7 Team USA Stars Who Work Surprising Day Jobs While Winning Olympic Medals ft Ryan Cochran-Siegle and Korey Dropkin

While Winter Olympic medalists, including Korey Dropkin, Ryan Cochran-Siegle, and Cory Thiesse, have shown their impressive abilities at the 2026 Winter Olympics, they have also made a mark in their professional careers. Dropkin and Cory Thiesse won a silver medal in the mixed doubles event of curling in Italy, becoming the first American team to win an Olympic medal.

Ryan Cochran-Siegle won a silver medal in Super-G in Italy. Alongwith making their mark on icy slopes, rinks, and ice tracks, a few Winter Olympic athletes made it to the headlines for their unusual professions. Let’s explore a few of those.

#1 Ryan Cochran-Siegle handles his family’s Vermont maple syrup farm

Ryan Cochran-Siegle won his second silver medal in the Super-G event at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics. When Ryan Cochran-Siegle is not skiing, he is working at his family’s maple syrup shop called Slopeside Syrup in Vermont. Ryan Cochran-Siegle has referred to himself as “a professional maple syrup chugger.” He won a silver medal in the same event at the 2022 Beijing Games.

Ryan Cochran-Siegle began skiing at the age of two under his mother Barbara Cochran’s guidance.

#2 Korey Dropkin balances his real estate work

Along with training and competing in curling competitions, Korey Dropkin is also a realtor licensed in Minnesota and Wisconsin. He works for the Superior Shores Real Estate Group. He has frequently praised and expressed his gratitude towards his colleagues for helping him achieve his Olympic goals.

“I’ve got a lot of great colleagues that have supported my dreams and helped me out with showings and help my clients out,” he said in a media interview.

Dropkin and Cory Thiesse entered into a partnership in 2022.

#3 Cory Thiesse works as a lab technician at her mother’s mercury testing company

Cory Thiesse became the first U.S. female athlete to win a medal in curling. She works as a lab technician at her mother’s mercury testing company in Duluth, Minnesota. Having studied exercise science at the University of Minnesota, Thiesse understood the importance of having a job that is convenient for her curling training, and nothing was a better opportunity than working at her mother’s company.

#4 Lucas Pinheiro Braathen is a runway model

The Norwegian-Brazilian alpine skier Lucas Pinheiro Braathen won his first Olympic gold medal in the Giant Slalom in Italy. Along with being a professional skier, he is also a runway model. At the 2026 Games’ opening ceremony, he wore a Moncler cape featuring an intarsia Brazilian flag. He is also a global brand ambassador for Moncler Grenoble. Based in Milan, the skier is vocal about his fashion choices and is frequently seen flaunting vibrant nails and customized outfits.

#5 Tara Petterson – Dentist

Tara Petterson represented the American squad in the team curling event in Italy, where they missed the podium after settling in fourth place. Apart from curling, she follows her parents’ footsteps in her professional career. Petterson is a dentist in Minnesota. She works as a dentist at Gentle Dentistry in White Bear Lake, Minnesota.

#6 Lea Ann Parsley served as a firefighter

The former American skeleton racer Lea Ann Parsley, who was on the US skeleton team, became a professional firefighter in the mid-1990s. She won a silver medal at the 2002 Salt Lake edition. She became a professional firefighter in 1995 after volunteering in high school. Parsley earned the graduate honors from the Ohio Fire Academy.

For her courageous act of rescuing a mother and daughter during a residential house fire, she was named the State of Ohio Firefighter of the Year in 1999. Parsley also has a master’s in nursing from Ohio State.

#7 Nick Baumgartner – concrete worker

Nick Baumgartner competed in his fifth Games at the 2026 Winter Olympics. He became the oldest athlete on the U.S. snowboard cross team in Italy at 44. He is a concrete worker. Even after competing at four Games and winning a gold medal in mixed team snowboard cross at the 2022 edition, he pours concrete to make ends meet. He refers to himself as the #BlueCollarOlympian