Struck By Lightning At A Rodeo

In this electrifying episode, we're back with the one and only Josh Birks, professional bull rider extraordinaire, as he takes us on a wild ride through the National Finals Rodeo (NFR) and some unforgettable rodeo stories.First up, we celebrate Ky Hamilton's remarkable victory as the PRCA World Champion for 2023, marking a historic moment in rodeo history. But Josh reminisces about another epic NFR win in 2010 when his mate Tom McCallum clinched the title during the event's stint in Tamworth. Josh, who was under contract with the PBR at the time, found himself in a rather precarious situation. While waiting behind the chutes, a confrontation with a judge named Greg Gibson led to an unexpected brawl. Josh vividly recalls the adrenaline and fear of fighting a grown man when he was just 18 years old, and the chaotic events that ensued, including a late-night visit from his father, all because of the altercation with the judge.As the rodeo tales continue, Josh shares a hilarious and somewhat messy anecdote involving his mate DD. After a night out, Josh discovered DD in the hallway, covered head to toe in human feces, courtesy of a romantic encounter gone horribly wrong. It's a night DD will never live down.In another astonishing twist, Josh recounts an incident where a SWAT team descended upon a bull ride event. A bull rider's cop father had tipped him off about security guards abusing bull riders backstage, and the bull riders were planning to confront them. Just as they were gearing up for a showdown, the SWAT team arrived, leaving Josh in disbelief, as he had only seen SWAT teams in movies.The episode takes a dramatic turn as Josh reveals that he was once struck by lightning in Darby, Montana, during a bull riding event. The lightning strike affected around 15 people due to the wet conditions. Josh describes the intense sensation as the lightning entered his knees and exited through his boot, causing his muscles to convulse and tense for hours. One bull rider even dropped to the ground due to the electric shock. Tragically, a girl attempting to flee the scene was struck and killed by a second lightning strike, highlighting the devastating power of nature.To shed light on the gravity of such incidents, Josh and the team delve into some eye-opening statistics, revealing that around 24,000 people are killed by lightning strikes each year, with an astonishing 240,000 injured. 📞 Get involved🎤 Send a voice message to the boys. Drop us a yarn or question and you might feature on the show. 📧 Enquiries: [email protected] 🌐 Website: linktr.ee/propertrueyarn 📲 Follow the Podcast Instagram: @propertrueyarn TikTok: @propertrueyarn Facebook: Proper True Yarn Podcast YouTube: Proper True Yarn Podcast 🤠 Meet the Hosts Knuckles – Country Trucker Caps Instagram: @countrytruckercaps TikTok: @knucklesctc Zak Palmas Instagram: @zpdigitals TikTok: @zakpal