Bullfighter shares his passion for dangerous sport with the fans

Posted Thursday, September 10, 2009

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Rob Smets is comfortable in the dirt.

He’s dug his cleats in there plenty of times over a bullfighting career that spanned more than 30 years. He knows, first hand, the ins and outs of bull riding, the dangers and the great escapes, the wrecks and the lives saved.

While he still plies his trade in rodeo and bull-riding arenas across this land, he lets his experienced voice do the talking instead of his incredible athletic ability. He offers insightful commentary as the arena analyst for the Professional Championship Bullriders tour, which will bring its high-powered, energetic show to western Michigan for two performances beginning at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 9-10 at Van Andel Arena.

Tickets can be purchased at the arena or through Ticketmaster.

“The fans will get to see a bunch of young guns on the bull-riding tour,” said Smets, who, at 50, still hungers for the excitement that follows the sport of bull riding. “It’s a good two-hour, action-packed show, and the fans will really enjoy it.”

Smets knows quality bull riding better than most. As a bullfighter, he was as close to the action as anyone for much of a storied career that spanned three decades. He was selected numerous times to work the Professional Bull Riders World Finals and the National Finals Rodeo.

Oh, and he’s the only five-time world champion in the 19-year history of the Wrangler Freestyle Bullfights, whereby bullfighters use their tremendous athletic talent to match moves against aggressive, oftentimes smaller, bulls bred specifically for freestyle fights.

“I love fighting bulls,” Smets said. “If I was not married and had my family, I am truly passionate enough that I would’ve gone on to fight bulls. But I’ve got a wife of 17 years now that’s been through three broken necks and has stood by my side.”

Yes, three broken necks. Smets knows the dangers of engaging ferocious beasts better than most. He broke his neck the first two times in 1992 and 1996, and after taking time off to heal, he returned to work.

“The only therapy I ever had was to get ready to fight bulls again,” he said. “Therapy for me was when I stepped back into the arena. Life is therapy. I’m sure a doctor doesn’t want to hear that, but that’s the way it was for me.”

The third time was just a few seasons ago, and it was enough to cause the veteran to rethink his longstanding career, with a little help from his wife, Carla.

“As good a girl, as good a wife and as a good a partner as she has been, she’d seen enough,” Smets said. “She said, ‘That’s it. We’re not going until I push you in a wheelchair.’

“Why I’m not already in a wheelchair, I don’t know. That’s a God thing.”

It’s also a reason he handles a microphone in places like Van Andel Arena. As much as he loves the sports of bull riding and bullfighting, he knew he had to remain part of the package. And he had an advantage, thanks to the producers of the PBR’s televised events, who put a microphone on Smets while he fought bulls late in his career and got gems of knowledge and analysis about the bulls, bull riders and all things in the arena.

“As my retirement came in and I got the opportunity, I enjoyed it,” he said. “I enjoyed the bull-riding fans, enjoy being around them, helping educate them about the sport. It’s probably as good a way for me to give back to the sport I love, to stay active in the sport I love.”

So why does he work from the dirt instead of the safe and comfy confines of the announcer’s stand?

“I still stay down and announce from the arena floor primarily because I’ve been in the dirt so many years fighting bulls,” Smets said. “That’s where I prefer to be.”

The Professional Championship Bullriders appreciate what he brings to the table.

“Rob is not only the greatest bullfighter in history, but he has such a great ambassador for our sport and a great asset to the live show we produce,” said Robert Sauber, a former bull rider who now runs the PCB. “The fans know him and love him, and they really enjoy his take on things.”

Smets works closely with veteran announcer Roger Mooney, who three times, has been selected to work the National Finals Rodeo.

Joe Garretson, the 2008 PCB Bullfighter of the Year, is scheduled to be part of the action. Not only does he bring a history of terrific cowboy protection to the table, but he also adds to the excitement of the performance, just like the wonderful women of barrel racing, who jockey their athletic animals around the cloverleaf barrel pattern in mind-bending speeds.

As for Smets’ job, he shares his passion with others in a way that not only educates but energizes the fans.

“The biggest misconception about our sport is that bull riders and bullfighters have to be crazy,” Smets said. “They don’t have to be crazy. There’s a basic set of fundamentals in our sport, and if you do that right, you’ll win more than you lose.

“It’s not crazy, but it’s exciting.”