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Troy Lerwill got to see a lot of rodeos as a child because his father was a team roper.

But it was the clowns and bull fighters that mesmerized Lerwill. He especially was attracted to the danger that came with the job.

So it's not unusual that he became a Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association bull fighter in 1997. Lerwill added a motorcycle act to his performance and has been voted the PRCA's top specialty act the last five years.

Rodeo announcer Cheyenne Pipkin, who calls the action at the weekly Mesquite Championship Rodeo, says Lerwill performs acts that seem impossible.

"He puts on shows that are incredibly entertaining, and he's funny," said Pipkin, who years ago at a rodeo called Lerwill a wild child.

Lerwill has adopted that moniker, and he and his wife, Rebecca, travel the country performing the "Wild Child Motorcycle Act" at rodeos. They are based out of Payson, Utah.

The two will be at the Resistol Arena in Mesquite for the next three weeks, performing their show at the Mesquite Championship Rodeo on Friday and Saturday nights.

A popular PRCA act, the Lerwills have performed at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, ProRodeo Tour Finale in Las Vegas, Dodge National Circuit Finals, and many major rodeos across the country, including the Southwestern Exposition and Livestock Show Rodeo in Fort Worth and the Heart O' Texas Fair and Rodeo in Waco.

"When he first started, he wasn't very funny," Pipkin said. "He didn't seem to have that personality. But he's made a terrific transformation."

Lerwill, 41, agrees: "The first time I was hired as a barrel man at a rodeo, I was pretty darn scared because I was never funny or anything. I was more nervous about putting on makeup and going out and entertaining people than I was fighting bulls. Then I started doing that and acting."

How did motorcycle jumping become part of the act?

"I had a background in motorcycles, and I wanted to do something nobody had ever done, something new, so that's how I came up with the act."

Lerwill spent six years as a professional motocross racer and had been riding motorcycles for 27 years. So the motorcycle act was a natural.

Today, he jumps over a pickup truck and trailer as the signature part of his performance. "I just enjoy a challenge," Lerwill said.

Although the act is pretty demanding, Lerwill said he's never encountered a major crash while doing his jumps, although he hit the hood of his truck a couple of times when he came up short. "That's always scary," Lerwill said. "It caved in the top of my hood, but it left me a place for the water to run off when it rains."

Windy Ryon Memorial Roping: More than 30 of rodeo's world champions in team roping, tie-down roping and steer roping will highlight the competition at the 35th annual Windy Ryon Memorial Roping, May 23-25.

The event, which features team roping Friday, tie-down roping Saturday and steer roping Sunday, will be held at the Windy Ryon Arena in Saginaw, just north of Fort Worth.

Texas Music artists Eleven Hundred Springs will perform a concert Saturday evening.

TODAY-SATURDAY, MAY 15-17: Santa Rosa Round Up, Santa Rosa Arena, Vernon, Texas. 7:30 p.m.

FRIDAY-SATURDAY, MAY 16-17: Mesquite Championship Rodeo, Resistol Arena on I-635 at Military Parkway, Mesquite. 8 p.m. $7-$30. Parking, $5. 972-285-8777. www.mesquiterodeo.com.

FRIDAY-SATURDAY, MAY 16-17: Stockyards Championship Rodeo, Cowtown Coliseum, Fort Worth. 8 p.m. Box seats, $15; VIP Club seating, $15; General admission, $11.50; Children (3-12), $8; Seniors (60-up), $9.50. 817-625-1025 and 817- 323-2855. www.stockyardsrodeo.com.

FRIDAY-SATURDAY, MAY 16-17: Panola County Cattleman's PRCA Rodeo, Panola County Cattlemen's Arena, Carthage, Texas. 8 p.m.

FRIDAY-SATURDAY, MAY 16-17: Northeast Texas Stampede, Hunt County Fairgrounds, Greenville, Texas. 8 p.m.

FRIDAY-SATURDAY, MAY 16-17: San Augustine County Chamber of Commerce PRCA Rodeo, County Youth Arena, San Augustine, Texas. 8 p.m.

SATURDAY, MAY 17: San Antonio Invitational (Professional Bull Riders' Built Ford Tough Series), Alamodome, San Antonio, 6:50 p.m.