LOVINGTON, N.M. – The sport of rodeo has taken Justin Rumford around the world.

Raised in a family that has been involved in the game since before he was born, he has a keen understanding of every aspect, from the competition involved to the entertainment value for fans. It’s as much about showmanship as it is athleticism.

He’s driven thousands of miles in semi tractor-trailers filled with bucking horses and bulls. He’s ridden broncs and wrestled steers, roped calves and rescued men off the backs of kicking horses as a pickup man. There aren’t many aspects of rodeo in which he hasn’t been involved, but his greatest success has come with his latest task.

He’s a 10-time PRCA Clown of the Year, and he’s entertained crowds in most of the 50 United States. Rumford has performed at some of the biggest rodeos, but he’s never been to Lovington, a town of more than 11,000 people tucked in southeastern New Mexico. That changes with this year’s Lea County Fair and Rodeo, set for 7 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 6-Saturday, Aug. 9; that also includes Lea County Xtreme Bulls, which is Tuesday, Aug. 5.

“I don’t really know about the history of rodeo in Lovington, so I’d better do some studying,” Rumford said with a laugh. “(Stock contractor) Pete Carr called me last year and told me he wanted me to come to Lovington. I had to look up where it was.”

He did more than that. He learned everything he could about the exposition and even watched videos of past rodeos in that historic complex.

“When I saw that, I was like, ‘This looks like a place where I could fit in,’ ” said Rumford, originally from the small town of Abbyville, Kansas, but now living in Ponca City, Oklahoma, with his wife, Ashley, and their three children, 11-year-old triplets Bandy, Livi and Lola. “I’m excited about getting that deal done, and we’re going to have some fun there.

“I can pretty much evaluate the crowd before the rodeo starts by where people are going to sit. At rodeos, where they sit is like people at church. Once you sit in that spot, that’s where you’re going to sit for the rest of time. I can tell the places where things will work.”

That little trick of the trade is one of the reasons why Rumford is one of the most sought-after entertainers in rodeo. Another attribute is his ability to laugh at himself, a larger-than-life figure who remains active and agile in addition to being outlandishly comedic.

 “People want to laugh at each other more than they want to laugh at something,” Rumford said. “When I’m in the arena, I’m saying the same stuff I’d say if I wasn’t clowning. It’s just me being me.”

That’s true. Whether he was cracking wise in the locker room at Fairfield High School in Kansas or sharing his wit behind the bucking chutes with other cowboys, Rumford has always had a way of entertaining. It was an easy transition from every other aspect in rodeo to this one.

“This clowning deal is the best thing I’ve ever had,” Rumford said. “I’ve been involved in rodeo my whole life. I’ve never done anything else, and I’ve never wanted to do anything else.”

Now, he will have the opportunity to display his talent to a new audience, one that shares his passion for rodeo.