As we approach the most thrilling time of the winter sports season with the postseason on our doorstep, there’s even more reason for excitement at SD SportScene.

We are marking our fourth year of existence this week. What started from scratch – without a name, logo, website, or subscribers – has grown into a thriving community of sports fans, athletes, and supporters. As we enter our fifth year, we continue to expand, not just in subscribers and sponsors, but also in depth and quality of our content.

Since our early days we’ve introduced several new features including: a mobile app for easy access to content, a podcast featuring in-depth sports discussions, weekly recognition of outstanding performers, and a Looking Back series highlighting memorable sports moments.

We also started annual features like our Quotes of the Year and Photos of the Year. On average we interview more than 400 athletes each season, getting their perspective on events.

We originally published content just four or five days a week, but quickly realized that our loyal subscribers deserve fresh content every single day. Since August 2022, we have delivered daily content without fail, and we have no plans to slow down.

In addition, our coverage has expanded significantly. We now report on 36 high schools across 20 counties, as well as Northern State, the Aberdeen Wings, and numerous club sports like the Aberdeen Swim Club, Aberdeen Cougars, and Aberdeen Smittys.

Since launching SD SportScene four years ago, we have never increased our subscription or sponsorship rates. Our goal has always been to keep high-quality sports coverage affordable.

However, with rising costs in our industry – including salaries, technology, and travel expenses – we will be making our first-ever price adjustment.

Subscriptions will now increase from $60 per year ($5 per month) to $75 per year ($6.25 per month) starting in March.

Even with this modest increase, we believe SD SportScene is a remarkable value for the exclusive, daily coverage we provide. We don’t anticipate raising rates again anytime soon.

As we embark on our fifth season, we can’t say thank you enough to our loyal subscribers and sponsors. Your support, encouragement, and passion for local spots make everything we do possible.

We remain committed to providing the highest-quality sports coverage in Northeast and North Central South Dakota from the incredible photography of John Davis, and gifted writing of Jacque Niles and Blake Clay to in-depth athlete interviews, comprehensive game stores, feature stories, box scores and more.

We also have exciting plans for the future, and will continue working tirelessly to be your trusted source for local sports.

Thank you for being part of the SD SportScene community. We appreciate you.

Dave Vilhauer