(Podcast length 4:21 mins)
You'd think being an Olympic-caliber athlete is a full-time job, but that's not the case for most Olympians. With the Olympics wrapping up, here's what your favorite athletes will return home to do.
Transcript
Before we get started, remember US athletes do not get paid to compete in the Olympics. They receive a medal bonus, which maxes out at $37,500 for a gold medal, and can earn money through sponsorships or other benefits, but those latter avenues are not something all athletes can achieve.
1. Hilary Knight plays hockey at the Olympic level and also for her day job. Knight is one of the most accomplished women's hockey players in US history. The four-time Olympian ranks second all-time in Olympic points (26) for Team USA and plays in the PWHPA (Professional Women's Hockey Players Association) when she's not at the Olympics. The league, which has been around since 2019, consists of 125 athletes working together to build a sustainable league that will showcase their talent. SEE IT. BE IT.
2. If you thought flying down a mountain on skis wearing a helmet and some Lycra sounded hard, try making everyone's favorite food. Ryan Cochran-Siegle won a silver in Beijing, and now he'll return to his family's maple syrup farm in Vermont. But the syrup isn't the only thing that runs in the family. Ryan's mom, Barbara Ann Cochran, took home a gold medal for the women's slalom for Team USA in 1972. A SWEET SCENARIO
3. They're a force on the ice, but curling vice skips American Nina Roth and Brit Vicky Wright have spent two years battling another enemy, COVID. During the pandemic, the two served as hospital nurses while training for their dream of Olympic gold. TRUE HEROES
4. Tabitha Peterson had her priorities straight, first pharmacy school and then the Olympics. The pharmacist and curling team member graduated pharmacy school in 2015 and headed to her first Olympic Games in 2018. Peterson said she likes her career because she can work more hours in the summer and less in the winter to focus on curling. WORK TO PLAY
5. A program that serves those who represent the US in more than one way is the World Class Athlete Program. The US Army's program allows top-ranked Soldier-athletes to perform at the international level while also serving their nation in the military. They train with the Olympics and Paralympics in their sights. Look for athletes like Army Sgt. Emily Sweeney (women's luge), Specialist Jasper Good (Nordic Combined), Army Specialist Frank Del Duca (two-person bobsled) and Specialist Benjamin Loomis (Nordic Combined) are all members of the program. WE SALUTE YOU
Sports Curious, presented by Last Night's Game, is here to take the awkward out of the conversation and help you join the sports conversation, even if you don't know the first thing about sports. We break down what's happening in sports in an easy-to-understand, fun way without all of the statistics and jargon, so you never have to exit stage left when the chatter at the office, dinner table or networking event switches to sports.
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