Skaters and retirement

It's important to keep in mind that some skaters likely continue to compete because they get funding from their federation to do so, which is essentially a salary. This probably explains why some skaters continue to compete when they are long past their peak and not likely to move up in the rankings.

When they look to the future, they need to consider how they'll earn an income. Transitioning to coaching or choreography makes sense for many in part because they'll be earning.

Skaters who've done nothing but skate and paid only a modicum of attention to their education could be very challenged when it comes to moving on/figuring out what to do next
 
Japanfan said:
When they look to the future, they need to consider how they'll earn an income. Transitioning to coaching or choreography makes sense for many in part because they'll be earning.
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It could make sense - if they are actually able to coach or choreograph - which takes a completely different skill set and personality than just being an elite level athlete does.
 
Anyone know what Nora Hoffman and her first partner Elek went on to do ?
 
I have lots of dancer friends. Several either started second careers while dancing or participated in programs that allowed them to attend college while still dancing, so they had plans in place for when they retired and were able to retire when they felt ready. Some unfortunately ended up rather forcibly retired either because of injury or because a new artistic director fired them and for various reasons they did not want to try to find a new company. Some are really enjoying retirement, others are having a harder time.
 
The top 3 males in the ice dance event at US Nationals (championship event) all were high level skaters when they were younger. Arkadiy Sergeev, for example, went to US adult nationals in dance, and also to adult worlds. He had won the World Junior dance silver back in the day. I didn't check the other events, but there may be others as well.
 
There was a really good Australian documentary made in the lead - up to the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games that detailed the same thing. One episode focussed on gymnastics and the instructors made sure that athletes who weren't picked to compete at the elite level or the Olympic Team, were never treated like their efforts were a failure.

It was more about setting individual goals and the process instead.
 
It is also possible that some athletes start out prone to depression and what draws them to sport is the endorphins produced by all the exercise. That and the prescribed routine which allows little time for stray thoughts. It would explain why some have little life outside of sport and stay in well past their competitive prime.
 
I dunno. I feel like it's unfair to decide that:
1. Because an athlete stays in a sport past their prime it's because they are suffering from an inability to live in "the real world". A corollary- I'm always bemused by so many people thinking if athletes aren't going to improve anymore then they are kind of pathetic and should retire. Let the competitions and their results decide which events they can keep showing up for. They aren't taking anything away from anyone else, and if they still find happiness and meaning in the sport who does it hurt? There's enough misery in the world.
2. Because a lot of retired athletes struggle without the thing that gave their life meaning and validation (and quite possibly joy separate from a quest for medals/standings) for a good portion of their time on earth, that means they are somehow weak, unprepared, or immature. Sadly I've been familiar with athletes in another sport who had careers while they were competing, but once they could no longer participate due to injuries became suicidal or developed substance abuse problems (mostly alcohol but also opiates). The grief of losing a part of yourself is real, and for a lot of people there's no real way to be prepared for that experience (other than hopefully having a very strong social safety net and community outside your sport already in place when the inevitable happens).
 
Winnipeg said:
There are quite a few skaters who have made successful transitions:

Kwan
Hughes (both)
Stojko (good for him re the dog rescue:respec::respec:
Kadavy?
Rochette
Browning
boitano
Hamilton
Lipinski
Wier in his own way


Debbie Thomas should have been a success story, no idea what happened there although likely she is suffering an illness.

I think child actors may have an even harder time
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Regarding Tara Lipinski, today is her birthday.

Happy Birthday, Tara! I hope this day is really special and may all your birthday wishes come true. I still have a lot of respect for you and how you've supported St. Jude Children's Hospital. Thanks for showing the love to those children. <3
 
As a retired skater, not even at the elite level, I know from personal experience that a forced retirement (such as mine) is very difficult to ultimately accept and overcome because skating in many ways is a way of life. To lose the ability to live a life you love is very difficult, and I suggest to all skaters that they consider what to do if, and when, they retire, and discuss this with their coaches. Coaching can definitely help, as the skater does not need to feel alone professionally in making these decisions.
 
LarrySK8 said:
As a retired skater, not even at the elite level, I know from personal experience that a forced retirement (such as mine) is very difficult to ultimately accept and overcome because skating in many ways is a way of life. To lose the ability to live a life you love is very difficult, and I suggest to all skaters that they consider what to do if, and when, they retire, and discuss this with their coaches. Coaching can definitely help, as the skater does not need to feel alone professionally in making these decisions.
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Great post! Thank you for sharing your experience and thoughts re this subject. :respec:
 
Ballet dancers in particular face similar issues. (Modern dancers often dance through college, sometimes starting there, while ballet dancers rarely do, with notable exceptions, like at Indiana University.)

