Go Rope Team Member Profile - Jimmi Jo Montera
Name: Jimmi Jo Montera
Hometown: Greeley, Colorado
Family: Husband–Rick, sons—Colby and Garrett, stepdaughters–Chancy, Jena, and Keiley
Horses: Chainsaw, Clifford and Chica
Favorite food: Steak and salad
Favorite music: Christian Rock
Favorite color: Pink
Favorite rope: Classic XR4 Lite
Favorite Bible verse: Proverbs 3:5-6. Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your path.
Favorite quote: Life is short, Go Rope!
Favorite book: Bible
Favorite roping: Wildfire roping
Hobbies: Exercise and beating my youngest son at tennis! I can’t beat them at basketball anymore.
Place I’d like to visit: Australia with my family
My favorite roping win: Winning a big check with my husband at the US Finals.
Roping accomplishments: Two-time winner of the Wildfire Roping, 3 time USTRC champion, 4 time WTRC champion, Spicer Gripp Memorial Champion in 2014.
Biggest roping disappointment: Missing the high call steer for Lari Dee at the Spicer Gripp Memorial when all I had to do was just catch him.
Biggest accomplishment: My two boys Colby and Garrett. They’re by far the best thing I’ve ever done.
You are one of the most well-known, and highly decorated female team ropers in the industry. Do you feel extra pressure to perform well because so many people know who you are and what you’ve accomplished? I always have a mindset of just trying to win and perform to my best. I deal with the pressure of having people watch me by just reminding myself of why I rope— because I love it. I will not catch every steer but I try to take away something positive from every miss, so that next time I can put myself in a winning position.
Do you ever fight your head or experience self-doubt? If so, how do you deal with it? Yes, of course. But the way I deal with it is just to practice and know I have put the work in that it takes. Does it always go your way in roping? Of course not. But preparing to compete is the best way increase your odds of winning.
Do you have a routine you stick to when competing? I just like to have plenty of time to get ready. I like to warm my horses up well and then just try to keep to myself during a jackpot and focus on my roping.
You rarely seem to have a bad day of roping, but if you do, how do you handle it? When things don’t go as planned during a roping, I just try to objectively analyze what I can do better the next run. I am very competitive and do not like to lose but I can honestly say I have learned more from my failures than I have from winning.
When you practice, what do you focus on? I usually try to pick one or two things to work on each time we practice—whether it’s something for me, or something for my horse. My goals with practicing are just to do things better than I did them the day before.
What are some goals you’ve set for yourself, in and out of the arena? In the arena, I just want to improve daily, work hard, and see where it takes me. Outside of the arena, I want to be the best wife, mom, and person that I can be.
What is the one piece of advice you’d give to other ropers? I would just tell them to set a goal of getting better every day-even if its just 1%. Work at forming new habits and be patient. Over time, you will see results!
Finally, what is something most people don’t know about you? I love volleyball. If we lived in California, I would play beach volleyball. But according to my sons, my legs are way too white.
