SILVERTON, Texas – It’s quite possible the greatest athlete that will be heading to
Silverton for the Buck Wild Days Rodeo wears greasepaint and loves to make people laugh.
He’s also a daredevil who can make his motorcycle do magical things.
Welcome to the world of Troy “The Wild Child” Lerwill, one of the greatest specialty acts in
the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. He will bring his special brand of entertainment to the
Texas Panhandle for the Buck Wild Days Rodeo, set for 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 12-Saturday, Aug. 14
“We’re pretty excited to have the best specialty act in the business coming to our rodeo,” said
Ken Wood, chairman of Buck Wild Days Rodeo committee. “If people haven’t seen what Troy does in
the arena, they’re going to be amazed.
“Our sponsors have been great, helping us put on the best event in Texas.”
It’s all part of the rodeo’s fascinating production, a staple feature of Dallas-based Carr Pro
Rodeo, the livestock firm that will not only bring some of the best bucking stock in the PRCA to
Silverton but also a special rodeo flair.
“We want to bring the very best talent we can every night to every rodeo we produce,” said
Pete Carr, owner of Carr Pro Rodeo. “One of the keys to putting on great events is having a team of
extremely talented individuals; our entire team consists of some of the best people in the business.”
For Carr, he has pickup men like Paul Peterson, who has been selected to work the Wrangler
National Finals Rodeo three times and is one of the best in the business, and Guy Allen, an 18-time
steer roping world champion. The Carr outfit also features the husband-wife tandem of John and Sandy
Gwatney – John handles the timed events at all of the Carr rodeos as well as production, while Sandy is
a timer, a secretary and an all-around cowgirl who also helps with openings and other production needs
.
In Silverton, the rodeo will feature announcers Ken Stoncecipher and Andy Stewart, a
remarkable tandem who combine a national presence with a local understanding.
And when you figure on the Buck Wild Days Rodeo having the best in the business, having
Lerwill involved in the inaugural ProRodeo in Silverton is just another step in that process. Six times
he’s been named the PRCA Comedy Act of the Year; three times he’s been selected to be the barrelman
at the NFR, each season’s grand finale.
“I started my bullfighting career in 1994,” Lerwill posted on his website,
www.thewildchild.net. “Before I joined the PRCA in 1997, I found myself more often as ‘the man
in the can,’ making people laugh as the barrelman. During this time, I tried to us my experiences as a
professional motocross racer to build up funny motorcycle acts for the rodeo world. I told my self that
somehow it had to be possible to jump a Dodge pickup truck and a Bloomer trailer with my dirt bike.
“In 1998, ‘The Wild Child,’ was born, and since then, I have had the privilege of performing one
of the most spectacular acts in professional rodeo.”
In the years since, Lerwill has been seen by more than a million spectators, including when he
performed as the opening act of the NFR in 2001, ’03 and ’05.
“We’ve had a rodeo in Silverton for 118 years, and we’re doing everything we can to make it
better,” Wood said. “That’s the reason we decided to make this a ProRodeo, to bring the best cowboys
here. It’s the reason we brought Pete and Troy here this year; the fans will love it.”
