BELLE FOURCHE - In his short 19 years, Dane Kissack has realized that the amount of work you put into rodeo equals the success you get out of it.

Kissack is contending for the top spot in calf roping at this week's South Dakota High School Rodeo Finals in Belle Fourche. His stellar work ethic has earned him a full-ride scholarship to Gillette College, part of the Northern Wyoming Community District, in the fall.

Kissack, who graduated in May from Belle Fourche High School, was one of the most sought after high school rodeo competitors in the nation. He had full-ride offers not only from Gillette, but also colleges in Texas and Oklahoma.

Rodeo is part of Kissack's genetic makeup.

His grandfather is renowned cutting horse trainer Darrel Griffith of Faith. And his mom, Terri, won the National Cattle Cutting Championship at Tomah, Wis., her freshman year in high school.

Terri Kissack is currently the Belle Fourche and Spearfish High School Rodeo Club adviser. Dane's dad, Phil, operates Farm Bureau Insurance in Belle Fourche.

Just as his mom, Dane Kissack started riding horses as a toddler.

"As soon as I could walk good they put me on a horse," he said.

And that is where he is most comfortable.

He says he practices hard every day on the family's place between Belle Fourche and Spearfish.

"I'm fortunate to have this great outdoor arena that my folks emptied their pockets for," he said.

And grateful for the home-field advantage during the state high school rodeo.

"It's really nice that our horses get to go home and rest every night and eat what they usually eat," he said.

Kissack believes that rodeo is 90 percent mental and 10 percent physical.

"In high school rodeo, you do have great athletes, but they have to be on the same wavelength as the animal to win," he said.

Complacency will kill you in rodeo, Kissack said.

"I've learned not to be content with my game. I need to continue putting in many hours of practice," he said.

But Kissack doesn't mind sharing his rodeo skills and philosophy with others. He has sponsored several calf roping clinics for middle school students at the ranch.

"I tell them that however hard they work, that's what they will get back," he said.

He also encourages them to stay clean and set goals for themselves.

Kissack hopes someday to join the ranks of the PRCA, but he knows that doesn't happen overnight.

"It's another step," he said. "It's hard to jump right into pro."

Kissack says he feels blessed to have found success in rodeo.

"God's leading me down this road for a reason. Rodeo has and will continue to be my focus," he said. "And if I'm fortunate to win, I'm always going to give the glory to God."