ProRodeo Sports News - October 18, 2019

Josh Frost joins brother who won in 2014 Well-Rounded LINDERMAN AWARD

PAST WINNERS 1966: Benny Reynolds 1967: Kenny McLean 1968: Paul Mayo 1969: Kenny McLean 1973: Bob Blandford 1974: Bob Blandford 1975: Chip Whitaker 1976: Phil Lyne 1977: Chip Whitaker 1978: Chip Whitaker 1979: Chip Whitaker 1980: Steve Bland 1981: Lewis Feild 1982: Tom Eirikson 1983: Marty Melvin 1984: Marty Melvin 1985: Tom Eirikson 1986: Bob Schall 1987: Tom Eirikson 1988: Lewis Feild 1989: Philip Haugen 1990: Bernie Smyth Jr. 1991: Lewis Feild 1992: Bernie Smyth Jr. 1993: Casey Minton 1994: No qualifiers 1995: Chuck Kite 1996: No qualifiers 1997: Kyle Whitaker 1998: Kyle Whitaker 1999: Dan Erickson 2002: Dan Erickson 2003: Kyle Whitaker 2004: Mike Outhier 2005: Kyle Whitaker 2006: Kyle Whitaker 2007: Mike Outhier 2008: Trell Etbauer 2009: Trell Etbauer 2010: Trell Etbauer 2011: Kyle Whitaker 2012: Kyle Thomson 2013: Trell Etbauer 2014: Joe Frost 2015: Kyle Whitaker 2016: Kyle Whitaker 2017: Kyle Whitaker 2018: Kyle Whitaker 2000: Jesse Bail 2001: Jesse Bail 1970: Phil Lyne 1971: Phil Lyne 1972: Phil Lyne

BY TRACY RENCK F ocusing on rost, as the Utah cowboy earned $2,067 in that event during the 2019 season. Couple that with the $119,561 he earned in bull riding and $8,281 in tie- down roping and Frost was the runaway winner for the 2019 Linderman Award. “It has been one of my goals for a while to win the Linderman,” said Frost, 24. “It’s a prestigious award. I have (tie-down) roped my whole life, but I was never able to qualify (for the Linderman) with my steer wrestling. But I practiced a bunch this winter and it made a difference, and I got qualified for steer wrestling in the summer.” improving his steer wrestling skills paid off for Josh

and it seemed like I kept getting hurt. I rode better this year and I did a better job of taking care of myself. That’s the ultimate goal, to make the NFR and have a chance to win the world championship.” Frost’s biggest payday in bull riding came at the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo when he left town Feb. 23 after earning $22,500. He also had strong performances at the Farm-City Pro Rodeo in Hermiston, Ore., and the Reno (Nev.) Rodeo, earning $6,303 and $6,282, respectively. Frost had the opportunity to ride steer wrestling horse Cash, Chet Boren’s horse. In tie-down roping, Josh used his horse, Wilson, 22. “I steer wrestled all

Josh Frost’s bull riding, tie-down roping and steer wrestling talents earned him the Linderman Award.

through college, and I know how to do it, but it’s just the level of competition I’m going up against at PRCA rodeos, but riding Cash helped,” said the 5-foot-9, 155-pound cowboy. “It’s hard because riding bulls I’m gone all the time. But what is special about Wilson is you might not rope on him for a month and he’s ready to go.” Josh clinched his qualification for the Linderman Award in steer wrestling when he earned $1,290 by finishing fourth with a 4.1-second run at the Golden Spike Rodeo in Tremonton, Utah, Aug. 24. At Tremonton, Josh was riding Sunshine, his younger brother Jate’s horse. Jate, who turned 18 in April, earned $17,934 on his PRCA permit in 2019. “I was only $200 away (from qualifying for steer wrestling for the Linderman) at that point and I made a really good run,” Josh said. “I had a good summer in (tie- down) roping.” Josh plans on adding his name to the Linderman Award again. “I really enjoy the steer wrestling, and I’m going to keep practicing and entering smaller rodeos this winter, and I’m going to keep (tie-down) roping and bull riding,” he said. “The (tie-down) roping is probably the hardest because there’s more that can go wrong and you have to practice it a lot more. When steer wrestling goes right, you get off your horse and grab the steer. My ultimate goal is to make the NFR in (tie-down) roping and bull riding in the same year.”

To be eligible for the Linderman Award, a cowboy must win at least $1,000 in three events, and those events must include at least one roughstock and one timed event. “Winning this award is not something very many people can do,” Josh said. “You really have to be a cowboy to not only compete, but to win money on both ends of the arena. In my mind, you have to be the ultimate cowboy to be able to be successful in the roughstock and timed events.” The Linderman Award, named after ProRodeo Hall of Fame cowboy Bill Linderman, recognizes cowboys who perform at both ends of the arena. Linderman won six world championships, two in the all-around (1950, 1953), two in saddle bronc riding (1945, 1950) and one each in bareback riding (1943) and steer wrestling (1950). Kyle Whitaker had won the last four Linderman Awards and has won a PRCA-record 10 in his career. Frost is the second member of his family to capture the distinguished Linderman Award, as his older brother, Joe, 27, captured the award in 2014. Josh, of Randlett, Utah, will make his Wrangler National Finals Rodeo debut in bull riding in Las Vegas, Dec. 5-14, thanks to finishing 10th in the regular season in the PRCA | RAMWorld Standings. “It was a pretty cool season for me in bull riding,” Josh said. “I have tried the last three years to make the NFR

ProRodeo Sports News 10/18/2019

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