One thing some US ballet companies have done is partner with local universities. For example, Pacific Northwest Ballet has partnered with Seattle University for a number of years, where at least course is taught per term on premises, with a broad range of courses given over time. (I think they may have added another academic partner recently.) What's great about it is that a lot of dancers participate, taking classes when their dancing schedule allows them to do outside studying and writing, and those in school aren't outliers, and aren't on their own, like they would have been even 20 years ago. Some dancers have expressed that it's sometimes a psychological barrier, like "If I plan and do school, it means I'm not committed to dance, and I'm admitting the end is something tangible." While it still takes a commitment, it's seamless enough that it's like getting your vitamins in food you like, and when they leave the Company, they might have their pre-requisites done, an associates degree, or a BA/BS from a local university, plus they know they can do school, if they want to continue. One of my favorite corps dancers left after "Nutcracker" to go to graduate school, after earning her undergraduate degree while dancing.
 
I know some Russian and former Soviet rhythmic gymnasts who were able to transition fully away from sport but it took a while. Alexandra Timoshenko coached a bit and at one point worked with Brzeska but she was also studying law and eventually transitioned into the corporate world. Daria Svatkovskaya, who won an apparatus title at Euros but then retired a year later because of injuries, is attending a normal university in a normal degree program but coaches on the side. I think that transition was helped by the fact her dad, a former Olympic champion who now is a deputy governor for Nizhny Novgorod, made her take her education seriously.
Then there are those Viner helped get political and entertainment careers, like Utyasheva, Chaschina, and Kabaeva

I guess the trend here is, the transition is possible if you are willing to take the time and there is someone to help you make the transition.
 
I once attended a three-day dance arts management seminar, with a set panel and guest speakers. One of the guests was the founder of the first career transition program for dancers, and she emphasized the same qualities that dancers have that we attribute to skaters: self-discipline, long hours of practice from a young age, ability to accept criticism and instruction and then going away to work on it on the side, etc. This was a new concept at the time. Then, unless you were Fonteyn, it was out-of-sight, out-of-mind.

After she spoke and went to lunch, the attendees were talking excitedly about it. The old-timer panelist from a major ballet company replied, "We don't need a program like that: every dancer but one has gotten a job within two years of retirement, that that one was crazy.". Then she took a long drag of her cigarette.

When the career transition woman came back and answered our questions on the side, her response was: "Of course they all have jobs within two years: they have to pay rent, and they have to eat."

Same with skaters: the question is how painful the transition has to be and what the landing is like at the other side.
 
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I have a friend whose daughter was an incredibly talented dancer. When a well respected, national Ballet company accepted her to their school the decision the girl and her parents made was "no" and basically it was because you close so many doors going that route. I am sure there are lots of other kids who come to the same conclusion and therefore maybe don't reach their "potential' in sports or some other activity, but still go on to have great lives.

What worries me is I don't think that some kids get the guidance to make those decisions, their coaches, teachers, parents etc... just ride the talent without pointing out that "going to the sports academy means you might not get into Harvard" :) That can make the transition incredibly hard since you come out of your "career" at a young age. I sometimes wonder if some of the skaters that transition to coaching felt they had other options? I do admire those kids and parents who push the education side as much as the skating side.
 
The story I find difficult is Nicole Bobek I read that her coach would tell her mom not to worry about her school because she was going to be a professional skater so........I think putting all one's eggs into a basket without a backup plan is not a good idea at all.
 
Column in Outside Online that discusses the difficulty of sub-elite runners retiring from running because it's so much a part of their sense of self even though they're not pros running for endorsement money.

It seems like many of the same issues apply to skaters, even those not winning medals on the Grand Prix.

“When you’re looking back, and you know what it feels like to put it on the line every year, day in and day out, year after year, when you know what that commitment is like, and you’re that person that does that, to not have it is such a weird thing,” Benadum says.
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Winnipeg said:
There are quite a few skaters who have made successful transitions:
Kwan
Hughes (both)
Stojko (good for him re the dog rescue:respec::respec:
Kadavy?
Rochette
Browning
boitano
Hamilton
Lipinski
Wier in his own way
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A lot of these people are Olympic medalists. I'm sure having a medal helps in the "future opportunities" department.
What are the Hughes sisters doing now?
Browning is a good example of how a gift of artistry and showmanship can lead to a long professional career. (Although that may be waning as there are fewer shows.)
I would say Weir is at least as successful as Lipinski. (Maybe not as wealthy, but at least as busy.) Both of them are commentators, of course, and he continues to do skating shows and keep up his jumps. He was criticized for spending a lot of time in front of the camera during his career as a skater, but it prepared him well to go down many roads.
 
Justathoughtabl said:
What are the Hughes sisters doing now?
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Emily Hughes: https://medium.com/learn-to-skate-usa/prepare-for-success-1b8c4cb8adbb
She graduated from Harvard University in 2011 and, since stepping away from competitive skating, has enjoyed similar success in the business world. Post-graduation, she’s taken on roles for Deloitte Consulting and the International Olympic Committee and enjoyed a two-year stint with Google on the Google Fiber team. Hughes currently serves as a senior associate for California financial start-up Nerd Wallet
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Sarah Hughes graduated from Yale University in 2009 and has one more year of law school to go at UPenn: http://leanin.org/stories/sarah-hughes/
 
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