Having the last name Frost as a bull rider comes with high expectations.
The late Lane Frost is a ProRodeo Hall of Famer and a legend in the sport. Joe and Josh Frost, second cousins to Lane, have six National Finals Rodeo qualifications between them, Joe in 2014-18 and Josh in 2019.
Now, Jate Frost, 20, younger brother to Joe and Josh, is trying to carve his own rodeo niche.
“It would probably bother a lot of people (living up to the Frost name), but I just show up and do my job,” Jate said. “It doesn’t matter what your last name is you still have to ride them. I love the pressure.”
Jate, who has been on his PRCA permit the last two years, posted an 84.5-point ride on Beutler & Son Rodeo’s Fake Friend to take the lead at the Woodward (Okla.) Elks Rodeo, a ProRodeo Tour event that concludes June 12.
“That was a good bull,” said Frost, who made his ride June 9. “I had him in Vernon (Texas) last month and he was good, but he stumbled at the end of the ride. I was excited to get on him again. He turned back right there into my hand and felt like a dream.
“I had a little bit of luck earlier this year and I went through a rough patch of not staying on very much. I went home and practiced up and I’m feeling pretty good right now.”
In 2019, Frost earned $17,934 on his permit, but he had his season cut short when he broke his left ankle in August in Heber City, Utah. The injury required surgery. In the COVID-19-marred 2020 season, he broke his right ankle in the practice pen when he was bucked off. He missed three months recovering.
“My first year (in 2019) I had a really good year, and then I broke both my ankles and had to sit out, and that was rough,” said Frost, 11th in the PRCA | Ram Rodeo Permit Standings. “Now, I’m riding in laced-up boots to give my ankles some protection.”
After Frost’s left ankle healed, he wrestled for Northwest College in Powell, Wyo., during the 2019-20 season. He posted an 8-8 record at 165 pounds and qualified for the National Junior College Athletic Association National Championships in Council Bluffs, Iowa.
Frost, a two-time high school state champion wrestler as a junior (145 pounds) and senior (170 pounds) at Union High School in Roosevelt, Utah, believes wrestling benefits him in bull riding.
“I wrestled from junior high on up,” Frost said. “The mental game I learned from wrestling has helped me a lot in riding bulls.”
In terms of bull riding, Jate was born into it.
“I didn’t know any other way,” he said. “Joe and Josh have taught me everything I know. I call and ask Josh every time I enter a rodeo what he thinks. Joe and Josh have been teaching me how to ride bulls since I was a little kid.”
Jate, who stands 5-foot-9, said he plans to buy his PRCA card in September.
“My goal for 2021 is to win the Wilderness Circuit and do well enough to get into all the big rodeos next year,” Jate said. “I want to win rookie of the year and make the NFR in 2022. Those are my goals.”
Article Courtesy of the PRCA
Photo By Phill Kitts
