PUEBLO, Colo. – Greg Louis wiped tears out of his eyes as his son, Dakota Louis, stood atop the Can-Am shark cage inside First Interstate Arena at MetraPark on Sunday afternoon to accept his first-ever PBR premier series Montana Silversmiths belt buckle.
Greg was there on the back of the bucking chutes spotting his son moments before Dakota rode Drago for an event-winning 91 points at the PBR Cooper Tires Invitational, presented by Ariat.
The proud father then chuckled and said, “I nearly lost my championship buckle during all this.”
Greg, a two-time Indian National Finals Rodeo champion, opened his hand to show the 2005 INFR championship buckle that had been snapped off his belt moments before Dakota nodded for the gate.
“I’m happy I was able to catch it with my hand before it fell into the chute, but I think it would have been OK if this was still the end result,” he said, laughing.
Greg is no stranger to Billings and MetraPark.
The Browning, Montana, native raised his son in the Treasure State, and he often dragged Dakota with him throughout the backstage locker room. From the moment Dakota attended his first PBR event at 8 years old with his grandmother, Greg’s mother-in-law, Nathel Show, he knew that his son was destined to be a bull rider.
Two decades later, there were father and son on Championship Sunday, embracing after Louis finally earned his first premier series win since first competing in the PBR in 2011 as a Native American invite at the Ty Murray Invitational in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
“I am so proud of you,” Greg whispered in Dakota’s ear.
Dakota, a three-time INFR champion, responded, “This one is for grandma.”
Greg then wiped at his eyes some more, thinking about that brief hug, which came after Louis was mobbed on the dirt by some of his closest friends amidst a sea of cowboy hats tossed into the air in celebration.
“I used to ride here in this same arena,” Greg recalled. “When he was little, he was just as in love with this as his son, Hayes. That is the thing about him. He was always going to ride bulls no matter what. I just knew he had the ability. He was always going and revved up to ride. You notice being around him that he always had a great mind for the sport.
“To see him get his first win here is pretty fulfilling.”
Louis’s win clinched him a spot at the 2022 PBR World Finals (May 13-22 in Fort Worth, Texas) after he originally began the weekend ranked No. 39, outside of the World Finals picture heading into the regular-season finale.
Flawless rides aboard WSM’s Sun Country (88.5 points) and Air Tight Alibi (85.75 points) capped with his career-high aboard Drago netted him 134 world points and pushed him up to No. 22 in the world rankings.
Greg kept his advice pretty simple throughout the weekend as Dakota kept inching closer and closer to cracking the Top 30 of the world standings before his championship-round home run.
“Go out there and believe in yourself,” Greg told Dakota on Sunday morning. “This is what you worked hard for your whole life.”
However, the World Finals was playing second fiddle to what he was chasing in Billings.
“Oh, it is definitely a special feeling to punch that ticket, but the thing I was after was this event win,” Dakota said. “This is an event I came to as a little kid up there watching, and it has been my motivation to make myself better and be at this level. To get a win here definitely marks off one of the goals. To have my dad here is so special. He has taught me everything I know. When he is here, there is no messing around. He won the INFR twice. I got to ride against him for four years. He beat my ass a lot. I still remember the first time I beat him. I was 17 at a little INFR rodeo. He was 82 (points). I was 83.”
Dakota was pure cowboy this weekend in front of so many of his friends and family. He attempted six bulls in three days when you factor in two re-ride options and his 18-hour roundtrip journey to Grand Forks, North Dakota, to also compete at the PBR Boot Barn Grand Forks Chute Out Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour event.
Greg knew his son would do all he could to qualify for just his second World Finals and first in two years.
“I don’t know if he was that much nervous, but he knew he was on the bubble and he had to cowboy up,” Greg said. “He came home for a couple of days, and we worked on a few things. We got his mind back into what he needed to do. He is really, really hard on himself if he doesn’t do good. He has always been that way growing up. From roping to riding steers, he was always hard on himself if he didn’t do good. He is always trying to win.”
This weekend, Dakota has a major opportunity at the 2022 Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour Finals, presented by Coastal Bend Chevy Dealers, in Corpus Christi, Texas. The No. 8-ranked rider in the Velocity Tour standings is only 15.25 points behind VT leader Griffin Smeltzer.
Any rider competing inside American Bank Center Arena this weekend has a chance to win the $50,000 Velocity Tour Championship, as one rider can earn a maximum of 105 points at the two-night bull riding. Smeltzer begins the Finals with 80 points in the VT standings.
Fans can watch all of the 2022 Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour Finals exclusively on RidePass on Pluto TV, but Greg is not going to miss out on being there by his son’s side once again.
“Now it looks like we are going to Texas,” Greg concluded with a grin.
Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko
Photo courtesy of Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media