Written by: Siri Stevens

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Jamie Christensen is a big fan of the Rocky Mountain Rodeo Association. “Every Rocky Mountain rodeo I go to is big, it’s fun, and it’s a show. The events payout well and that makes it well worth your time to go. I always feel like I’m going to do well at Rocky Mountain rodeos. I try to go to all of the rodeos that don’t conflict with my college rodeo schedule.” Jamie has been a member of the RMPRA for three years and competes in breakaway and barrel racing. She also is a member of the Utah Barrel Racing Association. She would like to say ‘thanks’ to the RMPRA for putting on great rodeos where the competition is always tough.

She is a member of the NIRA and competes for Utah Valley University on a rodeo scholarship. The sophomore is studying communications for TV broadcasting and is working to get an internship by her junior year at a television station. “Then by my senior year and graduation, I would have my foot in the door and be able to start a career in broadcasting.” In addition to her rodeo scholarship, she serves as a school ambassador. “I go to transfer colleges, junior colleges, or schools where students want to move up to university level schools, and talk about the Utah Valley programs and what the school has to offer. I like meeting people and helping them to pursue their dreams.”

For Jamie to start her rodeo career was a natural. “My father was a bull rider in the PRCA and trained horses, my mom ran barrels, and I grew up going to all my older sister’s high school rodeos. So, I was kind of an arena rat. I was in the little Buckaroo Rodeo, Junior rodeo, Junior High rodeo, and High School rodeo.”

Like most top athletic competitors, Jamie spends plenty of time watching ‘game film’. “I have the videos of my runs on my phone and I watch them every night before I go to sleep. I have to keep my mind ready, and then it’s just muscle memory when you get to the rodeo. I don’t ‘safety-up’ on any run; I go for it every time.” Just to be sure there is plenty of good karma in the arena, she’ll keep track of the shirts that she does well in and save them for competition.

A big part of her preparation was instilled by here father. “He always taught me, ‘If you want to be champion, you need to act and look like one.’ When I was real young, I never understood why I had to have my shirts ironed, but it matters how you look and act, being a good sport, and acting like a champion.”

When she’s not at school in Orem, Jamie is at home in Erda, Utah with her parents, Wade and Ruth. She makes weekend commutes home to reunite with family, pets, and horses.  Leisure time is spent doing some drawing or painting.

She says that her parents have been her biggest influence in her life. “They have always kept me on track and have gotten me where I need to be. They’ve taught me to be the best person that I can be. Two other people that mean a lot to me and have helped me in rodeo are Doyle Rollie and Edria Day. Doyle is a great roper and has helped me a lot with my roping skills and has put me on some great horses. Edria did the first 30 days training on my barrel horse and she is helping me become a much better barrel racer.”Goals for the future are to be working in the broadcasting industry, possibly in news programs and eventually into talk shows.