Well, this is my third week in Durango, so I apologize for not introducing myself sooner. My name is Cody Olivas, and I’m the new sports editor at The Durango Herald.
Hello.
The way I see it, my job is to cover you and your athletic feats, whatever they be. I’m much more interested in local events and what local athletes are doing than any of the major leagues, but I’ll be sure to put some of that news in the paper too.
That said, if you have a big event or race or tournament coming up, or your season’s about to get going, let me know about it. I’m new to the area, so shoot me an email and tell me what’s going, who will be competing, when and where it will take place and anything else that’s relevant. And if it’s newsworthy and I can be there to cover it in person, I will. If I can’t make it, I’ll bug you for the results and a picture and do a story that way.
You can reach me at colivas@durangoherald.com or on my direct line here at the newspaper, 970-375-4507.
And if you’re a parent with a nice camera and travels to road games, feel free to send some pictures. You can help give athletes the coverage that they deserve for all their hard work.
Beyond that, I suppose I should tell you a bit about myself so you know the geek behind the byline.
I grew up in Fort Collins and played soccer, baseball and basketball when I was young and then focused on football and wrestling at Poudre High School. I never planned on wrestling, but my junior high football coach hounded me every day until I gave in and tried it. And I ended up loving it, partly because I got to face guys my own size – 73 pounds – and partly because I like to battle.
Eventually I wrestled for Western Colorado University, back when it was Western State College of Colorado, and starting writing for both the college paper and the Gunnison Country Times.
After I graduated, I did a short stint at the Montrose Daily Press, then went back to school and earned a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Nevada in Reno. I just wanted to get better at my job, basically.
Since then, I’ve spent most of my time writing at various papers, minus a few winters as a rental tech and snowmaker in Crested Butte. The majority of my career has been at the Taos News and, most recently, the Mountain Mail in Salida. I’ve also worked for papers in Los Alamos, New Mexico, and Pinedale, Wyoming.
I like mountain towns with ski areas and mountain bike trails nearby. I like to think I’m a better snowboarder than I ever was a wrestler, but maybe that’s just because I can actually eat, so I usually feel better.
I like to find a zone on my board or my bike where all that matters is the next turn. And if I can enter that zone for even 30 seconds on a ride or a day on the hill, it ends up being a good day.
That’s my story. What’s yours? Feel free to share it with me.
