Rodeo announcer Scott Grover will conduct the Big Top Rodeo Announcer & Music Director Seminar from Feb. 20-22 at the Four Points by Sheraton Kansas City Airport as a way to give others the insights he didn’t have when he began his career. He will be working with noted sound director Jesse Knudsen through the three-day seminar.
(PHOTO BY ROBBY FREEMAN)

 

Seminar will help rodeo announcers, sound directors improve

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Like most things, Scott Grover’s idea of Big Top Rodeo has evolved over time.

The foundation remains the same. A lifelong cowboy who has a way with words, Grover has always wanted to give back to the sport. He’s one of the elite announcers in rodeo, and his credentials speak to that, but his heart goes well beyond serving as the sport’s emcee. That’s what led to the creation of his special project.

“Our original thought was to help athletes get ready for interviews, scholarships or public speaking and maybe what they’re going to do after rodeo,” said Grover, who operates the business with his wife, Becky. “One day, I had an announcer reach out that had questions, so I told him that I was doing some one-on-one Zooms with athletes and that we could do one, too.”

The adjustment was made, and Grover began doing seminars to help others involved with the game. He and good friend Jesse Knudsen will conduct the Big Top Rodeo Announcer & Music Director Seminar, set for Feb. 20-22 at the Four Points by Sheraton Kansas City Airport.

“I had that announcer send me some video, and we broke down his opening ceremony and talked for about an hour, and then I had another guy do the same,” Grover said. “All of the sudden, we realized that there weren’t announcing schools anymore. We thought I’ve been doing this long enough and with my teaching background that maybe I could do it.

“I got all that figured out and the curriculum written, and then I was like, ‘Well, music directors and announcers work hand-in-hand, so it would be good to have a music director seminar at the same time.’ ”

Those credentials? Grover has been named the WPRA’s Announcer of the Year, has worked the PBR World Finals eight times and has been one of the voices at the Clem McSpadden National Finals Steer Roping three times, including each of the past two years. He’s also the voice of the National Western Stock Show and Rodeo in Denver and one of the emcees at the Days of ’47 Rodeo in Salt Lake City, just to name a couple of the many rodeos he works annually.

“I want these people to invest in themselves,” he said. “I’m doing this to help you, because nobody helped me.”

Enter Knudsen, who has been part of rodeo most of his life. He was a competitor before becoming an announcer and sound director. His behind-the-scenes work is well known in the business, and the respect he’s achieved is recognized in his position as the announcer/music director representative for the PRCA’s executive council.

“These seminars help people advance in their careers,” said Knudsen of Manawa, Wisconsin. “When I started, it was all trial and error. I didn’t have anybody to sit down and show me how to set up my computer. I didn’t have anybody show me that this is what you look for to help your announcer or help your clown as a music director. For most of us, we didn’t have anybody to show us the ropes.

“The seminars are so important now, because when a young music director or a young announcer is starting, we’ve been able to show them stuff to look for. We can eliminate a lot of the learning process.

“A wise man learns from his mistakes, but a genius learns from another man’s mistakes.”

Originally from the tiny town of Morrowville, Kansas, Grover lives near Weston, Missouri, with his wife and their three children. He attended Southeast Community College in Beatrice, Nebraska, then graduated from Kansas State University with a degree in agriculture education. Teaching high school students and advising the FFA program was a full-time job, but announcing was the dream.

He chased it, but that teacher’s training has never left. Grover and Knudsen typically work with a dozen and a half every seminar.

“We’ve been averaging about 10 announcers and between six and eight music directors every time,” Grover said. “I had a crash course in rodeo, and I didn’t want everyone to do that. I was going to as many rodeos as I could just to listen to guys and try to figure out who Scott Grover was behind the microphone.”

He’s still doing a crash course, but it’s done over a long weekend in February. Grover has matured in his voice and in his presentation, from announcing small events to being the face of the PBR on CBS Sports and PBR’s Ride Pass.

“We cover a pretty wide gamut of stuff, from how to write a production log so that you can help your committees and your stock contractors maybe be better to how to write contracts, the business side of things,” he said. “We also talk about voice control and pausing in the right spot and how to write an opening ceremony, how to write a script when the committee brings you a list of 20 businesses and says, ‘Here’s out sponsor list.’ ”

It’s an extension of professionalism that is vital in today’s world of rodeo production. It’s more than having a strong voice and the ability to call the action in the arena. It’s more than playing a song through the speakers. For those that have done it, continuing education is also a way to sharpen skills.

“When I rode bulls, I loved going to schools because it got you back to the basics,” Knudsen said. “I think I get a lot out of teaching as much as the students, because it helps you remember why you do stuff, when you do it and where you do it.”

His background as a contestant comes into play. He’s ridden bulls and broncs, been a bullfighter, served as a pickup man, been the arena director, worked in the back pens and announced. When it’s time for him to be involved in a rodeo’s production, Knudsen’s mind is filled with memories that help him.

“I know what it’s like getting on an 1,800-pound bull, and I know how music can help influence my attitude,” he said. “I know how the announcer can instill confidence in me by the way he’s building you up or by the way the music’s playing. I can translate that into my experience and my delivery.”

For those interested, seminar signups can be done by logging onto BigTopRodeo.net or emailing Scott@BigTopRodeo.net. This is an opportunity for students and the teachers alike.

“I’m even learning what works for other guys might work for me,” Grover said. “I’m paying more attention to other guys in because I like the way they’re setting things up. This is about investing in your future, investing in your business. It’s about getting better every day.

“That’s something I try to work on every day. I want to be better than I am, and I want that for everybody else, too.”