The sport of rodeo is widely known as America’s toughest sport. Although the theory is always to get back up on the horse for the next ride, that doesn’t always happen. We introduce you to the people helping the cowboys and cowgirls jump back in the saddle.
“These are the toughest of the tough, these cowboys and these cowgirls,” said Caroline Faure, an athletic trainer with Portneuf Medical Center’s Sports Medicine Outreach Program. In a sport that celebrates surviving the 8 seconds before being bucked off a 2000 pound animal, getting thrown up in the air, slammed to the ground, and walking away from it, keeping these kids healthy proves to be quite the challenge.
“It can be, because when we’re out in the arena taking care of people, a lot of times the rough stock might still be out in the arena with us when we’re trying to take care of an injured athlete,” said Brent Faure, the Director of Portneuf’s program. There is a certain tough guy mentality that these athletes have to have in order to get back on the horse, but sometimes the injury is too serious to simply rub a little dirt in it, and that’s where Brent and Caroline Faure come in.
“You have to be a little bit more discreet about helping them,” said Caroline, “you have to build relationships along the way and get those kids to trust you and get their parents to trust you, and I think that’s what 25 years has done for us.” The Faure’s are part of the Portneuf Medical Center’s Sports Medicine Outreach Program. For the past 25 years Portneuf has been taking care of, and building relationships with, the riders.
“It’s really neat to take care of a group who really appreciates what you do. These kids don’t get taken care of well throughout the year, a lot of them don’t have any medical care throughout the year and when they come here we can take care of them and also teach them how to stay safe the rest of the year when we’re not around,” added Caroline. A quarter of a century, taking care of these brave cowboys’ bumps bruises, sprains, and fractures. Although it’s a tough job, they are always up for the challenge.
“We plan to be here for a long time, as long as this rodeo’s in Pocatello we’ll plan on being here,” said Brent. The Faure’s also told us that they love being able to help the athletes, but the relationships they’ve built with the parents and directors make this one of their favorite events all year.