Jennifer Kirk's blog: Now What? The End of an Athlete's Career. | Golden Skate

Jennifer Kirk's blog: Now What? The End of an Athlete's Career.

Joined
Jun 21, 2003
Stay in the sport as a coach or commentator? Go back to school? Hollywood?

In the wake of the Nicole Bobek news, there has been a lot of chatter surrounding the choices an athlete makes after they leave the sport. There isn’t someone waiting at the edge of the ice telling a skater where to go or what to do once their career is over. It’s generally up to the skater, who, after spending the majority of their young life in an ice rink, has to quickly figure out what direction they should go once their skates are hung up. Unfortunately, many struggle with this transition back to “normal“ life.
 

Bennett

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Nov 20, 2007
Stay in the sport as a coach or commentator? Go back to school? Hollywood?

A coach may be one of the most natural paths given the level of expertise you have. A commentator may also feel natural and it would be fun that you still get media attention in some way. But I wonder if you could really make a living only as a commentator given that the number of events is limited. Perhaps they could become a sport commentator and commentate on other sports as well?

All the other choices seem like leading you to a totally new life. Hollywood would be difficult. Even Sasha wasn't successful.

Shizuka has had a very successful career after her retirement. The popularity of FS in Japan is helping her a lot, too. Ladies may have more choices like that. But men, perhaps a lot less.
 

Tinymavy15

Sinnerman for the win
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Dec 28, 2006
This delemia is not relally unique to skating. A lot of sports, especially sports that are not played by college teams require the athletes to spend their teen years training and competiting, not going to school like "regular" kids. Skating is their whole world, so I would assume many don't know what they want to do. Maybe choose the glamourous (and usually unsuccessful careers of acting/modeling).
With coaching you can make some decent money, especially if you are a big name. I think all retired skaters coach at one time or another to earn some cash.

Going down the list, not many champion skaters have had sucessful careers outside skating. Debi Thomas is a Doctor and I heard that Tim Goebel was studying Economics at Columbia (he should be getting a good job), but no other come to mind.
 

IDLERACER

Medalist
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Jul 28, 2003
Going down the list, not many champion skaters have had sucessful careers outside skating. Debi Thomas is a Doctor and I heard that Tim Goebel was studying Economics at Columbia (he should be getting a good job), but no other come to mind.
Sarah Hughes is currently at Yale Medical School, and will probably wind up working alongside Debi Thomas in another six or seven years. :cool:
 

PolymerBob

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Feb 17, 2007
Going down the list, not many champion skaters have had sucessful careers outside skating. Debi Thomas is a Doctor and I heard that Tim Goebel was studying Economics at Columbia (he should be getting a good job), but no other come to mind.

One skater I worry about is Miss Kwan. I know she has done some unpaid work for the State Dept. and has gone to college. But what will she actually do for a living? It's a good thing she had all those endorsement deals. I think one or two of them may still be in effect.
 

attyfan

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Mar 1, 2004
One skater I worry about is Miss Kwan. I know she has done some unpaid work for the State Dept. and has gone to college. But what will she actually do for a living? It's a good thing she had all those endorsement deals. I think one or two of them may still be in effect.

She would be a great liason for any business in America that wants to expand into China (or, more likely) any Chinese business seeking to expand over here. I heard somewhere that the grad school at Tufts (where she has been accepted) is geared to practical uses (anything from business to ambassadorships) as opposed to more academic (future university professors).

A lot of big name skaters have gone on to good careers. Dick Button was a lawyer (he negotiated Janet Lynn's contract with the ice shows -- first million dollar contract for a woman athlete); one of the Jenkins brothers was a vet; Tenley Albright was a doctor, also; Peggy Fleming -- commentator; Carol Heiss Jenkins -- coach; Kristi Yamaguchi -- charitable foundation.
 

skates

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Sep 21, 2006
One skater I worry about is Miss Kwan. I know she has done some unpaid work for the State Dept. and has gone to college. But what will she actually do for a living? It's a good thing she had all those endorsement deals. I think one or two of them may still be in effect.

Michelle has an ice-rink so that should generate some income for her.
 
Joined
Jun 21, 2003
Michelle Kwan is in a unique situation. She made millions from her skating career, so she does not have to worry about where her next meal is coming from in any case. She could continue to accept public service posts with or without pay, as she has under both the Bush and the Obama Secretary of States' offices. If she earns a graduate degree in foreign diplomacy, she will have many opportunities.

Attyfan's suggestion of working with businesses that want to expand into China, or Chinese business trying to enter the North American market is quite a realistic possibility as well. She already is in tight with the East-West Bank, which is the naming sponsor of the Kwans' ice arena. The primary business of this institution is to provide financial services to immigrant Chinese and Chinese Americans in California.

A couple of months ago Michelle was the welcoming speaker at the annual meeting of the "Committee of 100." This is a group of Chinese American business and civic high rollers which provides mentoring and networking for for young Chinese American entreupreneurs, among other services.
 

Tinymavy15

Sinnerman for the win
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Dec 28, 2006
A lot of big name skaters have gone on to good careers. Dick Button was a lawyer (he negotiated Janet Lynn's contract with the ice shows -- first million dollar contract for a woman athlete); one of the Jenkins brothers was a vet; Tenley Albright was a doctor, also; Peggy Fleming -- commentator; Carol Heiss Jenkins -- coach; Kristi Yamaguchi -- charitable foundation.

wow! I had no idea Dick was a lawyer! Thanks for the list!
 

heyang

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Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Brian Boitano will be starting a new career with his show on Food Channel. I think he also owns a restaurant and he had a production company.

Rocky Marvel went to work as an agent at IMG for a while.

Paul Wylie got his mba and deferred his entry to law school. Wasn't he also an agent or liason with Disney productions?

