For most of the crowd, he is simply the man in the barrel.
When a bull turns and a rider hits the dirt, attention shifts to the brightly dressed figure positioned at the center of the arena inside an aluminum drum. The barrel tips and rolls across the dirt before settling upright again.
For Michael Wallace, that moment is not the whole job. It is only one part of it.
Wallace, a professional rodeo clown from Illinois, spent the weekend performing at the 56th annual Spartan Stampede, hosted by the MSU Rodeo Club at the Michigan State University Livestock Pavilion.
All four performances sold out, drawing roughly 10,000 spectators to the IPRA’s No. 1 ranked indoor rodeo in the country.
“I’m not a circus clown,” Wallace said.
The title “rodeo clown” carries assumptions. He does not wear a traditional clown outfit. He does not follow a written routine.
Once the show begins, he builds it in real time, adjusting to the rhythm of the arena.
The barrel he climbs into during bull riding is built of reinforced aluminum, it includes handles and an internal platform that allows him to brace himself when a bull makes contact.
