Olympians going for gold juggle day jobs to bring in some green

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Most athletes bid for years to scope the Olympics, but competing astatine an elite level doesn't ever travel with elite pay. Some U.S. Olympians indispensable besides clasp down a occupation to assistance money the years of grooming required to vie connected the world's biggest stage.

Some athletes competing successful the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympic Games, including Americans vying for gold successful their respective sports, volition instrumentality location to jobs arsenic attorneys, baristas, realtors, dentists and different types of professionals.

The balancing enactment reflects the fiscal challenges faced by immoderate Olympic athletes adjacent aft reaching the pinnacle of diversion performance. While immoderate of the best-known athletes gain millions from sponsorships and different lucrative deals, they are the exception, alternatively than the norm.

American curler Korey Dropkin and his mixed doubles curling partner, Cory Thiesse, some of Duluth, Minnesota, won metallic medals successful mixed doubles curling astatine the 2026 Olympics. Before the games began, Dropkin told section quality presumption KARE 11 that helium balances curling with a full-time vocation arsenic a section realtor.

"I person 2 full-time jobs. One is curling ... my different occupation is simply a realtor," helium told the outlet.

In summation to holding the rubric of an Olympic metallic medalist, Thiesse besides has different title: wastewater tester. "I consciousness grateful that I person a occupation that pays the bills portion I spell vie successful curling," Thiesse told KARE 11.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) told CBS News successful a connection past week that "a important proportionality of Winter Olympic athletes" equilibrium elite grooming with world and nonrecreational pursuits.

USA curler Tara Peterson is besides a licensed dentist who practices astatine Isaacson Gentle Dentistry successful White Bear Lake, Minnesota, according to her Team USA profile.

Athletes from different countries besides clasp 2nd jobs to enactment their diversion careers. For example, the IOC highlighted Mexico's Regina Martínez, the country's archetypal Olympic cross-country skier, who works arsenic a Miami, Florida-based exigency country doctor. Martinez said she besides walked dogs to concern her Olympic journey, according to a societal media video.

The IOC does not grant Olympians prize money, adjacent erstwhile they marque the podium. Countries' nationalist Olympic bodies bash connection incentives, though, including currency bonuses. The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee awards athletes $37,500 for a golden medal, $22,500 for a metallic medal, and $15,000 for a bronze medal.

This year, Ross Stevens, CEO of Stone Ridge Holdings Group, pledged to springiness each U.S. Olympian $200,000 successful fiscal benefits for each Olympics successful which they compete.

"The Olympic and Paralympic Games are the eventual awesome of quality excellence. I bash not judge that fiscal insecurity should halt our nation's elite athletes from breaking done to caller frontiers of excellence," Stevens said successful a connection past twelvemonth erstwhile the acquisition was announced.

While immoderate Olympic athletes tin conflict financially, there's a wide discrepancy betwixt their circumstances and those of the top-earning U.S. athletes. For example, American snowboarder Chloe Kim earns millions annually, portion Eileen Gu, an American freestyle skier, earned $23 cardinal implicit the past 12 months, according to Forbes.

Summer Olympians, including basketball, golf, and tennis pros, are besides among the highest-paid athletes successful the world, successful portion due to the fact that of the popularity of specified sports, successful opposition to little disposable wintertime sports, similar curling, for example.

Here are immoderate of the different jobs Olympians clasp portion besides going for golden successful Italy.

Hard connected the body

American snowboarder Nick Baumgartner, 44, who placed seventh successful the snowboard transverse successful Milan, calls himself the #BlueCollarOlympian connected societal media — a motion to his enactment pouring factual successful the off-season. His time occupation helped concern his nonrecreational snowboard career, according to his U.S. Ski and Snowboard team profile.

"It's ever been tough. But you either judge the excuses, oregon your find a mode to marque it happen," helium told CBS News' Kelly O'Grady Wednesday. "And for me, concrete, which is simply a terribly hard job, it's hard connected the back, it's hard connected the body, but for me, it was my mode to bash this."

Baumgartner, who won golden astatine the 2022 Winter Olympics with teammate Lindsey Jacobellis successful mixed snowboard cross, said that winning the apical prize successful the lawsuit allowed him to springiness his assemblage a spot of a break.

Before that, helium said helium would "work truly hard and marque a batch of wealth successful the summer, and erstwhile it started to snow, they would unopen it down. I would get laid off, and I'd get unemployment. Then I'd get paid, and I would spell snowboard."

Holding an Olympic golden medal catapulted him to the ranks of keynote talker astatine firm events, truthful helium could marque wealth "without destroying my body."

"Because pouring factual and staying young ... they don't mix," helium said.

He acknowledged the carnal — and fiscal — challenges of being an Olympian.

"It's tough. It's decidedly not casual .... you either find a mode to combat for it, oregon it doesn't happen," helium said.

A metallic medal with a broadside of maple syrup

Alpine skier Ryan Cochran-Siegle, 34, who won a metallic medal successful the Super-G lawsuit successful Milan, holds 2 different titles, successful summation to Olympic medal winner.

He is presently studying engineering astatine the University of Vermont, and besides works astatine his family's maple syrup workplace and shop, Cochran's Slopeside Syrup, successful Vermont, according to his U.S. Ski and Snowboard squad bio.

Studies springiness "balance" to beingness connected the slopes

U.S. Olympic skis jumper Paige Jones besides studies biomedical engineering astatine the University of North Dakota. She told UND Today, the university's online quality source, that moving toward a grade portion grooming and competing successful the Olympics really complements her diversion pursuits, arsenic she looks down the roadworthy to beingness beyond the slopes.

"I ever deliberation of schoolhouse arsenic a equilibrium to my beingness arsenic an athlete. It gives maine thing to deliberation astir erstwhile I'm not connected the hill. I don't privation to beryllium ruminating astir skis jumping each the clip — it's truthful casual to get successful your head, particularly erstwhile the leap lone lasts astir 5 seconds," Jones told UND Today.

Costs aren't covered

American alpine skis racer Keely Cashman, who placed 15th successful Super Giant Slalom, besides works arsenic barista astatine The Serene Bean, her family's java store successful Pinecrest, California, during the off-season, according to her U.S. Ski and Snowboard Team bio.

On her website, she advertises merchandise, including stickers and t-shirts, for sale. Proceeds subsidize her grooming and question costs. She described the fiscal challenges that travel with grooming astatine the elite level.

"Unfortunately, immoderate of the costs that travel with grooming and competing astatine the highest level are not covered by the nationalist governing body," she said. "By supporting me, you're helping maine pursuit this imagination and allowing maine to proceed competing astatine the highest level. Thank you for being portion of the journey."

Cashman told CBS News this week aft she had returned location from Milan that her Serene Bean net are modest, but that her prima powerfulness helps boost sales.

"I worked determination a batch increasing up, and it decidedly helped money my skiing career," she said.

The U.S. Ski and Snowboard squad present covers her grooming and question expenses, but she pays for her dad, her idiosyncratic coach, to question with her erstwhile she practices and competes, with income she earns based connected her results astatine races passim the competitory season.

"I screen his costs arsenic well, truthful it's not cheap," Cashman told CBS News. "If you're skiing accelerated and having large results, it's good, but if you're not skiing fast, you tin beryllium making perfectly nary money."

Edited by Aimee Picchi

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