Two weekends ago, I covered the first rodeo in my journalism career. I had a blast.

The rodeo was the 105th War Bonnet Roundup held in Idaho Falls. I covered it on Friday, Aug. 5 and Saturday, Aug. 6. My story from Aug. 6 (the final day of the rodeo) focused on brothers Joe and Josh Frost, two of the most successful bull riders in the region.

My story revolved around their bull rides that Saturday night, but I also touched on their upbringing, their success and their relation to rodeo legend Lane Frost.

My story was republished on the Wrangler Network’s website. That link can be found here, and the full text of the story is below:

Joe and Josh Frost showed the crowd how it’s done.

Bull rider after bull rider got bucked off before eight seconds elapsed. Two riders had qualified for the money with two remaining late Saturday night at the War Bonnet Roundup. The final two were the Frost brothers.

Josh’s free hand nearly grazed his bull, American Sniper, and he was nearly bucked twice before the clock reached eight seconds. But he held on for a score of 87.

Joe’s ride was cleaner, but he fell six points short of his younger brother. Josh was the winner. Joe was third.

The two brothers from eastern Utah provided a thrilling finish to the 105th War Bonnet held at Bank of Idaho Arena at Sandy Downs. Josh will go home with a rifle, just like Joe did when he won the 2012 War Bonnet.

“I’m very excited,” Josh said after his winning run. “It’s always fun to compete at the War Bonnet.”

Joe, 24, came into the War Bonnet ranked No. 2 in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association bull riding season standings. He placed second in the 2014 National Finals Rodeo and fourth last year.

Josh, 21, hadn’t pursued the NFR since this year. He was outside of the PRCA’s top 50 bull rider standings going into this weekend, but Saturday’s win will give him a healthy jump.

The brothers began their rodeo careers once they could walk, more or less. Joe said they he was about 5 years old when he started riding calves and steers, and Josh wasn’t far behind.

“I’d climb on Joe’s back and he’d pretend to be a bucking bull,” Josh said. “We just always wanted to do (bull riding) since we were little kids. It’s been our dream.”

The Frost family joined the PRCA more than 60 years ago. Clyde Frost, the brother of Joe’s and Josh’s grandfather, rode bareback in the first NFR, held in 1959.

“That’s the thing growing up a Frost,” Joe said. “You’re pretty much born wanting to ride a bull.”

Clyde’s son, Lane, was the PRCA World Champion bull rider in 1987. Two years later, Lane died in the arena in Cheyenne, Wyo., after his bull broke several of Lane’s ribs with its horn.

“He’s been our biggest hero,” Joe said. “I know if he was alive today, I’d talk to him two or three times every day. The only way we get that now is through prayer. I still feel close to him, and I feel like he’s with us a lot. A lot of the way we ride, and a lot of things we do come from trying to emulate someone like that.”

Now Joe (and Josh, to a lesser extent) is the bull rider that others look up to.

St. Anthony native Garrett Remington, 19, competed in his first War Bonnet on Saturday. He was bucked off his bull in under three seconds, but qualifying was more gravy than beef for the South Fremont High School graduate. He knew the quality of his competition, namely Joe Frost.

“I watched him on TV at the NFR,” Remington said. “So that was pretty cool to interact with all these bigger names.”

Joe was a secondary attraction after the bull riding competition Saturday. He still came away with $1,727.82, but Josh earned the winning check of $2,760.54.

Joe had no issue with his third-place finish. In fact, he looked more excited than Josh after their runs. Sure, Joe wanted to win, but defeat doesn’t taste so bad when his brother earns the victory.

For Josh, Saturday’s win was sweet revenge. He rode American Sniper two weeks ago in Cheyenne, and the bull bucked Josh. This time, Sniper earned him a rifle.

“Now we can go shoot targets together,” Joe said.

Correction: This story had been updated to note that Clyde Frost rode bareback in the inaugural NFR in 1959.

Fellow Post Register reporter Bryan Clark and I broke the story about a lawsuit filed against Idaho State University.

Idaho Falls native Orin Duffin alleged anti-Mormon discrimination by his ISU tennis coaches and teammates. Some unnamed teammates of Duffin’s backed up many of his claims, as did an investigation by ISU’s Office of Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action and Diversity.

Here is the full story:

A Mormon tennis player from Idaho Falls is suing Idaho State University, claiming he was discriminated against because of his faith.

