Hello! I am Marvin Montoya, and I’m honored to be the Northern New Mexico Representative for USSA! I was born and raised in Northern New Mexico in the small town of Española where I still reside today. Although playing baseball was my first love growing up, hunting and fishing were absolutely a close second! I grew up hunting and fishing this part of our beautiful state in a traditional fashion with my family and friends. Today, that tradition continues as I share my outdoor adventures with many family and friends.
I started fishing at a very early age. Both of my parents enjoyed fishing, so I was fortunate to spend lots of time fishing. We would spend the summer camping as well as take day trips as a family. Sometimes Dad and I would take off early and do a little stream fishing early Saturday morning, and other times Mom and I would go fishing while Dad was working. We primarily fished for trout in the lakes and streams throughout Northern New Mexico, which are blessed with very good numbers of fish. Fishing with Mom and Dad as well as other family members like my grandfather, my Godfather, aunts, uncles, and cousins are by far some of my best childhood memories!
My first ever hunt was with my Dad, our neighbor Jimmy, his son (and my friend) Matthew, and a few of Jimmy’s friends. It was an elk hunt in unit 51 of New Mexico, and Jimmy had the tag. I was 12 years old, and I recall it was a very rainy hunt. One morning Dad, Jimmy, and I worked our way up a mountain. I came to an old logging road and stopped on the road waiting for Jimmy and Dad to catch up. Just as Jimmy got to the road, a big bull came around the bend. I was overwhelmed with excitement! Jimmy made a perfect shot, and I was hooked on elk hunting from that day on! I am a father of a daughter and son who I love dearly! Watching them grow and sharing my life with them is by far one of my greatest blessings!
I am a Little League coach and love teaching children not just about the game of baseball and softball, but how they can achieve things they never knew they could and all while having loads of fun. Seeing the amazement in a child when they’ve succeeded in something they thought was unattainable is simply priceless! Those smiles are forever burned in my own memory and is one of the greatest rewards I could ever earn! I presently work as an Engineer at Los Alamos National Laboratory helping to keep our country secure. After graduating from high school, I earned an Army ROTC scholarship in engineering. However, at that time, my passion was to be an Aviator. I really wanted to fly!
Unfortunately, the Army would not change my scholarship from Engineering and I made a difficult choice to not join the Army. Not becoming a soldier was one of my biggest regrets in my life as I know (now) that I would’ve made a fine soldier. For those who have chosen to become a soldier and even those who were drafted, I have a tremendous respect for what you’ve done and continue to do! From the depths of my soul, THANK YOU for your service to our country!
I look forward to helping USSA accomplish its mission!! I know a major part of God’s plan for me is to help others using the blessings He has given to me. I believe God puts people in our paths for a reason, and I hope I can fulfill the dream of whoever He and USSA put in my path!