Bareback rider Jacek Frost completes his winning run at the Marysville Stampede before being caught by the pickup crew. Frost’s 84-point score led the field and marked one of several key rides that propelled him into the Top 15 and on to his first NFR appearance. Photo by Shamaya Sutton

BROWNS VALLEY, CA (MPG) - Jacek Frost of Browns Valley turned heads earlier this fall when he won the bareback riding event at the Marysville Stampede. His 84-point ride on Flying U Rodeo’s “Lil Bit” earned him $1,872 and set the tone for a strong late-season run.

After coming up short at the Lion’s Dixie Roundup in Utah, Frost regained momentum at the North Dakota Roughrider Cup, delivering an 88-point ride and picking up $4,630 in earnings.

His biggest ride of the year, however, came at the Puyallup Rodeo in Washington, where he marked a massive 91.5 points on “Lunatic Heaven” in the finals and secured $13,400. That ride helped fuel his qualification push, but Frost said the Pendleton Round-Up in Oregon is what truly propelled him toward the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo.

“This is my first time qualifying for the NFR (National Finals Rodeo),” Frost said. “It’s very exciting. Everybody sets so many goals for themselves when they’re little … I’m so happy I made this dream come true of making it and I’m hoping everything pays off at the end.”

According to the 2025 National Finals Rodeo contestant roster, Frost is the only cowboy from the Yuba-Sutter region who will be in the arena this December. Scheduled for Dec. 4–13 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, the National Finals Rodeo will feature the top professional rodeo athletes in events including bareback riding, saddle bronc, bull riding and tie-down roping.

“Basically my ‘day job’ is getting prepared for this rodeo,” Frost said. “I’ve been going to the gym every day and riding practice horses. My goal is to get more limber.”

Frost isn't the only rodeo name tied to the foothills though. Hall of Famer Joe Alexander — known across the sport as “Alexander the Great” — resides in neighboring Loma Rica. Alexander set the bareback riding record with a 93-point ride in 1974 on a horse named “Marlboro” during the Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo in Wyoming. His record stood for more than half a century.

Earlier this year, the record was finally broken by Kade Berry, who earned a 93.5-point score at the Cheyenne Frontier Days finals — on the same horse Frost rode to his Puyallup victory, “Lunatic Heaven.” The celebrated mare was recently named “Bareback Horse of the Year” by the PRCA and will also be headed to Las Vegas to buck under the bright lights.

“She’s a wild ride,” Frost said.

Born in Oakdale, Frost fell in love with rodeo early through mutton bustin’.

Jacek Frost of Browns Valley hangs on during his 84-point ride on Flying U Rodeo’s Lil Bit at the Marysville Stampede earlier this year. The winning performance helped secure his first-ever qualification to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas this December. Photo by Shamaya Sutton

“We grew up on a ranch and always went to the little hometown rodeos,” Frost said. “One time a buddy of ours asked why we weren’t in the mutton bustin’ like our dad when he rodeoed, and we didn’t even really know he rodeoed  — and that was when we were four or five years old.”

From there, Frost and his brother moved into calf riding, then steer riding, and continued climbing divisions through junior high. By high school, the family transitioned to homeschooling — a more practical option for the frequent travel demands of competition.

By his sophomore year, Frost had settled in the Browns Valley area, spending time around the Marysville Stampede and Paul Applegarth’s ranch in Sutter. The family has now been part of the Yuba-Sutter community for nearly seven years, though Frost has not yet met his neighboring legend.

“I definitely know of him — I fish at his pond with my girlfriend’s little brother — but never met him though,” Frost said of Alexander with a laugh. “He can’t not be an inspiration for me. He’s won the world five consecutive times.”

Alexander, for his part, said he has watched Frost ride several times on television and noted how not much has changed in the sport — aside from its pay.

“There's a lot more money in it now so you’re getting more interest from the young guys - and  a lot of them are pretty good,” said Alexander. “I’d say it's a good thing to do because if you’re good enough you can make a lot.”

When asked about Frost’s chances of breaking the new world record in bareback riding, Alexander said, “It’ll all depend on the animal he has and if his style fits that horse.”

Frost looks forward to next month’s competition and said he someday hopes to win a Linderman Award — a rare honor given to cowboys who excel in both timed and roughstock events. For now, he’s focused on the ride.