SAN ANTONIO, Texas (Feb. 13, 2017) --- The San Antonio Stock Show Rodeo has been good to bull rider Joe Frost in the past, but it has never started out for him like it has this year.

Frost from Randlett, Utah, became the first contestant at the 2017 edition of the rodeo to ride all three of his bulls. He also was the only rider to make it to the eight-second mark in the AT&T Center on Monday night and as such got all the prize money.

He now is the high money winner of the whole rodeo with $8,934 earned over three rounds of competition in Bracket 2. Because contestants advance through the levels at the San Antonio Rodeo based on money won, this is extremely important for Frost who is looking for his first San Antonio championship.

The 24-year-old joined the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association in 2013. One year later he qualified to get into San Antonio and even though it didn’t go like he had hoped, he still won $977. The next year he finished in third place and last year was second. He has won $33,372 at the rodeo here which has helped him qualify for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo the past three years.

When the champion is the high-money winner, you really want to have a cushion when you get to the semi-finals,” Frost said. “I’m going to ride for first every time I nod my head, but now I’ve got a really good shot at making the finals here.

Another rider that got a cushion on Monday was saddle bronc rider Sterling Crawley, The Stephenville, Texas, resident scored 88 points on Calgary Stampede’s Uvid Bubbles early. Then he had to wait for eight other saddle bronc riders to have their turn to see if his lead would hold.

Zeke Thurston, the reigning world champion from Big Valley, Alberta, had something to say about that. He rode another horse of Calgary’s, Redon Acres and had an identical 88-point marking. Thurston and Crawley each won $1,996.

This was Crawley’s third victory lap and even though he had to share the night’s win with Thurston he was the high-money winner in this bracket with $6,558.

He leads the money category over his brother Jacobs Crawley who lives in Boerne by $570. Jacobs competed in Bracket 1 and was the high money winner there. Now they are both making plans to be back here for the semi-finals.

Tuesday night’s rodeo will be the beginning of Bracket 3. Competition starts at 7 p.m. and will see contestants making their first of three appearances before the semi-finals which starts Feb. 21

By: Susan Kanode

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