BALTIMORE - Earlier this week, PBR co-founder Ty Murray noted that world No. 2 Austin Meier was riding with more technique in the first four Built Ford Tough Series events of 2012 than he had in previous years.
 
Meier, who has ridden nine of 13 bulls and trails only Valdiron de Oliveira, agreed.
 
"Yeah, for sure," he said. "I've made it easier on myself just doing stuff that I know how to do, and it was a lack of doing it."
 
The biggest change is that Meier is making a conscious effort to get up and over his rope.
 
Although he rides with a Brazilian rope, he said it's still important for him to lean out over the front end and not simply slide up and lift on the rope like some of the Brazilian riders do. He also pays special attention when he leaves chute on a bull with a right-hand delivery (when the chute opens to the right of the bull).
 
When he doesn't get over the top, it's twice as hard. Meier said that previously, he was "hunkered down and lifting so hard it was putting a 'C' in my back and really trying to rock my back on my pockets."
 
"I'm positioning my body better to be out over that rope," he said.
 
Now he has an arch in his back and is pushing his chest out. 

'That's one thing that I do have to keep a check on, and make sure my mind's right, so I don't think, "OK. I'm big and strong … let's go muscle these bulls."'

A year ago, he was dealing with shoulder problems. Now that he's feeling stronger and is back to working out, he was warned by his father Rex, "Be careful and don't get to trying to overpower those bulls."
 
Meier is naturally bigger and stronger than most riders, and he and Rex know how easy it is for him to rely on that strength.
 
"I agreed with him," Meier said. "That's one thing that I do have to keep a check on, and make sure my mind's right, so I don't think, 'OK. I'm big and strong … let's go muscle these bulls."
 
In theory, as long as he stays out over the front, he ought to be able to lift with half the effort, and remain loose enough to make the moves he needs to counter the bull he's riding.
 
At 69.23 percent, he and Oliveira are tied for the second-best riding average after the first month of a 10-month season.
 
EAST BOUND AND DOWN: Last week's event was 2,736 miles west of Baltimore, on the other coast in Sacramento, Calif. After packing up the entire show and loading it onto semi-trailers, several crew members had three days to drive cross-country for Thursday's load-in at 1st Mariner Arena.
 
On Tuesday afternoon, Dustin Elliott used Twitter to say, "Had great lunch w/ arena crew today. They're driving 44 hrs from Sac to Balt. Least I can do is give em good food and relaxin place to rest."
 
Elliott, who lives in North Platte, Neb., was at about the halfway mark. He served elk burgers and sent them on their way. Two days later he tweeted again: "Arena crew guys that left my house Tue afternoon just pulled into #PBRBAL. Dang that's a long drive!!!"

Douglas Duncan has bucked off his past seven bulls. He'll need to put some points on the board in Baltimore to stay on tour.

CUT DUCKERS: Douglas Duncan, Elliott, Stormy Wing, Douglas Ferreira, Elton Cide and Ben Jones face being cut from the BFTS if they're not able to finish the Baltimore event ranked in the Top 25.
 
Colby Yates, Elliott Jacoby and Rubens Barbosa all have one injury exemption beyond this weekend, as does Cody Campbell, who is sitting out Baltimore. Reese Cates, who broke his jaw at a Touring Pro Division event in Denver and is expected to return in Atlanta, will have four exemptions upon his return.
 
Several other riders will have five injury exemptions upon return to competition after missing substantial time. Beau Hill used his final exemption last week in Sacramento.

Douglas Duncan, Elliott, Stormy Wing, Douglas Ferreira, Elton Cide and Ben Jones face being cut from the BFTS if they're not able to finish the Baltimore event ranked in the Top 25.

ALTERNATING: Brendon Clark and Nathan Schapper earned the first two alternate spots by winning Touring Pro Division events last weekend. Clark earned the first spot with a win in Eugene, Ore., while Schapper got the second alternate position with a win in Laredo, Texas.
 
Clark is a veteran from Australia who is working his way back onto the BFTS, while Schapper is a relative newcomer. The 21-year-old made his BFTS debut in Tulsa, Okla., in 2010.
 
This is the second year in which riders can earn a place in the BFTS draw the weekend following a TPD event win with at least $10,000 added to the purse.
 
THE SHOW MUST GO ON: Despite aggravating an old shoulder injury on riding his arm, Luke Snyder said "it feels better." He's slated for an MRI on Monday and added that regardless of when he had it examined he was planning to compete in Baltimore.
 
HAVING HIS HEAD EXAMINED: McKennon Wimberly, who has been out with a head injury for more than a year and is hoping to return to competition this spring, posted on Facebook earlier this week that he had an appointment "to get the ol' noggin checked out." The following day he jokingly posted, "Doc said no changes I'm still crazy but it's nothing she can't fix so I'm good." Wimberly has reportedly been on practice bulls in the past few weeks in preparation for his return.
 
TV GUIDE: The final two rounds of the Baltimore Invitational will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network on Saturday, Feb. 4 beginning at 10 p.m. ET. Craig Hummer will call the action and will be joined in the broadcast booth by J.W. Hart. Leah Garcia will provide dirt-level interviews behind the chutes.
 
LIVE EVENT CENTER: Follow all the action from this week's BFTS event by logging on to the Event Center at www.pbr.com/live. The multimedia center provides in-arena audio and video, live scoring, live blogging and event-related interviews.