HELENA -- Coming off his first PRCA world championship, steer wrestler Ty Erickson insists on staying active -- just not necessarily full-time in the practice arena.
The Helena native wasn't about to let quarantine get the best of him, so he's keeping busy with a second job: home remodeling.
"I had done construction a little bit before,” the 29-year-old said in a recent interview with the PRCA. "This is keeping me from going stir crazy."
Erickson won his first world title in dramatic fashion last December, turning the tables in Round 9 of the Wrangler NFR before icing it in the 10th and final round on a Saturday night in Las Vegas. His Round 10 time of 4.4 seconds capped a $234,491.09 season and pro rodeo's elusive gold buckle. Stevensville cowboy Bridger Chambers finished right behind Erickson with $217,361.60.
Erickson was sitting sixth in the 2020 PRCA RAMS World Standings with $27,143.97 before the season screeched to a halt due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“The first week or so when I got home, I wasn’t doing anything and I needed to do something," he told the PRCA. "My wife (Cierra) is riding some horses. I turned my horses out a little bit until it warms up. I've been helping a buddy of mine do some construction. I’m just trying to keep myself busy.”
And keeping it simple. The hope is a little rest and relaxation goes a long way in repeating as world champion.
“I have been working out a little bit, and when I feel like we are kind of getting close (to rodeos resuming) I will start grinding and practicing a bunch,” Erickson went on to say. “Once they give us the go-ahead, I will be ready to go. I’m hoping this passes over and we can get back to rodeoing. It definitely makes me miss it more now that we can’t do it. When we get back to rodeoing, I’m going to take full advantage of it.”
