Koch is poster model

By: 
Jason Ferguson

Athlete. College graduate. Wife. Nurse.
Taylor (Neugebauer) Koch can now add another title to her resume: Buffalo Chip Campground Poster Model.
Koch, a Custer High School class of 2011 graduate, beat out numerous other women through three rounds of competition this summer to claim the crown, being officially named the poster model after the final competition June 26 at Robbinsdale Lounge in Rapid City.
“I was like, ‘Holy moly, that’s me,’ Koch said upon hearing her named as the contest winner that night. “I don’t know what the criteria was they were looking for. I had a top three in my head I voted for and I wasn’t in it.”
Whatever the criteria, Koch was at the top of it and will now spend the next year as the face of the Buffalo Chip, something she said still hasn’t quite sunk in yet.
“I’m blessed. I really don’t know the words to say,” she said. “It’s really cool to represent the Chip. I’m very fortunate.”
Truth be told, Taylor was on her way to being the Buffalo Chip’s poster model four years ago when she entered the contest and made it to the semifinals. Before that competition, however, Buffalo Chip officials asked if she could take the time off to work at the Chip during the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. She had just gotten her first job as a nurse at Monument Health Custer Hospital. A new nurse taking off one of the busiest weeks of the year for a Black Hills hospital likely wasn’t going to fly, so she had to bow out of the competition.
“They said, ‘That’s too bad; we like how you represented yourself,’” Koch said. “They said to try again in the future.”
Try again she did this year, as she is more established in her role as a traveling nurse. Her contract expires July 17—just in time for the Rally.
Koch started her journey to the role of Buffalo Chip Poster Model at Paddy O’Neills bar in Rapid City where she won the preliminary competition. There were a dozen or so preliminaries scattered throughout the Black Hills and even in Wyoming.
Each round was similar, with competitors answering questions and appearing on stage in three outfits: biker gear, Americana and bikini. Koch feels one thing that catapulted her to win is that she stayed true to herself.
“There were a bunch of girls who felt the need to change the way they look and alter their body and stuff,” she said. “I didn’t change a thing.”
Questions she was asked included her life motto “Hakuna Matata,” she answered. It means “no worries or no troubles,” and became famous through the animated movie “The Lion King,” and one thing she would “un-invent” if she could. Her answer? Roundabouts.
The semifinals of the competition were held at The Courtyard by Marriot in Rapid City, with 30 girls competing.
“I knew I could be a contender. I’m not sure what the judges were looking for. Some girls were hardcore Rally girls. They went every single year and lived and breathed the Chip,” Koch said. “I just kind of dabbled. This year is going to be different.”
Koch was one of the last girls to be named to the finals. Had she failed to advance, she had a plan B: An accomplished athlete who still holds a Custer High School track record, she is an avid softball player who was set to play in a softball tournament.
The finals consisted of more questions and the outfit competition, along with judging the women’s personalities, which included how personable and friendly they were with the gathered crowd. Koch said the judges weren’t known to the competitors to eliminate any bias, although Buffalo Chip owner Rod Woodruff was present.
“In the end it’s really about the Buffalo Chip,” Koch said. “That’s what I’m promoting. It’s his sign.”
In addition to the title, Koch won a bevy of prizes, including cash awards from competition sponsors, two tickets to all of the events at the Chip during the Rally and a free photo shoot that took place earlier this week. Koch said she is still learning her duties in her role as the face of the Chip in 2021, but knows she will be camping at the Chip for 10 days during the Rally, a place she has been to a couple of times for concerts, but hasn’t spent much time at.
“I’m not by any means an all-in Rally girl,” she said with a laugh. “I’m familiar with all the bands, and one of the sponsors, X-Rock (101.1 in Rapid City), has been my favorite radio station forever, so it was cool they were a sponsor.”
Koch will get more than familiar with the Chip during the Rally, as she will meet and greet visitors, hand out posters, take photos, go to all of the events and participate in some.
Koch is excited about several of the bands set to perform and just the experience in general, but the week will be made even more special by the fact her mother, Lynette Merritt, will celebrate a birthday that week and undoubtedly join her daughter at the Chip at some point.
Also likely to join her at some point, should work allow, is Koch’s husband Shea, also a Custer High School graduate who was her biggest supporter throughout the process. He couldn’t be with her for the semifinals, but at the finals he was there to cheer her on and even offer some advice as far as outfits and presence.
“He was the first one to give me a big old hug after I won,” she said. “He is stoked.”
If you’re in the neighborhood of the Buffalo Chip located outside Sturgis during the Rally, say hi to Custer’s newest celebrity. Grab a poster, grab a photo or just come say hi.
“Come down to the Chip,” Koch said. “Let’s have a good time.”

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