There's also choreograpy and costume design if one wants to stay in skating.

Lots of big name athletes have careers as motivational speakers (i.e Mary Lou Retton.)

Until the 90's, skaters really didn't anticipate being on ice beyond skating in an ice show for 4 years until the new Olympians took over.

Given the brevity of a skater's career, they, if anyone, should be realistic and aware that they'll have to make a decision sooner than most others. If anything, saving any money they've earned allows them a cushion to figure things out. However, the ones that squanderd the funds or didn't consider their future end up like Bobek.
 
Joined
Jun 21, 2003
^ And Jesse "the body" Ventura, former governor of Minnesota.

Plus -- Otto Jelinek, 1962 figure skating pairs world champion with his sister Maria, went into Canadian politics after retiring from skating. He was elected to parliament from the riding of Halton (do they really have "ridings" in Canada? :rock: :bow:), and served in several cabinet posts.
 

dorispulaski

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Jul 26, 2003
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The foxsports link gave some explanations about why politics is a natural for athletes. Primarily, they already have positive name recognition (in most cases), and are already accustomed to dealing with unpleasant interviewers and other members of the press, not to mention the annoyances of celebrity.

Given a college education (not a requirement, but generally a good idea), politics is a good match.
 

Phil Cohen

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May 20, 2009
Sarah Hughes is currently at Yale Medical School, and will probably wind up working alongside Debi Thomas in another six or seven years. :cool:

In the end, Sarah Hughes realized that studying for the medical degree would consume the entirety of her 20's, meaning that she would never be able to skate again. Fortunately, her family(which has a rigid tradition that everyone in the family must have an Ivy league degree) has accepted a compromise: Sarah Hughes studied for (and got) a degree in political science(a 6-year study), and her parents will now permit her to resume her skating career(probably professional, not competing) for the next 3 years, after which, she agrees to start studying to be an attorney.....like her father.
 
Joined
Mar 14, 2006
In the end, Sarah Hughes realized that studying for the medical degree would consume the entirety of her 20's, meaning that she would never be able to skate again. Fortunately, her family(which has a rigid tradition that everyone in the family must have an Ivy league degree) has accepted a compromise: Sarah Hughes studied for (and got) a degree in political science(a 6-year study), and her parents will now permit her to resume her skating career(probably professional, not competing) for the next 3 years, after which, she agrees to start studying to be an attorney.....like her father.

Gosh, you make her sound like an automaton. She's a grown woman!
 

Nadine

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Oct 3, 2003
The whole Hughes family is brilliant, they remind me of the Kennedys, and I'm sure whatever Sarah puts her mind to do she will. A brilliant mind!:thumbsup:

p.s. Rachael Flatt reminds me a lot of Sarah.
 

Phil Cohen

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May 20, 2009
Gosh, you make her sound like an automaton. She's a grown woman!

Yes, but family pressure and tradition are dictating things. Her parents both have degrees from Cornell, as do her two brothers. Her oldest sister has a degree from Harvard, Emily is presently at Harvard, Sarah has the degree from Yale, and the Youngest sister Taylor(who prefers Hockey!) is expected to follow the family tradition in the near future.

Yes, Sarah is a grown woman and her career should be her decision, but in her situation it is hard to say no. No one(especially Sarah) expected that she would actually win anything at the Olympics. Undoubtedly, Sarah & her family thought that the Olympics would mark the end of her skating days, and that she would then finish high school and go off to her Ivy League studies. She was in 4th place going into the final round in the 2002 Olympics. As she has remarked, she didn't think that she had any chance of winning anything, and that she should just go out there and enjoy herself for the final round of the competition. With that stress-free, nothing to lose attitude, she went at it with everything she had and found herself with an unexpected gold medal.

But her family, with their heavy emphasis on Ivy League education, wanted what THEY wanted, and to a certain extent, it is how she had been programmed. Even before she became an Olympic contender, her family arranged to have her introduced to an early 1950's Olympic gold medalist Ladies figure skater who immediately went on to study to be a doctor, with the idea that this(now elderly) ex-skater should be a role model for Sarah's future.

Anyhow, the bottom line is this: Sarah will be skating in ice show tours for the next three years, finally being permitted to receive some(much deserved) profit from her gold medal. She has this talent. It would be a shame not to use it. She can always study for the law degree later in life.
 
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R.D.

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Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Anyhow, the bottom line is this: Sarah will be skating in ice show tours for the next three years, finally being permitted to receive some(much deserved) profit from her gold medal. She has this talent. It would be a shame not to use it. She can always study for the law degree later in life.

:think: You seem to know a lot. Is all this actually true? I haven't heard anything from any of the Hughes' (I follow her and Emily on Twitter) that would indicate that she is interested in skating again. In fact, I heard her say somewhere (was it in People?) that she wasn't looking to return to skating any time soon. Besides, I thought she already made plenty of $ and exposure off the Gold, what with all the shows and specials she did in the months after Feb 2002.

In any case, I enjoyed her show pieces (for the most part) after she won that gold. I agree with you though- you can only skate at a certain level for so long, but can learn as long as you live. If it's true she wants to resume skating, I'll look forward to seeing her again.
 

Tinymavy15

Sinnerman for the win
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Dec 28, 2006
I have not heard anything about Sarah doing shows again either. She did do one season with Stars on Ice in 2003-4 (i think) and then went to school. I do not get the impression that either one of the Hughes girls are being put through Ivy Leauge schools against their will. They seem to be very smart girls who love academics and want to carry on their family's academic tradition.
 

Phil Cohen

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May 20, 2009
It was stated in some of the media coverage of her Yale graduation that she would resume skating for 3 years(though she had yet to decide whether to ever compete again), and that after 3 years of skating that she planned to go to law school.
 
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