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Office of Gov. Dennis Daugaard
500 E. Capitol Ave.
Pierre, S.D. 57501
605-773-3212
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Friday, July 12, 2013
CONTACT: Tony Venhuizen or Kelsey Pritchard at 605-773-3212
Governor Makes Appointments To Athletic Commission
PIERRE, S.D. – Gov. Dennis Daugaard has appointed three individuals to serve on the newly-created South Dakota Athletic Commission.
Michael Bergeron, Ph.D., of Sioux Falls, is the executive director of the National Institute for Athletic Health & Performance and the National Youth Sports Health & Safety Institute, and professor in the Department of Pediatrics, Sanford School of Medicine of the University of South Dakota. He also has an appointment as a senior scientist in Sanford Children’s Health Research Center. Dr. Bergeron is a fellow and past trustee of the American College of Sports Medicine.
Richard M. Little, M.D., of Spearfish, is an orthopedic surgeon, specializing in sports medicine, at Regional Orthopedics in Spearfish.
Michael Kilmer, of Belle Fourche, is chief of internal operations at the Buffalo Chip Campground. Kilmer has 50 plus years of experience in boxing and martial arts as both a participant and a coach. He is licensed as a coach for professional boxing in both Minnesota and North Dakota, served as the president of South Dakota Amateur Boxing for eight years and spent 17 years working as the program director and boxing coach at Sky Ranch for Boys. Kilmer has also been actively involved in boxing events held at the Buffalo Chip.
The remaining two appointments will be made in the coming weeks.
The South Dakota Athletic Commission was created during the 2013 legislative session by Senate Bill 84. The commission will provide for the supervision of boxing, kickboxing, mixed martial arts competitions and sparring exhibitions in the state.
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