have a chance to call football, basketball, baseball, volleyball, and hockey just to name a few.” Simmons adds, “I will also have a morning show that will air every weekday morning in which I will discuss a wide variety of topics in the Pierre area while also having daily guests.
“I found the job in the STAA Job Leads emails. [Without that], who knows if I would have ever found it!”
Congratulations @DylanSimmonsSB on your new position at KCCR/KLXS! Share on XGrowth opportunity
Simmons appreciates the learning and growth opportunities the position will provide. “I understand that I am still very young in the grand scheme of this business so I want to be able to use this time to learn as much as I can. I believe that KCCR/KLXS is a great place to do that! In addition, I get to try out new aspects of broadcasting by voicing over promos and hosting a morning show, which will help me to get even better and find new ways to connect with people through media.”
Simmons graduated from Middle Tennessee State University in 2024. He gained play-by-play experience for various sports at MTSU, including hockey, soccer, tennis, basketball, and football. He was also director of a broadcasting program on campus. That broad range of experience helped Simmons earn the job in Pierre. “I am of the philosophy that you have to be able to do a lot of different things in the modern sports media world. I try to do everything I can to have as many skills that I can.”
A longtime interest in exploring fueled Simmons’ interest in the KCCR/KLXS opportunity. “The enthusiasm to go to new places comes from a desire to see the world and make the most of my life,” he states. “My mom imprinted that idea from a young age with some of the trips we took and things we did. I had a very lucky childhood with parents that took me places that opened up my sense of adventure and sparked my curiosity. I feel incredibly blessed to say that my parents fully support me in this next adventure as well, which I know is not going to be the easiest thing for them. That is something I will always be grateful for.”
Handling criticism
A challenge Simmons has faced is one that all sportscasters eventually encounter: criticism. “I faced harsh criticism during my time with the Big Sticks,” he recalls. “When you are a young broadcaster who is still in the process of developing your skill set and style, inevitably you are going to get people who are dissatisfied with your performance. That is what happened to me during a couple of occasions. As someone who is very hard on myself already, it was crushing at the time to get that sort of criticism.” Simmons leaned on mentors to help him through it. “I realized that one person’s opinion does not define what kind of broadcaster you are. You decide what to take away from that kind of criticism. Either it can be constructive, or you can respond with the same kind of vitriol that the person who made the comment did. When I was able to understand that, then I was able to take those kinds of things in stride a bit more, and not take comments like that as seriously as I once did.”
Important referral
One of Simmons’ mentors is Spencer Tomsett, a fellow MSTU grad and STAA member. Tomsett referred Simmons to STAA in 2023. Simmons remembers, “He originally referenced STAA as a great place to find not just jobs in the industry, but also a community of people who have been where you have been and are more than happy to help you along your journey. That kind of environment and opportunity really spoke to me, and I have been happy to be a part of it ever since. STAA will always be a part of my journey, not just with helping me to find this job, but with the people who helped me along the way to get to this point in my career.”
Simmons’ advice to a new STAA member is to make the most of its resources and people. “You are talking about an organization that features some of the best of the best, many of which are willing to give you advice to help advance your career to the next level. Even if you are not openly talking to anyone, just reading the stories and the forums can be a great way to be educated and learn more about this incredible industry.” He adds, “Without STAA, I would not be in the spot I am today.”
Simmons offers an additional piece of wisdom for everyone. “Strive to be the best version of yourself every day. The harder you work, the more your effort and determination will shine through and take you to places you never could have imagined.”
For Simmons, striving to be his best is taking him to a part of the U.S. he fell in love with last year. “I am a big hiker and outdoors guy so I love regions that have cool places to explore and having been in South Dakota briefly, it definitely left me eager to go back and really delve into what the state had to offer.” He concludes, “I never would have guessed that I would have a chance to live in that area full-time, and I feel so fortunate to now have that opportunity!”
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