Rodeo Corpus Christi famously awards its champions a brand new surfboard each year, one of the most unique and coolest rodeo awards ever, but a trip to the Corpus Bayfront was not exactly a lifelong dream for team roper Megan Gunter.

She actually sort of got drafted into it by her roping partner, the legendary Jimmi Jo Montera.

“Jimmi Jo is winning the VRQ year-end bonus and you have to compete at the final event where it’s awarded to be eligible,” Gunter explained, mentioning the WCRA’S Reliance Ranches bonus program that pays $25,000 to the highest point earner of the year. “She called me and said, ‘I wanna know where my partner is.’”

With Montera leading the heeling on the RCC Leaderboard, Gunter had to jump in and start nominating as well to make the cut by the April 6, cutoff. She’s climbed to sixth and looks like a lock to compete when the rodeo kicks off May 7-10.

“I haven’t nominated hardly at all,” she admitted, emphasizing quality over quantity. “I did the all-girl event in Buckeye for Women’s [Rodeo World Championships] and Corpus, both segments, and the one at the Rio in Las Vegas during the NFR. Those were the main ones, I haven’t really been jackpotting at all.”

Star from the start

A native of McCammon, Idaho, Gunter took up roping as a little kid, just wanting to join in with her dad and older brother.

Though she college rodeoed, successfully helping her team at Idaho State University claim the 2013 national championship while competing in multiple events, team roping has always been the favorite.

“Goat tying was pitiful, I was scared to get off going fast,” Gunter laughed. “I didn’t run barrels, but I breakawayed a little. It’s mostly been team roping for me.”

Like so many other ropers, Gunter has found her way to Arizona for the winters, spending time in San Tan Valley, just south of Phoenix. Her job as an insurance adjuster keeps her busy in the summer.

“The first winter I spent in Arizona, I had a job announcing at Dynamite Arena,” Gunter said. “I was working with the Forest Service at the time, but a lot of the ropers said, ‘You should be an insurance adjuster.’ So I said OK, but I didn’t even know what that was.”

Luckily, Gunter learned quickly and has now been in her current position for nine years, going wherever the work takes her and enjoying the freedom of not being tied to an office.

“There’s been a large influx of people getting into it lately,” Gunter noted. “The word’s gotten out about what a good deal it is.”

Gunter and Montera take on the world

Gunter and Montera partnered up a few years ago, roping together at jackpots and big all-women’s roping events like the Bob Feist Invitational Charlie 1 Horse All-Girl and the Women’s Rodeo World Championships where they made the final three in 2024.

While their roping partnership is fairly new, Gunter, like so many others, has admired the Colorado cowgirl, who is not only a phenomenal roper but a mom, wife and genuine good human.

“I’ve known who she was since I was a little kid,” Gunter confessed. 

A brilliant role model for women in rodeo, Montera has won World Championships in the WPRA, college titles as an individual and for her team, and the WRWC, amongst many other titles during a long and lauded career. 

While Gunter said Montera doesn’t hand out much advice, she will provide some words of wisdom when needed.

“I think she’s gotten plenty of unsolicited advice over the years, especially as a woman in team roping, so she doesn’t say much,” Gunter said.

“I will say, I broke my leg last year and wanted to start roping again before the doctors released me. She set me straight on that, told me it wasn’t worth it,” Gunter chuckled. “I was being ridiculous and she just called me on it.”

Mostly, Montera is a force of good energy for those around her.

“She’s just very positive and encouraging and wants everyone to do good,” Gunter said.

Ironically, both cowgirls have won titles in the heeling at the WRWC, Gunter’s coming in 2022 behind friend Kylie McLean. But Gunter has always considered herself a header, noting she’s most comfortable on the front side and has found more success there.

Kelso

With both of her good horses out with injuries, though, this winter has been challenging.

“Right now, I am literally that person who shows up at the roping with just her rope and walks around going, ‘Can I ride your horse?’”Gunter laughed. 

Her head horse, Kelso, an 18-year-old palomino registered as Contentar Chex, has been with Gunter for 13 years.

“He’s kind of the first horse I did all the training on myself,” Gunter said. “He’s been outstanding, and it’s just some kind of miracle that I didn’t screw him up. He just wanted to be good, and I’m very lucky to have him.”

“He doesn’t make mistakes; he runs hard, he faces,” Gunter added. “He’s probably that once-in-a-lifetime horse, the one you compare everything else to and nothing stacks up. He’s impossible to replace.”

Kelso is on the mend and will be ready by May when Gunter and Montera take their chances at Big Money May—the $545,500 Rodeo Corpus Christi and $802,000 Women’s Rodeo World Championship in back-to-back weeks.

New territory in Corpus

While the WRWC is familiar territory, Montera and Gunter are stepping into another world at Corpus, making history as the first all-women’s team to rope at a WCRA major event. Their names are listed on the Leaderboard next to many-time NFR qualifiers like Andrew Ward, Clint Summers, Buddy Hawkins and even PRCA World Champions Paul Eaves and Kollin VonAhn.

Still, Gunter isn’t intimidated by the competition or transitioning from averages at jackpots to rodeo runs. In fact, she thinks both will serve them well in Corpus.

“I figure we need to just go get stuff caught in the early rounds,” Gunter said. “They start with 10 in the progressive with two go rounds and basically, six of those teams advance. So, I’m guessing catches will be sufficient for the first part.”

“Then, we’ll go from there. I’m kind of excited to see what we can do,” Gunter admitted of going for broke on each run during the sudden death rounds. “I’ve been practicing on the dummy, but I won’t get to do much on a horse. It’s silly to try and go blasting steers like a rodeo where I’m roping because where I go, mostly, that’s not what wins you money.”

“But I’m looking forward to trying it out in competition,” Gunter said.

Because Rodeo Corpus is a qualifying event for the WCRA’s Free Riders team entry into the second annual Kid Rock’s Rock N Rodeo, the KRRR drag race style start will be used in lieu of a traditional barrier at American Bank Center in Corpus.

“I had no idea,” Gunter marveled when asked about strategizing the unique start. “Honestly, my horse doesn’t score that wonderful but he will sit in the corner til the cows come home if I ask him to.”

Despite her lack of knowledge about the use of the KRRR start in Corpus, Gunter was there in person at the inaugural event last May, which the Free Riders won.

“I was able to go watch and it was just the coolest thing I’ve ever seen,” Gunter gushed. “I guess I’ll go watch some footage and use that to prep.”

If Gunter and Montera master the format and start, finishing in the top two at Rodeo Corpus, they will earn a spot on the Free Riders for KRRR, further making history as an all-women’s team competing head-to-head in Arlington on May 16.

And while that would be very cool, Gunter is mostly grateful for the unique opportunities and the chance to rope alongside a legend in Montera.

“She’s got a million partners knocking on her door,” Gunter added. “I’m just happy I’m the one who gets to answer.”