PRORODEO Sports News - January 10, 2025

PRORODEO COWBOYS

PRCA ProRodeo file photos Eight-time PRCA World Champion Stetson Wright, above, is nearing a return to PRORODEO action in January after being out for 14 months, while fellow bull rider Josh Frost, right, will be sidelined for 6 months after winning his first gold buckle in December.

experienced a setback following groin surgery. He made the tough decision to pull the plug on 2024. A return to the arena is right around the corner after months of rehab. “I’ve been itching to get back to it, I’ve never had a layoff like that before in my career,” said O’Connell, a 10-time NFR qualifier. “Now, that I’m good and I’ve tested this groin I’m excited and can’t wait to get back out there.” Injuries suffered during the PRORODEO season may take a little bit longer to return from. During the Xtreme Bulls Finale on Sept. 9, Josh Frost tore his labrum and rotator cuff in his left shoulder. The late-season injury jeopardized his hopes of winning his first PRCA World Championship. Frost stuck it out for the remainder of the 2024 campaign and weathered the storm at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo presented by Teton Ridge to win his first bull riding gold buckle. Three days after his victory, Frost opted to undergo surgery to repair his shoulder. He’ll be away from the arena for at least six months but is looking forward to returning to tip-top shape. “I was kind of happy about it,” Frost said. “It sucks getting surgery, but it sucks even worse having your shoulder dislocate every time it gets above shoulder height. “I was able to get through the NFR and get that gold buckle. So, it’s nice to get it fixed now and to be able to have a fresh start and be healthy coming back.” The timing couldn’t be better for Frost, as he and his wife, Erika, had their first daughter Mavie in Aug. “It’s very unorthodox (to be home for six months), but we just had our first little girl in August, so there’s no better time to be home than right now,”

Frost said. “Normally, I’d be missing some stuff, but I get to be home for all of it, so that’s pretty cool.” Bull rider Creek Young looked poised to return to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo presented by Teton Ridge last season before a late-season injury brought his 2024 campaign to a screeching halt. Young broke his femur during his first ride of the Cinch Playoffs at the Puyallup (Wash.) Rodeo on Sept. 7 and was forced to get a doctor’s release from the NFR. Almost five months later, Young is healing up nicely from surgery that repaired the break with a rod and screws and said he’s nearing his return to the arena. “At my last doctor’s appointment in December, they told me to do everything I’m capable of but not too much until I build back the muscle and mobility in my knee, leg and hip,” Young said. “I entered RodeoHouston (March 4-23). I didn’t want to miss that sucker. I’m going to shoot for that, and that’s my plan. But I’m not going to come back until I feel one hundred percent.” After the 2023 National Finals Rodeo, Shad Mayfield was diagnosed with torn labrums and femoral impingments in both hips. But he overcame the pain to capture his first PRCA All-Around World Championship last season. Mayfield doesn’t plan on slowing down in 2025. “I’m going to keep pushing. I don’t think I’m ready for surgery,” Mayfield said after Round 10. “I felt great in Round 1 until I tweaked my hip really bad getting off my horse. That really became a factor the final nine nights. It’s something that I’ll take a good, little break from before coming back in the wintertime and come back feeling the best I can.”

Comebacks

“I’ve been on two bulls and two bucking horses in the last 14 months,” said Wright, 25. “So, to finally feel good and be back to my normal self is so awesome. I’ve worked as hard as I ever have to get back to this point. After sitting out 14 months, it’s gametime now.” Wright plans to return to action in both the bull riding and saddle bronc riding on Jan. 11 at the Cinch World’s Toughest Rodeo in Des Moines, Iowa. Three-time world champion bareback rider Tim O’Connell was another cowboy that missed all of 2024. O’Connell, who won consecutive world championships from 2016-18, was recovering from a tear in his left groin. O’Connell had planned to return early on in the summer run but Stetson Wright highlights cowboys eyeing 2025 return

BY PRCA STAFF I njuries are part of the PRORODEO game. You never know when they are going to rear their ugly head and derail a promising season. A handful of cowboys battled injuries in 2024 that forced them out of action for the entire season, while others suffered setbacks in Las Vegas. One of the biggest names that found themselves on the shelf last season was eight-time PRCA World Champion Stetson Wright. The Beaver, Utah, cowboy was sidelined after Round 2 of the 2023 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in his two events – saddle bronc riding and bull riding – due to a torn hamstring. He underwent surgery to repair the injury in mid-December. Wright hoped to return to competition at the beginning of the summer run, but it wasn’t in the cards. He’s back healthy and chomping at the bit to return to action in 2025.

ProRodeo Sports News 1/10/2025

ProRodeo Sports News 1/10/2025

ProRodeo.com

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