But the practice hasn t caught on, and probably won t until someone designs a beaded or feathered 10-gallon helmet. So, you want to help care for a cowboy. Don Andrews, executive director of the Justin Sportsmedicine Program, says health professionals who want to volunteer when the rodeo is in town should contact the local rodeo committee chairperson and ask to speak to the medical director of the rodeo. If there is no rodeo chairperson, try local charity clubs such as Rotary or Lions, which often sponsor rodeos. Finally, if the area has no local volunteer medical group, health professionals can always volunteer to set one up, Andrews said.
Legend has it that cowboys appreciate such things.
A typical rodeo event lasts only 8 seconds, but that s plenty of time to wreck a body with contusions, dislocations, torn ligaments, punctured lungs, ruptured organs and concussions. Take Mark Gomes, whose groin ripped loose from his pelvic bone riding bareback bronc. On the contrary, Gomes described his injury last week from Las Vegas, where he was competing in the grueling Copenhagen Cup. Founded in 1980, the Justin Sportsmedicine Program is the official sports medicine provider at most major Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association events and the National Finals Rodeo. Since its inception, the program has grown from a lone truck and trailer rig to one with permanent digs at the Mesquite Championship Rodeo and the Lazy E Arena in Guthrie, Okla., and has established a traveling program that goes to 125 rodeos a year.