Former Hillcrest High School tennis standout Orin Duffin filed suit against the school Friday, alleging he was subject to severe harassment while playing for the men’s tennis team because of his membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Stuart Summers, ISU’s associate vice president for Marketing and Communications, said Monday that school officials would not comment on the pending litigation.

The suit comes almost a year after ISU’s Office of Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action and Diversity completed an investigation into allegations that Duffin was subjected to religious harassment.

That investigation found corroboration for allegations that assistant coach Nate Gross and some team members sent women, possibly prostitutes or strippers, to Duffin’s hotel room while the team was at a tournament in Las Vegas. The investigation also found that then-head coach Bobby Goeltz permitted a culture of hostility toward Duffin on the team and failed to investigate allegations of Gross’ misconduct.

“The interviews conducted collectively paint a clear picture that (Duffin) was subjected to severe, persistent and pervasive harassment and bullying,” investigators found. “In particular, they establish that (Duffin’s) religion was a contributing factor (to) that treatment.”

The report recommended that Goeltz, a popular longtime coach, be fired and that Gross, who had already resigned, not be rehired.

Goeltz announced his “retirement” in late July, a month after the internal investigation concluded. But a letter from the Office of Equal Opportunity notes that Goeltz “submitted his notice of retirement in lieu of termination.”

Goeltz spent 25 years as ISU’s head coach of the men’s and women’s programs. Prior to coming to ISU, he was the head coach of the Maryland tennis program for 10 years. He recorded more than 500 career wins.

Gross, who played for ISU before becoming an assistant coach, was announced as the new men’s and women’s tennis coach at the University of Hawaii-Hilo on July 30. In September, however, Tina McDermott was announced as Gross’ replacement.

Reached by phone Monday, UH-Hilo’s athletic secretary Audrey Hirayama said Gross’ hiring never went through. A September article in the Hawaii Tribune-Herald said Gross resigned, per a university spokesperson.

Duffin attended Hillcrest from 2011 to 2014 and made the state tennis tournament his final three seasons. As a senior, Duffin won the 5A boys singles championship, the first such title by a District 6 boys singles player since 2009. He was also named the Post Register’s All-Area Boys Tennis Player of the Year in 2013 and 2014.

After Duffin’s stellar high school career, he was offered several college scholarships, according to the complaint. He chose to play for ISU, fulfilling a childhood dream.

Duffin joined the ISU men’s team for the 2014-15 season. He played 10 singles matches and five doubles matches in 2015, per ISU’s archives. He went 5-5 in singles play and 4-1 in doubles.

But ISU’s investigation showed that shortly after joining the squad Duffin, the only Mormon on the team, began to experience harassment.

The investigation found corroboration that Gross badgered Duffin with questions about sex and his religious beliefs. It also found corroboration that Gross would attempt to hit Duffin with tennis balls during a practice drill, something other players were also encouraged to do.

One team member told investigators: “If I were being treated by (Gross) the way (Duffin) is being treated, I would have left in the second week of school. All of the kids on the team including (Gross) are bullying (Duffin).”

Another player, identified as an upperclassman, told investigators that what was happening to Duffin differed from hazing that freshmen typically undergo and that he was worried Duffin would “just lose it some day.”

The report did not find that Goeltz directly participated in religious harassment against Duffin, but it found that he had “demonstrated negligence in the management and oversight of his team.”

When investigators asked if Goeltz had investigated allegations that prostitutes or strippers were sent to Duffin’s room by Gross and a group of players in order to test his religious convictions, Goeltz responded: “I seriously doubt any of the kids would have enough money to hire a prostitute in Vegas,” according to the report.

“The failure to intervene on (Duffin’s) behalf signaled to the team that its treatment of (Duffin) was appropriate, allowed the treatment to continue and worsen over time,” the investigation found.

Ultimately Duffin, who is now serving a LDS mission, left the team.

“(Duffin) ultimately chose to sever his relationship with the tennis program rather than consider returning to the team after he serves his mission,” the report states. “Thus, (Duffin) has also been deprived of his ability to participate in inter-collegiate athletics.”

Duffin is suing ISU, President Arthur Vailas, Athletic Director Jeff Tingey, Goeltz, Gross and 10 as-yet unnamed individuals over the treatment he received while playing on the men’s tennis team.

Duffin is seeking an unspecified amount of punitive damages for religious discrimination, deprivation of due process, deprivation of free speech, conspiracy, negligent supervision and training, negligence, gross negligence, intentional infliction of emotional distress and negligent infliction of emotional distress.