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New Steamboat Winter Sports Club director to be featured on HGTV

Luke Graham
Jim and Leagh Boyne sit in the dining area of their home in Steamboat Springs. The Boynes' move from Chicago to Steamboat Springs will be featured on one of HGTV's reality television shows, "New House, New Life."
John F. Russell

— New Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club Executive Director Jim Boyne has experienced a lot of unintended events on his way from Chicago to Steamboat Springs.

They’ve all been good, said Boyne, who took over in early October.

But there are two in particular that stick out.



“I didn’t think of getting to take my kids to school,” he said. “And I got my first real powder day.”

Ah, life in Steamboat.



Going from the president and chief operating officer of a $30 billion investment firm with reach around the globe, the move to Steamboat Springs was made for television.

And when Boyne and his family decided to make the move, a friend thought the same thing. Boyne thought it was a joke when a friend sent a link to an application for HGTV’s “New House, New Life.”

“It had one of those silly tags that said something like, ‘From Wall Street to Main Street,’” Boyne said. “He said, ‘No, you should really take a look at it.’ I talked with my wife and she said, ‘It could be a really great thing for the club and city of Steamboat.’”

The Boynes finished filming for the show earlier this winter and anxiously await the premiere.

The show originally was slated to appear March 27, but it has been moved back. Boyne said he was told it now will run sometime in the second quarter.

“It’s a half-hour program, but they probably have enough footage for a whole season,” Boyne said.

HGTV shot at the family’s home outside Chicago on Dec. 26 and 27. The crew then shot for more than three days in Steamboat in January, including at the 2014 Olympian Celebration and Send-Off event.

It was a unique experience for Boyne, who said he never had done anything like this.

His wife, Leagh, fostered puppies in Chicago, so producers trucked in a bunch of puppies to get the shot. The Boynes also had to make last-minute calls to friends to come say goodbye again for the cameras.

In Steamboat, Boyne was busy with the Olympian Send-Off, but he still had to make time for the cameras. On the day of the event, he skied with his 12-year-old son, Sean, and 8-year-old daughter, Annamarie, before running down to the base.

During the whole event, he was mic’d up.

“I thought I would like it, but not so much,” Boyne said about filming from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. for the duration of the five-plus days. “It was a lot of work.”

The family also had to re-create buying their house in Steamboat.

“We were excited for Jim to get on the show and have his story told,” said real estate agent Doug Labor, who helped the Boynes find their Steamboat home and appears in the show. “We created a good awareness of Steamboat and what it’s like buying a home here.”

Boyne said he typically wouldn’t have been interested in doing the show. But with the recent switch in careers, he’s trying to become more community-oriented. His past job, he said, didn’t allow for that.

With the Winter Sports Club, he said, being visible in the community is an integral part.

“I hope they get a piece of what Steamboat is about,” he said.

To reach Luke Graham, call 970-871-4229, email lgraham@SteamboatToday.com or follow him on Twitter @LukeGraham


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