Rob Smets
Encyclopedia
Robert Edward "Rob" Smets (born 11 September 1959, Palo Alto
, California
), known professionally as The Kamikaze Kid, is a color commentator
for the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) tour and a former five-time Wrangler World Champion bullfighter.
, Singapore
, Puerto Rico
, and Australia
. After returning to the United States as a teenager, he lived in San Martin, California
and attended Palma High School
in Salinas
. He entered high school rodeo
s starting in his sophomore
year.
World Bullfighting Championship from 1981-2000, Smets was a top-6 finisher 17 times. He also won the championship 5 times, a record.It was announced that Rob will be inducted into the Texas Rodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame
in April of 2010.
three times, in 1992, 1996, and 2006. Although these injuries often paralyze
people who suffer them, Smets' main problem from them is limited motion in his neck. He retired from bullfighting in 2006, after breaking his neck for the third time. Smets has also been gored by a bull's horn and has broken a leg.
.
Palo Alto, California
Palo Alto is a California charter city located in the northwest corner of Santa Clara County, in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, United States. The city shares its borders with East Palo Alto, Mountain View, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Stanford, Portola Valley, and Menlo Park. It is...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
), known professionally as The Kamikaze Kid, is a color commentator
Color commentator
A color commentator is a sports commentator who assists the play-by-play announcer, often by filling in any time when play is not in progress. The color analyst and main commentator will often exchange comments freely throughout the broadcast, when the play-by-play announcer is not describing the...
for the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) tour and a former five-time Wrangler World Champion bullfighter.
Biography
Smets was born in Palo Alto, California, to Bill and Ebe Smets. As a child, he lived in ThailandThailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
, and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. After returning to the United States as a teenager, he lived in San Martin, California
San Martin, California
San Martin is a census-designated place and an unincorporated town in Santa Clara County, California, United States. It takes its name from St. Martin of Tours, the patron saint of early pioneer Martin Murphy, who built the first Catholic church in the area...
and attended Palma High School
Palma High School
Palma High School is a grade 7-12 Catholic boys school located in Salinas, California. Located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Monterey, its motto is "Palma Merenti," which translates in English as "Palms to the Victor."-History:...
in Salinas
Salinas, California
Salinas is the county seat and the largest municipality of Monterey County, California. Salinas is located east-southeast of the mouth of the Salinas River, at an elevation of about 52 feet above sea level. The population was 150,441 at the 2010 census...
. He entered high school rodeo
Rodeo
Rodeo is a competitive sport which arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain, Mexico, and later the United States, Canada, South America and Australia. It was based on the skills required of the working vaqueros and later, cowboys, in what today is the western United States,...
s starting in his sophomore
Sophomore
Sophomore is a term used in the United States to describe a student in the second year of study at high school or university.The word is also used as a synonym for "second", for the second album or EP released by a musician or group, the second movie of a director, or the second season of a...
year.
Career
While bull riding as a teenager, he taunted some of the bullfighters for not protecting riders well enough after the riders fell. They challenged him to try being a bullfighter himself, which he did. He made a name for himself early on, distracting bulls after riders had fallen, so the riders could leave the ring safely. During the 19 years of the Wrangler JeansWrangler Jeans
Wrangler is a manufacturer of jeans and other clothing items. The brand is owned by the VF Corporation, who also own Lee, JanSport and The North Face, among others. Its headquarters is in downtown Greensboro, North Carolina, with production plants in a variety of locations throughout the world...
World Bullfighting Championship from 1981-2000, Smets was a top-6 finisher 17 times. He also won the championship 5 times, a record.It was announced that Rob will be inducted into the Texas Rodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame
Texas Rodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame
- History :Now housed in the Historic Cowtown Coliseum in the Fort Worth Stockyards. The organization, dedicated to the sport of rodeo and the recognition of Texas' contribution to that sport, the TRCHF was founded in 1975 by Johnny Boren and a group of Belton, Texas, businessmen...
in April of 2010.
Injuries
During his bullfighting career, Smets was injured many times, including suffering a broken neckCervical fracture
A cervical fracture is commonly called a broken neck. There are seven cervical vertebrae in the human neck, and the fracture of any can be catastrophic. The most common causes are traffic accidents or diving into shallow water...
three times, in 1992, 1996, and 2006. Although these injuries often paralyze
Paralysis
Paralysis is loss of muscle function for one or more muscles. Paralysis can be accompanied by a loss of feeling in the affected area if there is sensory damage as well as motor. A study conducted by the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, suggests that about 1 in 50 people have been diagnosed...
people who suffer them, Smets' main problem from them is limited motion in his neck. He retired from bullfighting in 2006, after breaking his neck for the third time. Smets has also been gored by a bull's horn and has broken a leg.
Personal
Smets and his wife, Carla, married in 1993, and they have four daughters. They live on a ranch in Shamrock, TexasShamrock, Texas
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 2,029 people, 852 households, and 550 families residing in the city. The population density was 979.7 people per square mile . There were 1,072 housing units at an average density of 517.6 per square mile...
.