DENVER – For a professional bull rider like Josh Frost, it’s rare not to have a lot on your plate.
From being a husband, son and good friend to travelling the world, competing within PBR Camping World Team Series action and Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour events, all while keeping his rodeoing dreams alive by appearing at various PRCA events …
… it’s no surprise that the cowboy has a monthly schedule update on his Instagram page.
Not to mention his responsibilities as a homeowner and caretaker of animals.
“I took a little time off after Las Vegas. I got on a lot of bulls last year and it was nice to take a little break,” Frost said.
“I went to Canada for Christmas with the wife. Then I did a bull riding school in Australia for a week. We landed in Denver on Sunday and it’s back to bull riding, now.”
With endless avenues, events and crowds that are more than happy to welcome the talent as a rider, rodeo pro, coach, etc. etc. etc., how does the Randlett, Utah, native prioritize his workload?
Goals, checks and a bit of historical appreciation.
(And if some fun adventures happen to unfold, so be it!)
“My trainer was actually the one who set the Australia deal up, they called him,” Frost added.
“They did a full Rough Stock school: Bareback, saddle broncs and bulls. They asked me to do the bull riding side of the deal, and the trip was paid for, so I figured it was a great opportunity, hard to pass up.”
Taking some time to connect with the community and pass along some of the skills and knowledge that he’s built up over the years, he seemed like quite the natural in educating the next wave of bull riding hopefuls.
Interacting with a set of talented youngsters can bring out some lively anecdotes from the early riding days of one’s own career. Sometimes right there beside those memories are the emotions and reminders of how just how much this sport means.
Whether or not the international visit and time away from PBR competition actually recharged the busy body’s batteries or not, Frost made his goals and priorities for the 2024 campaign utterly clear.
“My big goal is to qualify for the NFR and become a PRCA World Champion still, so I’m going to take pretty much the same path that I did last year,” Frost said.
“It’s hard to miss PBR World Finals; how much it means, and it pays so well, so I have to dial it in. I need to win the Velocity and be sitting at the No. 1 rank in the PRCA come mid-July.”
Not too far-fetched of a goal, especially after exiting last year’s PWVT series ranked as the No. 1 rider on tour, bringing home $54,800 at the conclusion of the 2023 Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour Finals event en route to punching his ticket to the biggest stage in the industry.
Collecting a welcomed $157,500 from his seventh-place finish at the 2023 PBR Finals: Unleash The Beast, it’s all business for the 28-year-old when it comes to checking all of the necessary boxes.
Drafted No. 1 overall by the Carolina Cowboys during the 2023 PBR Teams Draft in Fort Worth, Texas, he quickly changed gears, balancing his time within the 5-on-5 series while keeping his rodeo status intact.
That’s where things may look a bit different for Frost this time around.
“When (PBR) Teams starts, I’m going to focus on Teams more this year. Not split my time so much,” he admitted.
“I got a little banged up last year, didn’t take any time off, so I’m going to be more committed to Teams. I really enjoyed that, but like I said, PBR World Finals and the NFR Finals pays so much and it’s hard enough riding in both of them.”
Not just the cash, though, which dictates his schedule.
It’s the lore of the old barns. The history associated with these types of events. Having fun with his friends on all of the tours.
Just nine days into the fresh calendar slate, Frost found himself within the confines of the Denver Coliseum as he prepared to return to PBR action for the first time since later October, last competing with the Carolina Cowboys at the 2023 PBR Camping World Teams Championship.
Competing at the Denver PBR Chute Out Jan. 8-10, one of the many electric events taking center stage during The 119th annual National Western Stock Show this month, he peeled back a few layers as to why the historical aspects continue to attract him.
“That’s part of what’s hard for me to let go of rodeo, is the history of them. The PBR puts on the best bull riding in the world, the best show, but every weekend you go to is the same weekend,” he shared.
“When you’re rodeoing, you’re traveling all over of the place to a lot of outdoor arenas with a lot of history and prestige built into them. Denver and Cheyenne and Fort Worth and all of them, so I think myself and all of the PBR guys really enjoy coming here.”
Okay, okay, onto the bull riding!
Storming back onto the scene Tuesday night, as part of the second group of 45 contestants getting the nod in the opening round, Frost instantly provided some sparks.
With 80k on the line inside the legendary venue, this one is always circled on his calendar.
Well, technically he began his evening during a less than ideal showdown with Here Kitty.
Eventually granted a re-ride, he walked over to the field judge to see what he had in store.
Upon immediately recognizing his new opponent, he couldn’t help but smile as he returned to the locker room.
“(I was) really excited. Sometimes you never know, like that first bull was a young bull. Sometimes the re-rides are more young bulls, so it can be kind of a shot in the dark,” he shared.
“When I walked over there and saw that he was the re-ride, I had a big ole grin on my face.”
Tasked with a familiar foe in I’m Legit Too, Frost knew he had a shot for big points during his second out of the night. But after losing a few points, and corresponding dollars the last time the two linked up, he knew what he had to do.
Asked whether or not he ever gives in to the “rematch angle,” Frost shared that a little research can go a long way.
The same can be said for familiarity with his bovine opponents.
“I’m pretty good at using the information from my past experiences to build momentum and do better the next time. The first time I got on him (at the 2022 World Finals), they had me at eight seconds, but they challenged it. He switched directions right before the whistle, and I had slapped him on the ass, so I kind of knew that he had a chance to switch it up at the end,” Frost said.
“That bull has gotten smarter with age. He can surely come out and go either direction, so I was trying to leave the chute really strong and be in a good position if he did follow the gate and go right, I’d be there. He came around to the left and it worked out pretty well.”
Throwing his helmet into the air, revealing a fine-tuned mullet and set of celebratory expressions, his green and gold fit shined bright as he celebrated before more than 7,000 adoring fans.
Eventually tying Arisson Pereira for the Round 1 honors, who produced a matching 90-point effort during his third-ever out on U.S. soil, Frost returns to competition Wednesday night atop the leaderboard.
With 30 riders participating in Round 2 and just 15 moving on to the Championship Round, Frost will look to keep his spicy start to the season going via a matchup against Full Throttle, while Pereira prepares to dance with Snap Chatter.
With everything going on this week, he didn’t have the time or need to expand upon his strategy for the duration of the event.
“Just keep on knocking em’ down,” he concluded.
Plain and simple!
Photo courtesy of The National Western Stock Show
