ProRodeo Sports News - May 14, 2021

“Before that, I kind of thought (other) sports were more important, but I changed my mind after that,” he said. Yost earned a reserve championship at the National High School Finals Rodeo in 2005 with Zack Kilgus. Despite the challenge of living in the southwest corner of Pennsylvania, miles removed from the closest PRCA rodeo, Yost joined the First Frontier Circuit and claimed the year-end championship at the RAM First Frontier Circuit Finals Rodeo, earning a trip to the RAMNational Circuit Finals Rodeo in 2007. BRANCHING OUT Those experiences led Yost to a change: he switched from heeling to heading. “I never got to turn in on one,” he said, “and I got lucky and got a couple of good head horses about then.” Yost headed west to pursue his roping dreams. Roping out of Hico, Texas, he picked up National Finals Rodeo heeler Jory Levy in 2008. After finishing 35th in the world standings in 2008, he nearly made the NFR the following year roping with another NFR heeler, Britt Bockius in 2009. Landing 19th was the highest world standings finish of his career. Yost continued to haul hard, picking up wins at major venues like Rapid City, S.D., Hermiston, Ore., Pasadena,

“I was pretty bummed,” Yost said. “But around the first of the year, he called back and asked if I still wanted to rope.” Since joining forces full time, Yost and Gonzales took fourth at the 93rd Annual Arcadia All-Florida Championship Rodeo and the Southeastern Livestock Exposition & Rodeo in Montgomery, Ala., a pair of ProRodeo Tour events, before capturing another win in Ocala. “Ocala is like a hometown rodeo, and it’s always been good to me,” Yost said. The new team has won more than $8,000 together and are first in the Southeastern Circuit standings. “We get along really well,” Gonzales said. “He is simple to travel with and that makes it easy.” Gonzales appreciates roping with partners who have plenty of experience. “I never have to question, ‘Do we know what we’re doing?’” Gonzales said with a laugh. “Joe B. had me as a kid, and if you turned me loose rodeoing right now, I probably wouldn’t know what to do. “Roping with Justin takes that factor out of it.” The pair had set their sights on a circuit championship in 2021, but now that they’re inside the top 30 of the PRCA | RAMWorld Standings, they’re thinking about going a bit harder. They’re looking at a summer run from Springdale, Ark., to Reno, Nev., through Sikeston, Mo., on the way home. “Personally, I didn’t plan to rodeo this summer . . . I’d never made the circuit finals in the team roping, just tie down, so that was the goal,” Gonzales said. “But we had a good winter so now I guess we’re headed to Reno.” “I finally have a good horse,” Yost said. “It’s hard not to go based on where we are (in the standings) and put our names down a little.”

Texas, and Prescott, Ariz., while qualifying for two RAMTexas Circuit Finals Rodeos. He lingered around the top 30 of the world standings for three more seasons before cutting back. “I just got burned out on being on the road all the

“I needed to win a bit more to get the circuit finals made and he (Gonzales) was mostly just tie-down roping and didn’t have a partner either, so we teamed up for Ocala.” – JUSTIN YOST

time,” Yost said. “I wasn’t really winning enough and I sold my good horses.” Along with his wife, Nicole, a WPRA barrel racer, Yost went home to Pennsylvania. Because he went five years without a good head horse, rodeoing solely on the circuit level was a great fit. He continued to amass circuit

finals qualifications and another RAMNCFR berth, qualifying with high school partner Kilgus in 2015. Yost moved to Florida where he now spends most of his days working, hauling cows and riding horses. His employer runs about 700 head in Citra, near Ocala. Like other Floridians, Yost enjoys being in the Gulf and loves the adrenaline rush of wild hog hunting. Nicole continues to barrel race, and the couple is trying to start a family. But another haul for the Wrangler NFR might not be completely out of the question after a chance entry with Reno Gonzales at the Southeastern Pro Rodeo in Ocala over the summer in 2020. “I needed to win a bit more to get the circuit finals made and he (Gonzales) was mostly just tie-down roping and didn’t have a partner either, so we teamed up for Ocala,” Yost said. The duo won the rodeo. Gonzales had moved to south Georgia, a few hours from Yost, but was planning to continue roping in 2021 with legend Joe Beaver. JUST WHEN YOU THINK YOU’RE OUT…

Photoo courtesy Justin Yost

Justin Yost, right, sits with his wife, Nicole, and dog, Jada.

ProRodeo Sports News 5/14/2021

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