The Calgary Stampede is the ideal setting for a comeback tale to begin. Ty Erickson thought about it at the end of April, after a difficult surgery to fix a badly damaged ankle was completed.
At the beginning of Pool B competition on a hot July Monday afternoon at the Calgary Stampede, the 2019 PRCA World Champion Steer Wrestler had achieved his goal.
In 4.5 seconds, Erickson bent over his black steer to win $7000 and get off to a strong start in the hopes of qualifying for the Finals on Sunday.
“I ran two steers in the practice pen about a week ago,” the Montana rancher said. “Last week, I ran a rodeo at Livingston and walked up at one, but I didn’t enter any of the July Fourth events.
That made this my fourth steer. “I’m feeling quite happy at the moment because everything felt perfect there. That helps a player recover from an injury and feel like he can have a little luck,” Erickson remarked.
Erickson sustained a spiral fracture to his fibula during a run in Clovis, California. More significantly, he shattered tendons that required deltoid repair and syndesmosis surgery for ligaments and tendons.
“We’ve been really fortunate with him. Right now he’s working sooo well. After taking him around the Fourth of July, he had approximately seven weeks off,” Erickson remarked.
“There’s nothing like Calgary rodeo, so we wanted him to get in some practice runs before we came here.” It’s an excellent rodeo. Because of the way things are set up, you have to move quickly in order to advance.” Erickson is eager to repeat the process and then go on the road.
Coming back at Calgary was always the plan, so we had prepared for it in a way. After this, I started entering pretty much every rodeo we could go. We’re going to work hard.” But at the renowned Alberta festival, job one is still unfinished.
“With how that went and how it’s going to proceed, I couldn’t be happier right now. Looking forward to the next two rounds and hopefully doing well enough to go to the short round on Sunday and compete for the $50,000 prize.
Despite being quite near, Erickson, who has attended this event numerous times in the past, has never been able to successfully return the large check and bronze to his home in Helena.
The eight-time NFR qualifier did receive a daily bronze award as a result of Monday’s accomplishment, and it will be especially meaningful given of what it took for Calgary to resume competition. “Winning the round is an experience that never grows old. To be honest, this is one of my favorite rodeos of the entire year,” Erickson remarked.
In the tie-down roping, Shane Hanchey placed first with a time of 6.7 seconds, winning the round and $7000. Other winners in Pool B included barrel racer Katelyn Scott (17.12 seconds, $7000); bull rider Trey Kimzey, one of only two cowboys to make the whistle (83 points on Vold’s Last Rights, $12,375); and saddle bronc riders Kolby Wanchuk (87.5 points on Vold’s Alberta Moon, $6250) and his traveling partner Chase Brooks (87.5 on Macza’s Falkland Playboy, $6250).
