[ The only thing faster than the words coming out of JJ Hampton’s mouth is her breakaway loop. She’s the no nonsense type of person who’s found a way to speak her mind while wearing her heart on her sleeve and the rodeo world is better for it. ]
The first time JJ Hampton discovered she didn’t know what it meant to quit; she was only 4 years old. “The water was draining out of the bathtub and somehow I hit my head and there was enough water left that my head went under,” JJ explained of the almost fatal incident. “When they got to me, I was purple. The doctor didn’t know if I would even make it or have function when I woke up. I think that perfectly illustrates that there’s a purpose and a plan for my life.” That same resilience and tenacity now play out in the arena. And perhaps there’s a link between physically turning purple and JJ’s lifelong affinity for the color. Simply put, JJ likes purple because it’s the color of royalty and power, and it’s been her color for a long time.
“There is no quit in me, and I think that’s carried me further than anything,” JJ said. “I don’t give up and I have a will like no other. No matter what happens, I figure out a way to deal with it and use it for good. I don’t have to be the best if I refuse to give up.” With more than $450,000 in career earnings to date, JJ holds 18 WPRA world titles as a breakaway roper, header, women’s tie-down roper and in the all-around. On top of that, she’s qualified for the National Finals Breakaway Roping every year since it began in 2020. Many would argue that resume alone sits her among the very best in the industry. But there’s quite a bit more to JJ’s story than titles and checks won.
Catch Her if You Can
“Thank goodness for my dad [Johnny Wayne Hampton] who taught me to love the sport,” JJ said about learning to rope when she was 6 years old. “It took me awhile to start catching. I was better at goat tying, but I loved to rope.” It took a few years for JJ to catch live cattle with a significant amount of consistency. But one thing has never changed about her roping, even from that very first loop. “I could always rope fast, but for a long time that meant I didn’t catch as many,” she said. “I always roped to win because that’s how my mom [Barbara] taught me to practice.”
While JJ’s dad was the professional roper in the family, it was her mom who helped in the practice pen most often. JJ and her siblings – Angie and Row – all improved under her guidance, despite her lack of personal experience inside the arena. “I guess in those years, when I was figuring out how to catch, I wouldn’t throw my rope,” JJ said. “Mom taught me to nod, kick, swing and throw. My mom had everything to do with me learning how to practice to be fast.”
Coming in alongside her mom, was JJ’s grandpa – Johnnie Hampton – who she called Papa. The two forged a special bond; the kind JJ still feels privileged to have experienced. “My Papa was special to me; it didn’t matter what I did, he believed in me and told me I could do it,” JJ said. “He made me feel special and loved me like a grandparent should. And I know that set me up to be successful.”
More often than not, Papa was in the passenger seat while JJ was rodeoing for Tarleton State University. It’s a traveling partner very few can claim, but for JJ, he truly made all the difference in the world. “I’ve always had a lot of try and heart, it didn’t matter what I did, I was going to be good at it and put everything into it,” she said. “But my Papa built up my confidence. I think I would be where I’m at today, but it was a lot easier with him loving me.” When her Papa wasn’t in the passenger seat, her late brother-in-law Marty Yates (“Big Marty”), took his place. Hauling to amateur rodeos together took JJs roping to the next level, and he would eventually be the reason she became a world champion tie-down roper.
A Champion to Boot
It was the influences of Roy and Bill Duval and Betty Gayle Cooper that JJ’s affinity for calf roping grew. But Big Marty also played a significant role. “Marty Yates was a big influence in me becoming a better roper and I wouldn’t have got into tie down roping if it wasn’t for him,” JJ said. “I grew up roping with him because he married my sister. I would rope with Marty almost every day.” About the time Jayme was trying to get JJ to join her at WPRA events, Big Marty was pushing the same agenda.
“When we discovered these all-girl rodeos, Marty told me: ‘You’re going to be the next girl’s world champion tie down roper,” JJ said. “He died in 1993 and I won it, the first time, in 1994.” The early 90s proved to be monumental in JJ’s life: she lost her Papa but found a friend; and she lost her roping partner in Big Marty but found success in a whole new association, which opened the flood gates.
