Ty Erickson, the 2019 world champion bulldogger from Helena, Montana, kicked off his 2026 Calgary Stampede campaign with a co-share of first place in steer wrestling on Monday, July 6. His 4.0-second run matched Oregon's Dalton Massey, earning each cowboy $6,250.
Erickson's path to redemption
Erickson, 35, won the Calgary Stampede steer wrestling title in 2024 but fell short in his defense last summer. He knows the difficulty of repeating at The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth. “Yeah, man … the calibre of this rodeo makes it so hard to win it back-to-back years,” Erickson said. “It’s hard here just because you have the best guys in the world, and you’ve got the best horses in the world, and when you put those two together, it’s so extremely hard to win anytime. But ultimately, we’re just trying to make the best runs we can.”
His 2024 victory was especially meaningful after a spring ankle injury and surgery. “I probably came back way before I was supposed to. But I worked my butt off to get back, and when I was able to win this rodeo, it was probably my most proud moment in my rodeo career,” Erickson said.
Momentum from a strong start
Winning the first round of Pool B is crucial because advancement in the Stampede rodeo is based on cumulative earnings. “It’s great to start out like that, because moving on is all based on money won,” Erickson explained. “So if a guy can get out there and get a round win, it just gets you out on the right foot and gets that momentum rolling into — hopefully — we can place a couple more times and keep advancing.”
Erickson, standing 6-foot-6, thrives on the atmosphere of the Calgary Stampede. “Yeah … I don’t know, man. It’s just so much fun being at a rodeo like Calgary — like there’s other rodeos we get to go to all year long that are like this, so when a guy does show up to something like this, it gets your blood pumping. And yeah … we can be a champion at the Calgary Stampede again,” he added.
Other day winners on Monday
In bareback riding, Wyoming cowboy Roedy Farrell earned first place with an 87.5-point ride aboard Side Show, edging Jesse Pope’s 87 on Shooting Star. Farrell collected $7,000 for the win.
In saddle bronc, Colorado’s Coleman Shallbetter scored 87.50 on Business Girl to top the day.
