Jayme  LaRocca, a Fremont, Nebraska native, had no exposure to horses until age 16, when he was working as a busboy at a local cafe. A few patrons from the racing industry noticed his size and suggested he consider becoming a jockey. One invited him to Aksarben Racetrack in Omaha. Jayme visited the stables the next morning, instantly fell in love with the horses and his days as a busboy were over.

After learning to gallop and work horses on various farms in Nebraska, he had a chance meeting with Hoss Inman, one of the top trainers in the Midwest. Inman saw Jayme's riding skills and asked him to exercise horses for him at Aksarben. In the Fall of 1981, Jayme found himself in Lamar, Colorado at the Flying "I" Ranch, breaking quality horses for Inman. That led to his first mount as a jockey at Centennial Racetrack in Denver. Jayme's first win came on just the third mount of his career, on September 13, 1981, aboard a horse named Lil' Sissy. He recalls, "It was exciting winning my first race. I had worked hard learning from the best, and winning that first race showed me all the effort was worth it." Jayme went on to ride at Oaklawn Park and was the leading apprentice at both Aksarben and the Lincoln State Fair in Nebraska during the summer of 1982. He later moved to the East Coast, riding at The Meadowlands before heading to Maryland, where many apprentice riders go to develop their careers.  He was doing well until his bright future was unexpectedly cut short.

Jayme's accident occurred at Charles Town Racetrack in West Virginia on December 3, 1982. While racing just behind the leader at the 3/16th pole, the horse he was riding, Twin Turn broke down throwing the then 20-year-old hard to the ground and rolling on top of him, fracturing his spine. He was operated on that same evening in West Virginia to relieve the pressure on his spinal cord from blood and bone chips. The accident left Jayme with a T-12 incomplete spinal cord injury. Because of close friends, he was flown to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, which was one to the few designated spinal cord unit sites at the time, where he was operated on again to have bone grafts and rods were inserted to stabilize his spine. He would spend the next three and half months doing inpatient rehabilitation at Magee Rehab Center, also in Philadelphia.

After years of rehabilitation, racing was still in Jayme's blood, and he returned to the sport he had grown to love. From 1985 through the early 1990's, he worked as a racing official and steward throughout the Midwest, as well Kansas Racing Commission. In 1994, he joined the staff at The Woodlands racetrack in Kansas City, Kansas. He was named General Manager in 2007 and held that position until the track closed in late 2008.

Jayme is grateful for his career in the racing industry, both before and after his injury. He says, "Racing has given me so much. Learning all facets of the industry through the years has been very fulfilling. But most importantly, I met my wife because of racing."

Jayme and his wife, Angela, reside in the Kansas City area. They are proud parents of their daughter, Tori.

Although Jayme retired from the racing industry, he has remained active since 2017 as a committee member for Jockeys and Jeans, where he serves as a liaison for fallen riders.  He's proud to support the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund (PDJF), a cause close to his heart. Reflecting on its impact, Jayme says, "I want to thank everyone who supports PDJF. It's truly amazing what they have done for me and for other disabled jockeys. The financial impact of a lifetime injury is significant, and the assistance the PDJF provides makes it easier for all of us to focus on our ongoing physical and mental recovery."