The Clown Family is coming to Kindersley!
By Joan Janzen
One of the many highlights of a rodeo are the jokes and antics performed by the rodeo clown, and this is sure to be the case at the upcoming Kindersley rodeo on the first weekend of June. Tyler Wagner from St. Paul, Alberta, will be clowning around, but he won’t be alone.
Tyson’s wife TJ and sons Trace and Tyler accompany him to every rodeo event. Some know the family as the “Clown Family”; the 11 and 13-year-old boys help out in the ring. “They come with me, and most of my acts involve them. They’re naturally funny,” Tyson explained. Both boys plan to follow in Tyson’s clown shoe footsteps.
Long before Tyson became a rodeo clown, he was a kid who was born and raised in Macklin, Sask. where he completed his elementary and high school education. He didn’t grow up in a “rodeo family”; he was a town kid who didn’t even own a pair of cowboy boots. But that all changed when he attended a rodeo with his family.
Tyson’s not sure if it was a rodeo in Unity or in Kindersley that first sparked his interest, but after one rodeo, he was hooked and decided then and there that’s what he wanted to do.
At the age of 19, Tyson took up bull riding and moved to Alberta in his early 20’s. He suffered multiple concussions throughout his bull riding career, was dragged by horses, fell off horses and fences, had his neck broken, and has a permanent hole in his trachea.
But he also acquired prestigious awards, coming away as Lakeland Rodeo Association finals bullfighter in 2006, 2007 and 2008, and the Wildrose Rodeo Association Finals bullfighter in 2008. He’s a member of the Canadian Cowboys Association, Lakeland Rodeo Association and the Canadian Professional Rodeo Association.
After twenty years of riding bulls and horses, he continues to do what he loves, except now he’s entertaining crowds in the ring with his clown antics. The Wagner clown crew travels to rodeos throughout Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and B.C. Their first rodeo for this season was at the 2022 North Battleford Kinsmen Rodeo on the April 30th weekend.
“I’ve been at it for 13 years; it’s the sport I decided to get into,” he said. “I’m not really good at anything else.”
Every clown has their own unique style; Tyson’s includes props like a t-shirt slingshot that he has been known to shoot at a kid in the crowd. Being a barrel man has also always been one of Tyson’s passions. His funny material comes from what he sees and hears, things people can relate to. “There’s no shortage of funny stuff happening,” he said.
Tyson’s boys started their clowning careers at a young age. His youngest son started before he could walk. “I dressed him up in an outfit like mine,” Tyson said. Trace was dubbed as ‘Tracer - the world’s smallest rodeo clown.’ “It’s all they’ve ever known,” Tyson said.
Tyson and his boys do a different act every night of each rodeo. “The kids kind of dictate what we do. On the way to the rodeo, we have a discussion; they keep me on the straight and narrow,” he said.
The Wagner family and their two dogs enjoy going to rodeos, meeting different people, and seeing various attractions. But the best part of rodeo life, according to Tyson, is being able to do it as a family. “It’s our family time,” he said.
The boys are fortunate to be able to take time off from school to accommodate their rodeo trips and play hockey in the winter. Tyson works full-time as a manager/ice maker at the local curling rink during the winter months and works at the golf course during the summer. “We give ‘er pretty good,” is how Tyson described their busy lives.
In spite of their busy schedules, the Wagner clown crew looks forward to weekends when they get on the road and into the ring to entertain rodeo enthusiasts.
Tyler, Tyson and Trace Wagner are excited about entertaining the crowds at the upcoming Kindersley rodeo.
SUBMITTED PHOTO
