ProRodeo Sports News - 2021 Year End Edition

BULL RIDING AVERAGE WINNER

Josh Frost had things come together for himself at the 2021 Wrangler NFR as he walked away the average champ. PRCA ProRodeo photo by Rod Connor

Breaking Out

Josh Frost caps memorable NFR with average crown

BY DAGIN RENCK, Special to ProRodeo Sports News F or Josh Frost, the 2021Wrangler NFR provided an opportunity to erase a forgettable memory. The two- time NFR qualifier made his first appearance in 2019 where in 10 rounds he failed to reach the eight-second whistle once. On Dec. 11 at theThomas &Mack Center, Frost found himself in a much different position. The Randlett, Utah, cowboy finished atop the average leaderboard with 568.5 points on seven head, collecting the nearly $70,000 first-place prize. “It’s been amazing. It’s kind of been a blur, you know,” Frost said. “I was really just trying to take it one bull at a time.” After two rounds, Frost found himself in a familiar position, unable to make the eight-second whistle twice. Then, the thaw began for Frost. He found his groove. Frost rode Dakota Rodeo’s Mr. Winston to an 85-point score for a Round 3 fourth-place finish. He could finally exhale. “When I got that first one (in round three) rode it was like a weight was lifted off my chest,” said the Utah native. “Being able to come back after bucking off two is huge. It’s big for anybody to do because when it starts going bad it can really snowball here and I know that better than anybody.” After a slip up in Round 4, the bull rider bounced back with a second- place finish in Round 5, riding Barnes PRCA Rodeo’s Little Beagle for 86.5

points. From there, Frost continued to impress, scoring qualified rides in each of the five final rounds. Frost acknowledged he never envisioned winning the average given the competition. “At that point, Parker (Breding) was so far ahead in the average, I didn’t really think I had a chance,” said Frost. “I was just going for round money every night and loving being here in Vegas.” On the final night, Frost stood second in the average, chasing only Edgar, Mont., cowboy Breding. The door opened after Breding was bucked off and Frost capitalized on the opportunity. The bull rider finished his memorable week in style, scoring a 92.5-point ride on Powder River Rodeo’s Top Shelf to secure the Round 10 victory and average champion title. Frost finished his second NFR third in the bull riding world standings, taking home $233,160 in the 10 nights, counting ground money. The Linderman Award winner also finished fourth in the RAMTop Gun Award and second in the all-around world standings, trailing only StetsonWright. He finished his 2021 season earning a total of $363,353. Frost will always remember how the third-round ride changed everything. “When I got that first check it was like ‘hey I deserve to be here’ and from there it was just bull riding,” he said.

ProRodeo Sports News 12/17/2021

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