After retiring from competitive skating in 2014, Geil coached for a while, until fellow skaters encouraged her to try Disney on Ice. She competed in the world championships twice but never reached the Olympics. She was born in Wales but relocated to Austria, where she won multiple national titles. INSPIRED BY British gold medalists Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean, Kira Geil got into skating as a child and competed in ice dancing for years. "And Cirque is the best of the best in the performing world." "The Olympic level in gymnastics is the best because your technique has to be perfect, your execution has to be perfect, your mental strategy has to be perfect, your physicality must be perfect," said American Elise Ray, an Olympic bronze medalist and former Cirque du Soleil performer. The company recruits the athletes via the Internet and by scouting at competitive events. There are 20 former Olympians currently performing in Cirque du Soleil productions - eight in the Las Vegas production of "O" alone - and many more have done so over the years.
Courtesy Elise RayĬompetitive gymnasts, synchronized swimmers and divers have been finding second careers in Cirque du Soleil's extravagant international circus shows.
Elise Ray, left, won an Olympic bronze medal before using her skills as a gymnast with Cirque du Soleil.
And it isn't only skaters who make such a move. and Canada to Russia, Ukraine and Spain - who have used their well-honed athletic skills to transition into the entertainment field. Young and Palin are among many competitive skaters from all over the world - ranging from the U.S. I loved Barbie dolls as a little girl, and I was so excited that I was going to get the opportunity to play the role of Barbie." Coming from a pairs skating background in my competitive life, it was a dream to me to transition from competition skating right to the show. "We do lots of fun tricks out there," Young said. Rather than being picked apart by stern judges looking for every tiny mistake, the two are costumed as Barbie and Ken and performing wonderful spins, twists, jumps and lifts in front of joyful, adoring fans in a traveling Disney on Ice production. She is still skating though, and with a partner, Eric Palin. Young never achieved that goal and retired from competition three years ago. "It's every athlete's dream to go to the Olympics." A goal was to skate in the Olympics one day. She competed for years on a pairs team with her older brother, Matthew, winning a silver medal in the novice division of the 2010 Canadian national championships. Alexandra Young has been skating since she was just 2 years old.
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