HELENA — HELENA — At the Last Chance Stampede, rumor has it, that you can scarcely hear the horn blow during the bull-riding, because the audience is so loud.
“That sounds fun for me,” said 24-year veteran of the business, Matt Merritt who came back to Montana with the PRCA for this rodeo weekend.
Merritt started his career on the PBR circuit as a young rodeo clown before earning his PRCA card in 2013. Merritt verifies that rodeo clowns are true entertainers; quick with a joke, and carrying on conversations with the competitors as well as the announcers. They have a history of creating a draw unto themselves as they can have huge followings in the crowd.
While it seems as if rodeo clowns like Merritt are just out in the arena having fun, they actually become a part of the show and a very important one at that.
“I will be in the barrel, because you’ll see this arena is very large. And (kind of) like a grizzly bear chasing you, you’re hoping there’s a tree out in the field, I’m that tree,” said Merritt in regards to his duties during bull-riding runs. “It’s something for them to get behind,” said Merritt.
Raised in Louisiana, Merritt and his wife, moved to North Carolina just over two decades ago as his career was just starting out. “Let your personality shine, be yourself, keep it simple, stupid,” he added.
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