“That’s one thing about JJ, she’s always roping for first; she doesn’t settle for second place and she’s not about to take an extra swing,” Jayme said. “She was always going for first and you can come along for the ride and if you accidently beat her then that’s great too.” The type of competitive friendship between JJ and Jayme is often pursued but very rarely achieved. Even 30 years later, both women can spot where the other is struggling both in person and on video. It comes in handy now that they’re back roping on a regular basis.
Double Bubble, Everywhere
Long before JJ was wicked fast with a rope, she was quite literally buzzing around the rodeos her dad entered. That’s where Jayme first remembers encountering a girl who would not only become her best friend but also a traveling partner of almost 30 years. “I’m 7 years older than JJ, and the first time I saw her they had a bell on her so they could know where she was at because she was running around so fast,” Jayme said. Their paths continued to cross through the AJRA until fate wrote their names together in the rodeo book of life.
“It was July of 92, when my Papa’s health was giving out, and he said, ‘Go win Amarillo for me, bird,’” JJ explained. “I won the rodeo, and that was definitely a God thing.” That rodeo inadvertently brought JJ and Jayme together. As the story goes, JJ asked Jayme what happened at Amarillo and her answer came off the wrong way. “She thought I was kind of grouchy after that, but it wasn’t even two weeks later that we became friends and started hauling together,” Jayme said with a laugh. “We started hauling anywhere the truck would go, and I mean anywhere.”
Back when they were lucky to have nine entries in the breakaway at any given rodeo, both JJ and Jayme felt like they couldn’t miss one. Their drive to compete was perfectly in sync that way. “We did whatever it took to get to every rodeo that had breakaway,” Jayme said. “Lots of those rodeos only paid out first and second and we needed to win to go on to the next one.”
Most of Jayme’s time on the road was behind the wheel, especially at night, but when JJ took the wheel, she always kept it interesting. On a drive through the night to El Paso, a large package of Double Bubble gum took to the sky. “She would open a piece and chew it for maybe two or three minutes, until the flavor ran out, and then throw it out the window,” Jayme explained. “The next day, I went to crawl up to the hay pod where I found all that gum stuck to the ladder. That’s probably one of our best stories.”
Originally JJ had plans to attend law school after graduating with a degree in criminal justice from Tarleton State. Rodeo effectively took over her life until the early 2000s. “Life just kind of happened where I had a couple good horses die and it just wasn’t fun, so I didn’t go for a while,” JJ said. “I took a break and started working in real estate with my mom and eventually got my license and opened my own business [JJ Hampton Realty].”
Rooted in Roping
That break from chasing highway lines only lasted a year before JJ got back to it, but it took a bit to get literally and figuratively get back in the swing of things. The people standing behind her, both in business and at home, made it possible then and now for JJ to compete at an elite level. “I can remember when JJ first started back, we’d leave as late as possible on Friday so she could finish at work and then we’d come home that night so she could go show houses on Saturday,” Jayme said. Much like those early days, Jayme was behind the wheel with JJ riding shotgun. Only now, JJ was wheeling and dealing as the miles pass by.
“Her success in business hasn’t changed her mentality for roping,” Jayme said. “She’s sold houses at 11 at night and even after she’s on her horse she’ll still answer her phone for clients. But her mind is still naturally programmed to be fast, to win.” Keeping things together at home is JJ’s husband, Ricky Prince, and her son, 13-year-old Kason. The pair keeps horses fed and the cogs turning at the business when JJ’s out of town.
The balancing act of being a mom, wife, business owner and professional athlete is precarious at best. “It’s difficult, and there are no buts; my son needs me, and I need him,” JJ said. “When you’re 51 years old, you don’t give up this opportunity.” Much like JJ herself, Kason has grown up roping alongside Marty Yates (“Little Marty”). Kason’s passion for roping is only matched by his mom, who’s in the practice pen every chance she gets at their home in Stephenville, Texas.
“I really don’t like to drive, so as long as Kason doesn’t have a rodeo or a game, they’ll both come with me and I love that more than anything,” JJ said. “Ricky is an amazing dad. He does anything and everything to help me, the business and Kason.” Dubbed jack of all trades and peacekeeper, Ricky’s sacrifices don’t go unnoticed. With only four years left of high school rodeo for Kason, some day it’ll be Ricky’s turn to pursue his own passions. For now, he’s happy and content making dreams for both JJ and Kason come true.
