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Frost Brothers Impress War Bonnet Crowd

By VICTOR FLORES
vflores@postregister.com
Idaho Falls Post Register

Joe and Josh Frost showed the crowd how it’s done.

Bull rider after bull rider got bucked off before eight seconds elapsed. Two riders had qualified for the money with two remaining late Saturday night at the War Bonnet Roundup. The final two were the Frost brothers.

Josh’s free hand nearly grazed his bull, American Sniper, and he was nearly bucked twice before the clock reached eight seconds. But he held on for a score of 87.

Joe’s ride was cleaner, but he fell six points short of his younger brother. Josh was the winner. Joe was third.

The two brothers from eastern Utah provided a thrilling finish to the 105th War Bonnet held at Bank of Idaho Arena at Sandy Downs. Josh will go home with a rifle, just like Joe did when he won the 2012 War Bonnet.

“I’m very excited,” Josh said after his winning run. “It’s always fun to compete at the War Bonnet.”

Joe, 24, came into the War Bonnet ranked No. 2 in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association bull riding season standings. He placed second in the 2014 National Finals Rodeo and fourth last year.

Josh, 21, hadn’t pursued the NFR since this year. He was outside of the PRCA’s top 50 bull rider standings going into this weekend, but Saturday’s win will give him a healthy jump.

The brothers began their rodeo careers once they could walk, more or less. Joe said they he was about 5 years old when he started riding calves and steers, and Josh wasn’t far behind.

“I’d climb on Joe’s back and he’d pretend to be a bucking bull,” Josh said. “We just always wanted to do (bull riding) since we were little kids. It’s been our dream.”

The Frost family joined the PRCA more than 60 years ago. Clyde Frost, the brother of Joe’s and Josh’s grandfather, rode bareback in the first NFR, held in 1959.

“That’s the thing growing up a Frost,” Joe said. “You’re pretty much born wanting to ride a bull.”

Clyde’s son, Lane, was the PRCA World Champion bull rider in 1987. Two years later, Lane died in the arena in Cheyenne, Wyo., after his bull broke several of Lane’s ribs with its horn.

“He’s been our biggest hero,” Joe said. “I know if he was alive today, I’d talk to him two or three times every day. The only way we get that now is through prayer. I still feel close to him, and I feel like he’s with us a lot. A lot of the way we ride, and a lot of things we do come from trying to emulate someone like that.”

Now Joe (and Josh, to a lesser extent) is the bull rider that others look up to.

St. Anthony native Garrett Remington, 19, competed in his first War Bonnet on Saturday. He was bucked off his bull in under three seconds, but qualifying was more gravy than beef for the South Fremont High School graduate. He knew the quality of his competition, namely Joe Frost.

“I watched him on TV at the NFR,” Remington said. “So that was pretty cool to interact with all these bigger names.”

Joe was a secondary attraction after the bull riding competition Saturday. He still came away with $1,727.82, but Josh earned the winning check of $2,760.54.

Joe had no issue with his third-place finish. In fact, he looked more excited than Josh after their runs. Sure, Joe wanted to win, but defeat doesn’t taste so bad when his brother earns the victory.

For Josh, Saturday’s win was sweet revenge. He rode American Sniper two weeks ago in Cheyenne, and the bull bucked Josh. This time, Sniper earned him a rifle.

“Now we can go shoot targets together,” Joe said.

Josh and Joe Frost

Josh and Joe Frost
Photo courtesy of Sara Rempelos

Correction: This story had been updated to note that Clyde Frost rode bareback in the inaugural NFR in 1959.

See the original story and full coverage at Idaho Falls’ Post Register. Used with permission.


War Bonnet Roundup

Saturday’s results

Steer wrestling: 1. Bill Boyce 3.6; T2. Clay Lloyd 5.2; T2. Beau Clark 5.2; 4. Ben Dansie 15.3; 5. Blake Brown 15.6

Bareback: 1. Blade Elliott 75; 2. Paden Hurst 59.5; 3. Nolan Jacob Gilles 47

Team roping: 1. Spencer Mitchell/Justin Davis 4.7; 2. Colby Siddoway/Brady Ramone 10.1

Saddle bronc: 1. Wyatt Hurst 81; 2. Jeret Angell, St. Anthony, 76; 3. Ryan Mackenzie 74.5; 4. Keenan Reinhardt 74; 5. Buck Ryan 71

Tie-down roping: 1. Bode Scott 12.9; 2. Jed Davison 14.8; 3. Jesse Medearis 17.6; 4. Royce Tamcke 27.2

Barrel racing: 1. Andrea Jones 15.36; 2. Darby Fox 15.64; 3. Terri Wood Gates 15.79; 4. Jolee Lautaret-Jordan 15.89; 5. Megan Lewis 15.91

Bull riding: 1. Josh Frost 87; 2. Joe Frost 81

Go-round results (final)

Steer wrestling: 1. Newt Novich (Twin Bridges, Mont.) 3.4; T2. Bill Boyce (Lewistown, Mont.) 3.6; T2. Jacob Talley (Keatchie, La.) 3.6; T4. Cole Fulton (Miller, S.D.) 4.1; T4. Sterling Lambert (Fallon, Nev.) 4.1

Bareback: 1. Caleb Bennett (Tremonton, Utah) 85; 2. Tristan Hansen (Victor) 81; 3. Wyatt Bloom (Bend, Ore.) 80.5; 4. Dantan Bertsch (Eastend, Saskatchewan) 80; 5. Blade Elliott (Centreville, Alberta) 75.0

Team roping: 1. Rhen Richard (Roosevelt, Utah)/Cole Davison (Stephenville, Texas) 4.2; T2. Dustin Bird (Cut Bank, Mont.)/Russell Cardoza (Terrebonne, Ore.) 4.6; T2. Levi Simpson (Ponoka, Alberta)/Jeremy Buhler (Abbotsford, B.C.) 4.6; T4. Spencer Mitchell (Williams, Calif.)/Justin Davis (Cottonwood, Calif.) 4.7; T4. Rhett Anderson (Anabella, Utah)/Kycen Winn (Anabelle, Utah) 4.7

Saddle bronc: 1. Joe Harper (Paradise Valley, Nev.) 84.5; 2. Brady Nicholes (Hoytsville, Utah) 83.5; 3. Ryder Wright (Milford, Utah) 83.0; 4. Travis Nelson (Philip, S.D.) 82.0; T5. Tyrell Smith (Great Falls, Mont.) 81.0; T5. Wyatt Hurst (Brockway, Mont.) 81.0

Tie-down roping: 1. Ryle Smith (Oakdale, Calif.) 9.7; 2. Justin Parke (Gooding) 9.9; 3. Shay Carroll (Pineville, Ore.) 10.2; 4. Justin Truman (Huntington, Utah) 10.5; 5. Dane Kissack (Spearfish, S.D.) 10.6

Barrel racing: 1. Andrea Jones (Twin Falls) 15.36; 2. Darby Fox (King Hill) 15.64; 3. Sherry Cervi (Marana, Ariz.) 15.68; 4. Kimmie Wall (Roosevelt, Utah) 15.73; 5. Ashley Sudan (Whitefish, Mont.) 15.78

Bull riding: 1. Josh Frost (Randlett, Utah) 87.0; 2. Rylan Wright (Heber City, Utah) 84.0; 3. Joe Frost (Randlett, Utah) 81.0; 4. Garrett Smith (Rexburg) 75.0

 

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