PUEBLO, Colo. ― Bo Davis remembers watching Luke Snyder win the 2001 World Finals event average as an 18-year-old rookie.
Davis then witnessed the young bull rider mature and grow up over the course of Snyder’s 13-year Built Ford Tough Series career.
It only seemed fitting for Davis to reach out to Snyder about the idea of attaching the PBR fan-favorite’s name to a Touring Pro Division event at San Antonio’s Cowboy Dancehall after Snyder announced that 2013 would be his final year of competition as a professional bull rider.
“I told him, ‘Let’s try and do something right afterwards,’” Davis explained. “Even though you’re not going to be riding, we’ll put your name on it and we pitched it to the club, and they were all for it to make it one of our premier events.”
The Luke Snyder Invitational is slated for Saturday, with Section 1 beginning at 8:30 p.m. and Section 2 at 10:30. It is the next premier event at Cowboys Dancehall and, according to Davis, there should be a close to capacity crowd (roughly 4,000).
Davis said being able to have Luke Snyder’s name attached to the event has certainly peaked interest in the local area, which already has a strong passion for the PBR. He added that it also doesn’t hurt when fans have the opportunity to meet Snyder, one of the most personable guys Davis has ever met.
Snyder actually reminds him of another class-act professional.
“Luke reminded me a lot of Lane Frost,” Davis said. “I was friends with Lane. Lane was a guy that never knew a stranger and just had a smile for anybody that ever came up. Never ostentatious, never cocky, just I am what I am and I will be your friend if you are a good person.”
Thirty-two riders are scheduled to compete Saturday and will get one chance, and only one, for a shot at the event’s gold buckle, a customized saddle and a cash prize. There is no championship round and the rider who posts the single highest-marked ride will walk away victorious.
“The best guys leave with the money,” Davis said. “You get one chance to win.”
It’s also a chance for some Built Ford Tough Series riders – such as Ryan Dirteater, Austin Meier, Skeeter Kingsolver, Matt Triplett and Chase Outlaw – to compete in a very intimate venue where the fans from all around South Central Texas pack it in.
Saturday will be Dirteater’s third trip to San Antonio and he called it one of the more different locations he has attended for a bull riding.
“It is kind of a different venue for a bull riding,” Dirteater said. “It’s in a dance hall, and that’s a bit different. They always pack it though. The fans get into it and they are all having a good time. I know they are always enthusiastic and having a good time while they are there.”
Along with a packed crowd also comes a loud environment for such a small indoor setting.
“Yeah it’s loud,” Dirteater continued. “It’s not big, but it’s just right.”
Davis said, “I think one of the best parts about it is it’s so intimate. Everybody is right on top of it.”
Every year, Cowboys Dancehall plays host to around 12 to 14 bull riding events, with two or three being consider premier events. Prior to the 2013 World Finals, the venue hosted a bull riding event on Oct. 12 where Bushwacker appeared for a tune-up on his way to an eventual World Championship Bull title.
Stock contractors such as J.W. Hart, Cody Ohl, Joe Garcia, J.D. Nix and others have already committed to stocking the bullpen for the Luke Snyder Invitational. Ross Coleman is also hauling some bulls and will be roping, as well.
“Bo always has it stacked with good bulls to get on,” Dirteater concluded. “It’s a pretty good setup. The arena is perfect, the bulls usually buck good when we are there and the atmosphere is good, and gets you pumped up.”
Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko
