PUEBLO, Colo. - Ask Ty Pozzobon any question
and he's likely to give you the same answer.
"I'm only 20," he often says, "I haven't thought that far
ahead."
Pozzobon is indeed young, and right now he's simply enjoying the
vagabond lifestyle of a top-ranked professional bull rider on the
Built Ford Tough Series.
His parents live in Merritt, British Columbia, and occasionally he
returns home to visit, but this year, he plans to spend a majority
of his time in the United States, especially now that he's ranked
in the Top 10.
For longer than he can remember, his car was with a friend in New
Mexico, but recently he had someone drive it to Texas, where he
plans to spend time in Stephenville between BFTS events.
'I'm just living out of a little suitcase,
really.'
"Yeah," he said, "I'll have my own wheels when I'm there."
He just won't have his own place.
He'll stay with friends, and he and buddy Douglas
Duncan will compete at Touring Pro Division events and pro
rodeos between BFTS events.
He cares less about the place he calls home and more about the
opportunity to ride bulls.
Ultimately he's enjoying the freedom, even if that means wining
only a few hundred dollars on a Wednesday night at the Lone Star
Arena, where Boyd & Floyd host a weekly event that features
their younger bulls.
"It's kind of nice, and I'm just living out of a little suitcase,
really."

Ty Pozzobon had his own cheering section in Portland, Ore., two weeks ago.
It's hard to say whether his approach to bull riding is the same
as his approach to life, or vice versa.
In either case, he simply goes with the flow.
"There are not many guys who when they showed up fit right in,"
said J.B. Mauney, who described Pozzobon with one
word: "Rank."
"He'll be here for a long time."
Pozzobon said he doesn't get caught up in counting points or
analyzing his position n the world standings.
He knows he's "up there" near the top, but that's only because
twice in the first four events of 2012 he's qualified for the Built
Ford Tough Championship Round.
Four events in, he's ridden seven of 14, with his best effort
coming in Round 3 in Anaheim, Calif., when he covered Bad
Moon for 88.75 points.
'A lot of the guys hadn't really seen me
ride, but I didn't feel like I had to prove anything. I just went
out and rode my bulls. … I hope to just keep rolling
on.'
His style derives from balance and riding forward jump for jump
or, as Pozzobon put it, "Like a rocking chair, I guess." He's not
one to plan ahead and set traps - "that never usually works" - and,
like his life itself, he takes it as comes.
As a newcomer who could easily get caught up in competing
alongside the likes of two-time World Champion Chris
Shivers, or awed by the lights and cameras that capture
his every ride for television, he knows that approach is easier
said than done.
Just don't ask him how he does it.
"I don't know," Pozzobon said. "That's a tough one to say. It's
easier said than done when a guy's riding good, right? But if a guy
starts getting in a slump then he really starts over-thinking
things and that's when you have to go back to that rule, where you
just take it one bull at a time."
He added, "I haven't been trying to think too far ahead. I've been
trying to just take it one bull at a time. I think the more a guy
thinks about things, and if he over-thinks things, that's when he
starts riding bad."
He said he's not concerned about money, but that might not be
entirely true.
In fact, he's keenly aware that his early-season success has
affected his bank account. One month into a 10-month season, he's
already earned a third of what he did last year, which was cut
short when he broke his riding hand.
"It feels good to know that I'm here for awhile," said Pozzobon,
who's aware of his relative ease in contrast to those who face the
first cut of the 2012 season. "That's not even in the back of my
mind. I want to just keep climbing the standings as much as I can
now.
"I've watched guys like Chris Shivers and J.B. That's where I
wanted to be. I've worked really hard to get here, and now I know I
belong here."
"Now it's nice to finally be here," he continued. "A lot of the
guys hadn't really seen me ride, but I didn't feel like I had to
prove anything. I just went out and rode my bulls. … I hope to just
keep rolling on."
WATCH THE BALTIMORE INVITATIONAL Friday on the PBR Live Event Center at 8 p.m. ET, and Saturday on CBS Sports Network at 10 p.m. ET.
© 2012 PBR Inc. All rights reserved.

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