LAS VEGAS — Under the bright lights of the Thomas & Mack Center, with thousands of fans pressed over the rails and the world’s best steer wrestlers charging into the arena, Ty Erickson is right at home.

But for the Helena native, the story of this National Finals Rodeo run doesn’t start in Las Vegas.

It starts in a cold Montana barn — with a brother working the chute.

Through eight rounds of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, Erickson has amassed over $140,000 in prize money and surged from 14th in the world standings into the top five, giving himself a chance at another world title.

“Coming in 14th, you really don’t have any pressure,” said Erickson, the 2019 world champion. “We just wanted to come in here and have some fun and make the best runs we could.”

That approach has paid of

See Full Page