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New popular career choices for former professional gymnasts

Posted on 21. Aug, 2009 by Kathe Jones in Gymnastics Business

If you’ve ever wondered what career choices for former professional gymnasts could be, the answer is, it’s varied. Some former gymnasts who are considered too old to compete (mid to late 20s and beyond) may opt to teach gymnastics or become a gymnastics coach. Some may prefer to retire and have careers that are unrelated to gymnastics completely. Or some may choose a career that allows them to perform their acrobatic skills in a different setting like becoming acrobatic dancers in local events. For those who cannot decide, they may be a perfect candidate for Cirque du Soleil, a successful, modern day circus business company.

Today, many retired or former professional gymnasts know that working for Cirque du Soleil can be physically challenging but yet, a lucrative career choice.

Hungarian Zoltan Supola competed in three Olympics and once was a world-champion gymnast. Supola retired and landed a job at Cirque du Soleil after the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

Gymnast Paul Bowler, performs in “Mystere,” one of Cirque du Soleil resident shows in Las Vegas, at age 36. He also works as a children’s gymnastics coach after not making it to the 1996 Atlanta Games with the British Olympic team.

André Simard, an Olympian gymnast from Canada who competed in the 1972 Munich Olympics is now an acrobatic research and development specialist at the modern circus company.

These former professional gymnasts are proud to be a vital part of the company’s success. They join the company with strong motivation and wish to use their skills to entertain and touch people at a more emotional level.

They are required to train rigorously every day, as they find they are not as fit as when they were competing. Some of them may have gained a few extra pounds, so the new training process is a new transition for the athletes. Some elite athletes say their trainings can be quite demanding and challenging at times. Cirque du Soleil’s trainings are particularly designed to help the athletes perform well on stage.

Cirque du Soleil is very successful in the entertainment business, as people from around the world come to enjoy their shows. This gives otherwise young performers opportunities to execute their crafts before hundreds and thousands of people every day. Because of Cirque du Soleil’s popularity, many former athletes are finding new gymnastics-related career offers that may interest them in the future.

Cirque du Soleil is known to be willing to do anything to make former Olympians who are well-suited for their acrobatic performance join their team. The company is after the best athletes in the world because they know that these athletes have strong self-discipline, determination, as well as their ability to perform at high-level performance.

Currently, there are more than 20 Olympians employed by Cirque du Soleil. The retired gymnasts can be seen performing as contortionists, trampolinists, and trapeze performers.

Photo: Mario Groleau

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Tags: Gymnastics Business, gymnasts, professional gymnastics