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CoSIDA.com/ThankYourSID
This feature is part of our series of profiles showcasing members throughout the CoSIDA membership during the celebration of CoSIDA Membership Recognition Week for 2021. See more features at CoSIDA.com/ThankYourSID.
Nick Huntimer – Dakota State University, Sports Information Director
by Tommy Chasanoff – University of the Cumberlands, Director of Sports Information
Vice Chair, CoSIDA Membership Recognition Committee
Nick Huntimer is the Sports Information Director at Dakota State University has taken on numerous roles within the NAIA and CoSIDA. In addition to his role at Dakota State, Huntimer also serves as the Sports Information Director for the North Star Athletic Association and has been honored as the Sports Information Director of the Year twice by the conference.
Born and raised in South Dakota, Huntimer an alum of Dakota State has also been highly involved in other aspects of athletics, serving as an official for the South Dakota High School Activities Association for basketball, fast-pitch softball and volleyball, and is even the President-Elect for the South Dakota Volleyball Board of Officials Association. Huntimer’s been a constant officiating presence at South Dakota high school state championships. He also has officiated college volleyball.
Fluent in sign language, Huntimer was born deaf with no hearing in both ears, In his early years, he attended the South Dakota School for the Deaf in Sioux Falls through fourth grade.
He has continued to make an impact within this profession and share some of his thoughts on his experiences.
Nick Huntimer with Dakota State women’s head basketball coach David Moe (right) and assistant women’s basketball coach Jamal Branco (left) after the team won its first North Star Athletic Association regular season and conference tournament championships during the 2020-21 season.
What’s it like serving as an SID at your alma mater? What are some of the challenges you face as a hearing-impaired professional?
NH: Since technically I was born deaf, it’s been a privilege and honor to serve as SID at my alma mater. I worked as an undergraduate in the SID office and was fortunate to be hired as an assistant right after graduation. It shows everyone that I can do this job, even though I have a hearing disability. As communications is one of the most valuable assets in our jobs, I communicate mostly through technology, especially using e-mails and text messages on my phone, as well as iPhone and Zoom meeting for face-to-face meetings. I also have an app called ‘Otter,’ which is like live closed caption. I am able to use that along with Zoom face-to-face meetings and it makes it easier for me.
I have a strong passion for athletics/sports and I really have a place in my heart to call Dakota State University my home (I bleed Blue). Madison, South Dakota is a great community to live in.
It’s amazing to see the university grow and develop into national and conference title contenders today. In addition, I loved to check out and research the past athletic successes at Dakota State, and am learning a lot about the history of athletics and accomplishments in each sports program history. We have created a ‘Wall of Fame’ in our athletic gymnasium lobby for each sports program’s history, and I did the research for each sport and listed all the athletic accomplishments. It’s been amazing to learn lots of history of Dakota State athletics.
Nick Huntimer and his staff at work during a Dakota State game.
You have served as a high official for basketball, softball and volleyball, working state championships in volleyball. You’ve also been an official at college volleyball matches. What do you take away from those experiences?
NH: I really enjoy officiating. I officiate high school volleyball, basketball and fast-pitch softball, and college volleyball. I don’t do high school officiating when we have home contests at Dakota State, so I have to make sure that I don’t get any conflicts with my high school officiating and high school contests and Dakota State work. However, when our sports teams are on the road and I can officiate, sometimes I sneak in my phone when my officiating crew is on the road and check out the scores - and update the scores on our social media platforms to be timely. I work on the recaps for my away teams when I come home from high school officiating.
What advice do you have for young professionals or students looking to start their careers in athletic communications?
NH: If you have a passion in sports/athletics, keep your foot in the door. I originally started as an athletics work study student and student assistant coach at Dakota State and I ‘kept my feet in the door’ and have been working since I was in college because I LOVE SPORTS.
Dakota State is a great place to work. It’s a great community, I have great relationships with our coaches (yes, our coaches here are awesome to work with - they are the best!).
So, to find your spot in sports information, make sure to have solid communication skills, listening skills, understand how to build great working relationships, and have knowledge in areas of graphics, social media platforms, writing skills, and so on. You need to keep learning! Make sure to keep following sports programs, especially when they are on the road, and watch them play on live video online, etc. You can learn a lot about hosting events that way, too.
Nick Huntimer with the 2019-20 North State Athletic Association men’s indoor track and field championship trophy, won by Dakota State.
Looking at your career to date, can you tell us about some of your highest achievements or successes?
NH: I was named to the North Star Athletic Association Sports Information of the Year twice, one in the inaugural year of the conference back in 2013-14 and then again this past summer. Those are honors I am proud of, to be recognized by my peers. I also assisted with the recent NAIA National Indoor Track & Field competition and served in media/sports information, writing daily recaps, taking action photos during the meet and updating NAIA’s social media channels with any results or record-breaking performances.
I also worked with the North Star Athletic Association as their SID, helping out with the players-of-the-week honors, maintaining their conference website updates, assisting with the conference tournaments, and more.
Outside of work, what would we find you doing?
NH: I have been on the deaf softball team with teammates from the Midwest area (mostly from Minnesota, Nebraska, Kansas areas) for almost 20 years now! We consistently play in the national deaf tournaments during the summer. This past August, we won our first-ever National Softball Association of the Deaf (NSAD) in Overland Park, Kansas. Our softball team had made to the national championship appearances six times in a span of eight or nine years and had not yet won a true national championship until this past summer. We were technically tied for the national champion title in 2013 when the fields had to be shut down due to a curfew time in Baltimore...
I also play league volleyball out in Sioux Falls with friends during the summer and winter months. I enjoy golfing on various golf courses, and love to play basketball, tennis, baseball and racquetball, since I like to compete in sports.