story by Michele Toberer
With bull riding on his mind, Dakota Warnken of Wakarusa, Indiana couldn’t wait until he turned 18 so he could fulfill his adrenaline filled dreams. Rodeo was not a part of his upbringing, but somewhere inside, Dakota knew he was destined to be climbing in the bucking chute and chasing gold buckles 8 seconds at a time. Greg Warnken, Dakota’s dad, works as an RV hauler, and his mom, Lorie stays home to care for his 4 younger siblings; but since they were not on board with his bull riding plans, waiting until he was of legal age to enter was a necessary part of his path. “I met a guy at a racetrack near us, and he told me where to go. I went to B Bar A Bucking Bulls in Kendallville, Indiana and borrowed gear to give it a try.” Five years later, the 23-year-old Mid-States Rodeo Association cowboy is still going strong.
Dakota has been a member of MSRA since 2015, and although he didn’t ride any bulls during his rookie year with them, he qualified for the MSRA season finals in 2016 and 2017. Although he was just $60 behind the number one spot just 2 months before the finals in October 2017, a bull riding injury in August kept him from attending the finals or even riding bulls for months. “I was riding a bull in Greenville, Indiana and did a back flip out the back door of the bull, I turned to roll in the air and came down on my neck. I fractured my neck in two spots and had to wear a neck brace for 3 months to let it heal so I wouldn’t have to have a plate put in. My brace came off in November, and by the end of December I was getting on bulls again.”
It took a few bulls and getting used to his new, heavier helmet, for Dakota to get back in the swing of things, and by the MSU Stampede in Lansing, Michigan he was back to making rides again. Dakota may not have made the MSRA finals in 2017, but he was glad to qualify in 2018 and finished the season as the 3rd place bull rider for the season. Dakota also competed in IPRA rodeos throughout 2018 and qualified for IFR49. Dakota recently earned the 2019 MSRA Reserve Champion Bull Rider title, after riding two of his bulls during the finals. He also qualified for the IFR50 and SEBRA finals despite starting 2019 with a broken ankle.
Dakota has a one-year-old son named Colton, and his plans for this year are to spend as much time with him as possible, with rodeo coming in second on his list. He has been working the past year at Newmar Coach, making motorhomes. “I try to get to as many rodeos as I can around my work schedule and sometimes it can get pretty rough being on the road so much.”
“I really appreciate Denny Count for all he’s done to help me with bull riding, he’s basically been my coach since I met him at a jackpot in Michigan several years ago. He rode bulls back in the day and I really look up to him, and to JB Mauney, my favorite professional bull rider. I’m also thankful to my grandparents, Dewayne and Sharon Lemler for being such a big source of support for me through my life. I’m especially thankful to God for keeping me going after I broke my neck.”
Dakota has really enjoyed the past five years as a member of the MSRA and looks forward to qualifying for many more finals with the association in the future. Although his path to becoming a competitive bull rider has not been without some major obstacles, he has no doubt it is what he was destined to be.
