No tears as rodeo clown Steve From retires

Steve "Snorkel" From's rodeo adventures have taken him all over the world and to performances throughout the west. But soon he'll be ready to give up bull fighting and comedy to focus on farming in his hometown of Lodgepole.

The 52-year-old, who served as clown at the Cheyenne County Fair Rodeo has been a part of the rodeo scene as a rider and comic for the past 26 years. He explains his transition into the career simply.

"I was in Australia riding bulls and I was broke," From said. "I turned out to be a pretty good bull fighter."

Australia is a great place to learn the craft of bull fighting, From explained, because all the bulls there are—to put it bluntly—mean. Despite this, From enjoyed his time in Australia.

"Mostly I was over there for the adventure," From said. "I had a great experience over there."

From started riding bulls in 1975 in Ogallala. The third bull he ever mounted stomped on his chest, breaking a few of his ribs and his collarbone, but that didn't stop the cowboy.

"That first bull changed my life," From said.

He rode bulls for 13 years before letting go of the rope. From enjoyed both bull riding and fighting for quite a while, but gave up riding when he was 40.

"I was too busy fighting," he said. "I had too many jobs."

From got into bull fighting for the excitement.

"There's a real rush when there's a bull chasing you," From pointed out.

The difference between riding and fighting is that he has the chance to help a cowboy, and possibly save another person's life while working as a clown.

"When I was riding, it was all about me," From said.

While From worked at rodeos as a clown during the summer, he generally held down a normal job over the winter. He would toil for ranchers, farmers or occasionally in construction. One winter, From performed stand-up comedy in Minneapolis.

"It's a lot of fun," he said.

During the rodeo, From only has a chance to hit the audience with one-liners between his fighting duties. Stand up is quite a bit different, From remembered.

"It's just you and the microphone and the audience," he said. "It's a rush too."

From draws his comedy material from many sources. Most of his inspiration comes from normal conversation. He'll write down a joke, keep it in his mind and work on it later.

"It's not so much the joke, but the delivery that matters," From explained.

He admits that although the majority of his material is original, he's not above borrowing a joke from a friend.

"If I wish I'd wrote it, I'll steal it," From said.

From grew up in Lodgepole, but had been away for 30 years until moving back three years ago. He now works on his family farm, following a stroke that sidelined his father.

"He's still calling the shots," From observed.

From has performed in many of the western and midwestern states. He fought at rodeos in Nebraska, both the Dakotas, Kansas, Oklahoma, Colorado, Texas, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa, among other places.

Location definitely makes a difference in the way a crowd responds to a joke, From said. He was doing quite a bit of political humor in Sidney, such as picking on President Barack Obama—which he said went over smashingly.

From admits that he'll soon be retiring from clowning, although he plans to finish out all his contracts.

"A lot of it is that I'm so busy farming and ranching, that when I am gone, I feel guilty," From said.

Although he loves working rodeos, he thinks it's time to hang up his boots.

"I've been doing it for a long time," From pointed out.

From finds the most tedious part of the clowning process is preparing for performances. Yet even though his rodeo time is almost through, From has enjoyed working the Sidney event.

"The crowds are great around here," From said. "I've loved it all."

Although he's quitting soon, bull fighting is obviously From's passion in life.

"The performing, I love," From said.