Raised in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, aka “Ski Town, USA,” a bona fide factory for Olympic athletes, Courtney began her journalism career at the New York Times Magazine in 1999, where her earliest interviews included NBA star Stephon Marbury and gold medalist Dara Torres. A lifelong fan, she devoted two years to developing several projects in the eco-sport arena, all of which took a dive during Covid, unfortunately. Then again, if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again, jocks.