(Editor's note: MTN Sports is featuring a Midland Roundtable Athlete of the Year finalist nightly leading into this year's awards banquet Wednesday, May 15, at the Billings Hotel and Convention Center. Ten graduating seniors (five boys, five girls) in the Billings area are nominated annually by coaches and activities directors before Roundtable members, a group of longtime sports enthusiasts in Billings, vote on one male and one female winner. In rare instances, the award has been shared.)
BILLINGS — Kourtney Grossman is resilient. The knee brace is a dead giveaway. A piercing reminder of injuries to the same ACL — just seven months apart — her freshman and sophomore years at Billings West.
“I was kind of like, this is a little unfair … like, why me again? But then, looking back on it, I don’t think I would really change it," Grossman said thoughtfully. "It got me to where I am today."
"(But) I wouldn’t recommend it,” she added with a smile.
It's probably best to take that advice from the 2024 Midland Roundtable Athlete of the Year finalist who recently learned she can now play without the brace.
All Grossman has done since those injuries — both in 2021 — is get up off the deck and earn state titles in volleyball (following a perfect season), basketball and track and field. Her volleyball title was shared with a head coach who also had the authority to send Kourtney to her room, or the compassion to cook her favorite meal — her mom Kelly.
“Specifically, sausage and eggs but I also mess up some pancakes," Kourtney said describing her favorite meal. "Dinner is the best time to have it because in the morning I can’t fully load up on it yet.”
Among a long list of accolades, Grossman is included on the roster for next month’s Midland Roundtable Montana/Wyoming All-Star basketball series. Then she’s ticketed to play hoops in the Big Sky Conference at Eastern Washington.
The necklace she wears during this interview sports a gold-colored No. 2 — a number she’s grown to cherish after sort of having to settle for it.
“So, my sister (Kaitlin) was No. 24 … that’s like kind of our family number. And she was older than me so she got to high school and stole 24, so I just took No. 2 and was like, alright, this is fine," Kourtney said.
Those older sisters.
As for a career path, Grossman was initially somewhat torn.
“I wanted to be a lawyer at first, but then I realized being a lawyer is like arguing, but you can’t get mad. Then I was like, I don’t know if that’s going to work,” she admitted with a chuckle.
So, plan 1A — at the moment, she says — is to combine nutritionist and fitness instructor, meaning she may have to eliminate those loaded pancakes.
Midland Roundtable Athlete of the Year
2024 Female finalists: Kourtney Grossman (West), Halle Haber (West), Torie Jamieson (Senior), Piper Jette (Senior), Breanna Williams (Skyview).
2024 Male finalists: Maclain Burckley (Senior), Tyce Casterline (Lockwood), Keyan Hernandez (West), Kyler Northrop (Central), Braden Zimmer (West).
