U.S. Curlers Cory Thiesse and Korey Dropkin Also Work as a Lab Tech and Realtor — Here's How They Balance Both (Exclusive)

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Cory Thiesse and Korey Dropkin of Team USA on Feb. 10, 2026
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NEED TO KNOW​

• Silver medalists Cory Thiesse and Korey Dropkin tell PEOPLE how they balance their curling dreams with their respective careers as a lab technician and realtor
• Thiesse says she's "really lucky" to work at her mother's mercury testing company because it's "convenient for all the time off that I need"
• Dropkin, a realtor licensed in Minnesota and Wisconsin, says he's grateful to his "great colleagues" and "understanding clients" for helping him bring home the silver medal

When they're not winning medals as Olympic curlers, Cory Thiesse and Korey Dropkin of Team USA work regular jobs.

But balancing their day jobs with training to be an Olympian isn't easy. "As curlers, we are not full-time athletes," Thiesse, 31, tells PEOPLE from Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy. "We play the sport becaue we love it, it's not because we're out there making a ton of money off of it."

Thiesse, who became the first American woman to medal in curling with Dropkin, 30, on Feb. 10, says that's why "it's really important for us to find jobs that support us and understand what our goals are and our dreams are."

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Cory Thiesse on Feb. 9, 2026 in Cortina d'Ampezzo
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Thiesse, nicknamed "girl Cory" by her and Dropkin's coach and who calls her teammate "boy Korey" to differentiate the athletes, works as a lab technician at a mercury testing company her mother owns in Duluth, Minnesota, which she calls "convenient for all the time off that I need."

"Otherwise, I don't know what I would do because we spend so much time on the road competing and leaving work to go train, so we're really lucky to have such a village surrounding us to be able to do what we do."

Dropkin, 30, echoes Thiesse's sentiment that they compete for the love of the sport, and says he's also found "passion in real estate" when he isn't curling.

"I got my license representing Minnesota and Wisconsin. I've got a lot of great colleagues that have supported my dreams and helped me out with showings and help my clients out," he says, adding, "Thankfully, a lot of understanding clients, they know that I'm wanting to pursue these dreams.

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Cory Thiesse and Korey Dropkin on Feb. 10, 2026
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"I'm just so grateful for all of them and being able to bring this home and show my people my sphere, what I've worked so hard for, and it does take a village to really make this all happen," adds Dropkin, whose fiancée Gabby was in the stands to support him and Thiesse.

"We're just very appreciative to have people in our lives that support us and are flexible with what we're trying to do and what we're trying to achieve."

And as Thiesse takes the ice with the women's curling team on Feb. 12, Dropkin says he plans to be "in the stands being the loudest cheerleader out there,"

"I've already lost my voice being a cheerleader for us, and for her, I'm going to do the same," he tells PEOPLE.

To learn more about all the Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls, come to people.com to check out ongoing coverage before, during and after the games. Watch the Milan Cortina Olympics and Paralympics, beginning Feb. 6, on NBC and Peacock.

Read the original article on People

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