All-around and rope climb champion Courtney Shanken competed for the University of Chicago, where he collected medals in the Big Ten Conference and NCAA Championship competitions before serving in the U.S. Military during World War II. Because of the cancellation of the 1940 and 1944 Olympics due to the war, Shanken left competition to pursue a career in business.
The multi-sport athlete who earned Honorary Team membership to the canceled 1944 Olympic Games stayed involved with the sport, however. Shanken served as a member of the U.S. Olympic Committee, Chairperson of the Maccabiah Gymnastics Committee, and President of the Midwest Gymnastics Association.
