For Ricky Ticky Wanchuk and his sons, rodeo clowning is a family affair.
Wanchuk, who was the clown at Rimbey’s rodeo, has been inside the rodeo ring entertaining crowds while keeping cowboys and cowgirls out of harm’s way for 36 years.
A crane operator by trade, Wanchuk, who lives south of Sherwood Park, loves the rodeo. He loves it for a variety of reasons; the roar of the crowd and the adrenalin rush when he performs his crazy stunts. He loves the unexpected and the expected, the camaraderie and the freedom.
In his own words, Wanchuk sums up why he loves rodeo in a short and to the point sentence.
“I’m too lazy to work and too nervous to steal,” he joked.
His time on the rodeo circuit, both as a clown and a bronc rider, has left its mark. Although his wit is clearly as sharp as ever, he admits he is a regular visitor to a chiropractor where he gets “stretched out.”
“I have had 96 breaks,” he confessed in a telephone interview, which he participated in, coincidentally, after a visit to the chiropractor. “I should have been the inventor of the soft cast,” he added, ruefully.
Despite his many injuries and the fact he has come to an age when some men may be content to be an observer rather than a participant — especially when it comes to rodeoing — Wanchuk has no intention of retiring.
“When the people quit coming to rodeos, that’s when I’ll quit.”
That Wanchuk’s sons, Kolby, 17 and Kyle, 11, are also rodeo clowns and perform with him turns each performance into a family affair, and no doubt, gives the long time rodeo clown reason to keep on clowning.
“They have been clowning for many years already,” said Wanchuk, “and they love it”.
He said having his boys with him seems like a natural fit and all three of them enjoy working together.
Wanchuk’s wife, Joan Unger, a professional barrel racer, also comes along to most rodeos and works behind the scenes to ensure the show goes on.
Although clowning does not come without its serious side and can be dangerous at times, Wanchuk believes being mentally and physically prepared minimizes the risks.
Wanchuk is pleased to be back in Rimbey, recalling his visit here in the 1980s.
“They had a good little rodeo back then. I’m sure they still do.”