- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,208,810
- Reaction score
- 59
When most people think of bull riding, they picture eight seconds of chaos — a rider gripping tightly as a two-thousand-pound animal bucks and thrashes beneath him. But after the rider hits the ground, another figure steps in between man and beast: the rodeo clown.
"So, the truth about the rodeo is, I have absolutely the best job at the rodeo, bar none," 25-year veteran clown John Harrison said.
He also added it's a journey that began unexpectedly.
"I didn't really want to get into this," he explained. "As a kid, I grew up in rodeo. We were at a rodeo and the clown didn't show up. And our boss was like, 'Hey, you're doing it.' I'm like, 'I don't know what I'm doing.' And the next thing you know, 25 years later, we're still doing it," laughed.
Harrison travels across the country nearly year-round, spending up to 46 weekends on the road.
"When we leave home at the beginning of June, I won't see the house again until September," he said. "This time of year, we try to stay close to home. I say close to home's 8 hour drive, something like that."
The demanding schedule often comes at a personal cost.
"Being gone away from the family can suck. Like, I'm missing prom this week. I've never seen my kids' first day of school. I mean, you just don't, you don't get to go to those,” Harrison said. "We work the weekends. Everybody else does things on the weekends, and that's when I work."
Still, the job has provided unique experiences for his family when they can travel with him.
"I mean, my kids have swam in every body of water from the East Coast, the West Coast, the Gulf, and seen every national park and got to see truly every site that there is in America," he said.
Inside the arena, Harrison’s role is twofold: entertain the crowd and protect the riders.
"The contestants are the most important people at the rodeo. They're trying to make a living. So you have to make sure you stay out of their way,” he said. “It's for the crowd's enjoyment."
That entertainment often comes through improvisation.
"Something the crowd likes is when you banter back and forth. And Boyd [Polhamus}, who announces this rodeo, is one of the best at throwing it right back at me," Harrison said. "You have no idea what's going to happen. And that's what makes it truly exciting and fun for me."
But when the bull is released, the tone shifts quickly.
"This job is very important. I mean, ... if a guy can get behind the barrel and me getting there can give him the opportunity to either make a run for the fence or for him to hide from the bull and allowing him to stay safe, not get hurt and ride again next week. Yeah, it's worth it," he said. "A bull is not predictable. Humans are."
As a barrelman, Harrison works closely with bullfighters, who serve as the first line of defense when a rider is thrown.
"I 100% depend on the bullfighters in my job. So when I duck down in that barrel, I can't see. A lot of times you can't hear," Harrison explained. "The bullfighters are the ones that are up close and in the mix with the bull. So when the guy comes off, they're the ones that step in. I only go in if something's wrong. If the guy comes down and hits harder or if he's lands in the wrong direction, I'll pick it up, go to him, allowing him to come to me."
Despite the risks, Harrison says the reward comes from the crowd.
"I mean, if I get smacked around, the crowd's going to go crazy. They love it," he said. "The crowd is the best part. And entertaining and making them laugh and have fun is, for me, is my favorite part."
For Harrison, the rodeo offers more than thrills — it offers escape.
"I always say, it doesn't matter who it is. Everybody's got things going on in their life… and for two hours, people can come to the rodeo and get away from all their problems and just let loose, have a beer and have fun," Harrison told FOX West Texas. "When someone's laughing up there and having a good time and they're getting the kick out of it, yeah, that's where it's at."
Harrison will be performing at the San Angelo Rodeo through April 12 and the action will continue through April 19 at the CRC Roofers Coliseum. A full schedule of dates and events can be found on the San Angelo Rodeo website.
Continue reading...
"So, the truth about the rodeo is, I have absolutely the best job at the rodeo, bar none," 25-year veteran clown John Harrison said.
He also added it's a journey that began unexpectedly.
"I didn't really want to get into this," he explained. "As a kid, I grew up in rodeo. We were at a rodeo and the clown didn't show up. And our boss was like, 'Hey, you're doing it.' I'm like, 'I don't know what I'm doing.' And the next thing you know, 25 years later, we're still doing it," laughed.
Harrison travels across the country nearly year-round, spending up to 46 weekends on the road.
"When we leave home at the beginning of June, I won't see the house again until September," he said. "This time of year, we try to stay close to home. I say close to home's 8 hour drive, something like that."
The demanding schedule often comes at a personal cost.
"Being gone away from the family can suck. Like, I'm missing prom this week. I've never seen my kids' first day of school. I mean, you just don't, you don't get to go to those,” Harrison said. "We work the weekends. Everybody else does things on the weekends, and that's when I work."
Still, the job has provided unique experiences for his family when they can travel with him.
"I mean, my kids have swam in every body of water from the East Coast, the West Coast, the Gulf, and seen every national park and got to see truly every site that there is in America," he said.
Inside the arena, Harrison’s role is twofold: entertain the crowd and protect the riders.
"The contestants are the most important people at the rodeo. They're trying to make a living. So you have to make sure you stay out of their way,” he said. “It's for the crowd's enjoyment."
That entertainment often comes through improvisation.
"Something the crowd likes is when you banter back and forth. And Boyd [Polhamus}, who announces this rodeo, is one of the best at throwing it right back at me," Harrison said. "You have no idea what's going to happen. And that's what makes it truly exciting and fun for me."
But when the bull is released, the tone shifts quickly.
"This job is very important. I mean, ... if a guy can get behind the barrel and me getting there can give him the opportunity to either make a run for the fence or for him to hide from the bull and allowing him to stay safe, not get hurt and ride again next week. Yeah, it's worth it," he said. "A bull is not predictable. Humans are."
As a barrelman, Harrison works closely with bullfighters, who serve as the first line of defense when a rider is thrown.
"I 100% depend on the bullfighters in my job. So when I duck down in that barrel, I can't see. A lot of times you can't hear," Harrison explained. "The bullfighters are the ones that are up close and in the mix with the bull. So when the guy comes off, they're the ones that step in. I only go in if something's wrong. If the guy comes down and hits harder or if he's lands in the wrong direction, I'll pick it up, go to him, allowing him to come to me."
Despite the risks, Harrison says the reward comes from the crowd.
"I mean, if I get smacked around, the crowd's going to go crazy. They love it," he said. "The crowd is the best part. And entertaining and making them laugh and have fun is, for me, is my favorite part."
For Harrison, the rodeo offers more than thrills — it offers escape.
"I always say, it doesn't matter who it is. Everybody's got things going on in their life… and for two hours, people can come to the rodeo and get away from all their problems and just let loose, have a beer and have fun," Harrison told FOX West Texas. "When someone's laughing up there and having a good time and they're getting the kick out of it, yeah, that's where it's at."
Harrison will be performing at the San Angelo Rodeo through April 12 and the action will continue through April 19 at the CRC Roofers Coliseum. A full schedule of dates and events can be found on the San Angelo Rodeo website.
Continue reading...
