By Brian Argabright
The 830 Times
Josh Frost was able to carry on the famous bull riding family’s name, but now he’ll have to wait if he can add his name to the list of George Paul champions.
Frost, the second-cousin of former world champion, two-time George Paul Memorial Bull Riding champion and subject of the film “8 seconds,” which was partially filmed in Del Rio, finished the first day of the 44th George Paul event in first place after scoring 87 points atop The Shining.
The two-time National Finals Rodeo qualifier and the 2021 bull riding world champion runner-up was one of just three riders to cover at least one bull Friday night at the Val Verde County Fairgrounds, but no one was able to successfully cover both their bulls. That could open the door for Saturday’s riders, but Friday night the bulls dominated the battle of man versus beast.
The first successful ride didn’t occur until Cullen Tefler of Plant City, Fla., rode Lawless Frontier for 86.5 points to finally put a mark in the riders’ win column.
Four unsuccessful rides later, Frost was successful on his first attempt to earn a spot in the short go round.
The final rider to reach the eight-second buzzer was Colt Rohrig of Rifle, Colo. He scored 81 points on Dragula from Rafter G Rodeo.
The three successful riders would be joined in the short go by seven riders who would get a second shot at notching their names into the record books.
But the short go wasn’t kind to any of the 10 riders.
Dillon James Tyner, of Eaton, Colo.; Ardie Maier, of Timber Lake, S.D.; Brody Yeary, of Morgan Mill, Texas; Hudson Williams, of Midlothian, Texas; Ouncie Mitchell, of Houston; Christian T. Parker, of Sour Lake, Texas; and Chance Schott, of McLaughlin, S.D., joined Rohrig, Telfer and Frost in failing to score on their bull in the short go round.
Before the night was over, Frost was presented with the champion’s buckle. He’ll hold the buckle until Saturday night and will pass it on to anyone who can beat his score from Friday night. If no one does, then he’ll join his second-cousin Lane as a George Paul Bull Riding champion.
“It’s really special … it’s amazing right here at the George Paul. This is one of the most prestigious bull ridings in the world. This is what you dream about since you were a little kid coming to the George Paul … I’m super blessed to be here. I would have liked to ride that last bull, but we got the first one down. Thanks to all you guys for coming out. It’s a great opportunity,” Frost told the crowd after his final ride of the night.
Saturday night’s riders include defending George Paul champion T.J. Gray, seven-time world champion Sage Kimzey, 2020 George Paul champion Trevor Reiste, three-time George Paul champion Trey Benton, and the man VICE Sports called “The best bull rider of all time,” J.B. Mauney.
Night two of the 44th Annual George Paul Memorial Xtreme Bull Riding event kicks off Saturday at 8 p.m. at the Val Verde County Fairgrounds.
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Contact the author at drnhsports@gmail.com
