News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Curt Kallberg walked away after being hit by a bull while helping to protect a cowboy who had gone down in the chute.
Sisters Rodeo's own Curt Kallberg showed his cowboy spirit last Sunday after he was run over by a bucking bull near the end of a spectacular rodeo weekend.
The longtime rodeo association member wasn't riding - he was in his usual position working the chutes. A bull went down in the chute with its rider aboard, and the chute team had to act fast to make sure the rider didn't get hurt.
They opened the gate to let the bull out and "it just spun immediately and came down the line," Kallberg said.
"It happened so fast, I didn't have time to climb up the panels," he recalled.
He doesn't remember the bull bearing down. The powerful bucker caught Kallberg and down he went into the arena dirt.
Gary Miller, a freelance photographer for The Nugget, witnessed the action:
"The bull is charging right back on target again while (chute rope man) Chad Hurtley and (bullfighter) Rowdy Barry have jumped in to protect (Kallberg) - Rowdy ready to take a protective hit. (Bullfighter) Danny Newman comes screaming in and somehow manages to draw the bull away mid-charge. Chad sure gets five stars for being body cover with major ordnance coming in."
Kallberg was down for a while, but was able to get out of the arena under his own steam.
"Curt was true cowboy," Miller said. "He wouldn't let them cart him out; he walked out of the arena."
Kallberg was taken to the hospital for evaluation and checked out OK - no internal injuries, no head injuries. He may have a dinged shoulder bone and he feels like ... well, he feels like he got run over by a bucking bull.
"I'm fine, he said on Monday morning. "A little road rash, a little stiff."
Those who know Kallberg will be unsurprised that he took the whole thing in stride.
"That's just stuff that happens," he said. "No big deal."
For him, the big deal is an exceptional rodeo.
"We had such a great weekend," he said. "Probably one of the best rodeos we've ever had."
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
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