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The day jobs of 5 winter Olympic athletes, from barista to dentist

The day jobs of 5 winter Olympic athletes, from barista to dentist

Anna Medaris Miller

Team USA wore Ralph Lauren designed uniforms to the Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremony.Lintao Zhang/Getty Images

Olympians can make money through sponsorships and stipends, but many aren't financially stable.
Some American athletes work in family businesses, and at least one paints and sells his art.

Being an Olympian is expensive, and the US is one of only a few countries that stays out of funding its team.

Shaun White competing at the Beijing Olympics in 2022. Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

Sure, the most accomplished and popular athletes like Sean White and Eileen Gu (who's representing China) can make millions from endorsements and sponsorships. Others can get by on modest salaries from professional sports careers.

Some also collect stipends and prize money — the US pays medalists $37,500, $22,500, and $15,000 for gold, silver, and bronze, respectively.

And many are so young that fully supporting themselves isn't yet top of mind.

But American athletes don't get paid to go the Olympics, and athletes can need $100,000 annually just to sustain their sporting careers — travel, equipment, coaching, recovery therapies, and nutritious foods aren't cheap. Some just want something to do on the off-season.

Here's how five Americans who competed in Beijing make a living, whether out of necessity or passion.

Curler Chris Plys left college to take over his father's food brokerage company in 2011.

Team USA curler Christopher Plys. Michael Madrid-USA TODAY Sports

Plys, a 34-year-old from Duluth, Minnesota, served as an alternate at the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver. 12 years later, he returned to the Olympic stage for two events: mixed doubles, in which he and his partner placed eighth, and as a member of the US men's team, which took fourth.

In between it all, Plys, the oldest of five, left college to take over a food brokerage company from his dad, who died of cancer in 2012.

"It was the first major thing that I had gone through after the Olympics and I just was forced to grow up fast," he told USA Today.

His fiancee has been helping out with the company to allow Plys to focus more on curling. "I guess when I look in the mirror today, I'm a lot more proud to see who's looking back than I was when I was 22 years old,' he told USA Today.

Alpine skier Keely Cashman works as a barista in her family's small-town coffee shop.

A post shared by Keely Cashman (@keely_cashman)

Cashman, a 22-year-old from Strawberry, California — population 86 — serves up lattes and smoothies at The Serene Bean.

A post shared by The Serene Bean (@theserenebean)

Beijing marks her first Olympic Games. Cashman placed 27th in the super-G and 17th in downhill.

That's a win for Cashman, who suffered a concussion and a strained MCL during training in January 2021. In the spring, she fell again and "severely lacerated her face," according to the Team USA website.

"It has been very challenging trying to gain confidence back this season," she said after her downhill race. "But this result feels like a big step in the right direction."

Freestyle skier Bradley Wilson sells his own paintings to help support himself.

A post shared by Brad Wilson (@wilsfreestyle)

Wilson, a 29-year-old from Butte, Montana, is a three-time Olympian competing in moguls. This year, he came in 25th.

He and his brother Bryon, also a mogul skier who earned an Olympic bronze in 2010, moved to Park City, Utah, early in their careers to train.

"Like most sports, skiing has an off-season, and I had to stay productive," Bradley writes on his website.

"So during the summer in Park City I started to play around with painting and, like my ski career, the art started to progress and began to take off. I have been selling paintings for 3 years now and it has been a huge help to pay for my expenses in my ski career."

His original paintings cost between $99.95 and $649.95.

Kimi Goetz, a long-track speedskater, works as a processor at a finance company.

A post shared by Kimi Goetz (@kimigoetz)

27-year-old Goetz of Flemington, New Jersey, placed 18th in the women's 500 meter and seventh in the women's 1,000 meter. She wrote on Instagram that competing was "the honor of my lifetime."

Finance doesn't seem to be first-time Olympian's long-term career. On Team USA's website, she writes she'd like to work in special education at the elementary level once she retires from the ice.

Tara Peterson, a Team USA curler, is a dentist in Minnesota.

A post shared by Tara Peterson (@taraissupercool)

Peterson, a 30-year-old first-time Olympian from Eagen, Minnesota, earned her dentistry degree in 2018 and practices in her home state, according to her Team USA bio.

Her older sister, Tabitha Peterson, is also a curler on Team USA with a clinical health interest: Tabitha graduated with a doctor of pharmacy degree in 2015, though it's unclear if she's a practicing pharmacist. Tabitha competed in PyeongChang in 2018, placing eighth.

This year, the sisters' team missed out on a medal after losing to Japan Wednesday.

"We had a lot of really, really, really good games against the top teams in the world," Tabitha, the skip, told reporters, according to NBC 5 Chicago. "We have to be proud of ourselves for that. We've got to just take away all the good things from it and of course learn to go forward."

The day jobs of 5 winter Olympic athletes, from barista to dentist

Anna Medaris Miller

Being an Olympian is expensive, and the US is one of only a few countries that stays out of funding its team.

Curler Chris Plys left college to take over his father's food brokerage company in 2011.

Alpine skier Keely Cashman works as a barista in her family's small-town coffee shop.

Freestyle skier Bradley Wilson sells his own paintings to help support himself.

Kimi Goetz, a long-track speedskater, works as a processor at a finance company.

Tara Peterson, a Team USA curler, is a dentist in Minnesota.

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