“Taking Care Of Business” is neither good, nor bad. It ‘s just a force of
nature. But you know, sometimes unfortunately, the force of nature can be really
devastating. A man, weightless, flying like a leaf at the mercy of a storm ends up in the sand. A tornado with horns overwhelms him. The man gets up, maybe makes it …. not quite …. collapses back into the arena.
The ambulance runs desperately towards the Memorial Hospital in Cheyenne. They do
everything to save him, but the horns have struck too close to the heart and there is just nothing they can do.
Lane Frost was born on October 12th , 1963 in La Junta, Colorado. His family lives in Utah where they own a small ranch near Lapoint. At the age of six the small Lane is already a farmer but his passion are the bulls and he can’t wait to ride them. At the age of 15 he is already very serious about what he does and in 1982 in Fort Worth, Texas he goes onto winning the National Championship dedicated to young bull riders. After graduating, he becomes a full-time rodeo cowboy, and in 1987, at the age of 24 he is crowned PRCA World Champion Bull Rider, the highest recognition in this specialty. He also participates at the Olympics Games in Calgary, Canada, the first and only Olympic competition, which included a rodeo exhibition during the course of the Games.
July 1989 arrives and the Cheyenne Frontier Days in Wyoming begin, the most important event in the United States dedicated to the West and the myth of the frontier. Highlight of the event is the bull riders competition, which is always sold out .
On July 30th , the day of the final, all the great cowboys of North America are present and the atmosphere is electrifying .Lane is given a rather dangerous bull to ride called “Taking Care Of Business “, but basically it is a bull like every other. His hand firmly holds the riggin ‘, the gate opens and the “dance with thunder” may begin. Lane starts well but is thrown to the ground in the arena.”Taking Care Of Business “does not flee, indeed, following his innate instinct, turns around and overwhelms Lane Frost striking him from behind. The impact is violent,
Lane at first is able to get up but then falls heavily to the ground.
The horns have struck him right next to the heart and the situation immediately appears to be desperate. The race to the Memorial Hospital was futile, Lane arrived in agony and doctors issued notice of his death that same night. Frost died in Cheyenne July 30th 1989 due to the serious injuries he received.
His image becomes history and his history becomes legend. The legend of a country boy from Colorado, the legend of a boy named Lane Frost. (Gianluca Sitta)
