Bittersweet Return To Rodeo For Hedeman

Tuff Hedeman, who dedicated his 1995 Cheyenne Frontier Days bull riding title to his late friend Lane Frost, took the first-round lead in the event Saturday with a score of 80.

He said while he has slowed his competitive pace this season because of an earlier wrist injury and his father’s recent heart surgery, he couldn’t stay away from the lure of competing in the rodeo’s 100th edition.

“I’ve been coming here for years and years and I probably have more sad memories than glad memories, but I won it last year,” said Hedeman, who ranked fourth in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association standings. “To win it last year and to come back in the firstround lead is pretty exciting.”

Frost was killed after a bull riding event during the 1989 Frontier Days.

Hedeman, of Morgan Mill, Texas, said his high score, earned after a crowd-pleasing, spinning ride close to the chutes, put him in a good position to do well in the next two rounds, but he said he realized anything could happen.

“There’s a lot of great bulls and great guys left to go,” he said.

Hedeman was one of several former PRCA or Frontier Days champions who made the trip.