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NIL, CIRCUS, OR BOTH? - Circuspreneur Podcast
23 Plays4 months ago
#NIL #Circus #Collegegymnastics #Cirquedusoleil
On this episode of the Circuspreneur Podcast, host Shenea Stiletto discusses the opportunities available to competitive gymnasts beyond their Olympic Dreams in the form of NIL, Collegiate Gymnastics, or the Circus and Performing Arts.
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Transcript
Introduction to NIL and Circus Opportunities
00:00:03
Circuspreneur Podcast
Hi, circuspreneurs. It's your host, Sinead Stiletto. And today on this very special mini podcast episode, we are going to explore NIL, circus, or both.
Broadening Opportunities Beyond Scholarships
00:00:18
Circuspreneur Podcast
This is for gymnast, acrobatic gymnast, acrobats out there, folk, stunt kids, circus stunt people, they're ah tumblers.
00:00:35
Circuspreneur Podcast
You're also too in this category now. And um this is something i've been I've been talking about for so long. um And then now with NIL, obviously, I, you know,
00:00:48
Circuspreneur Podcast
the conversation has expanded because it's not just about getting a college scholarship anymore as a gymnast or as even an acrobat now with the new miniature acro competitive programs starting within cheer programs at colleges, which I think is really interesting and just warms my heart and makes me
Recognition and Achievements in Acrobatic Gymnastics
00:01:07
Circuspreneur Podcast
so excited. If you haven't watched any of the acro competition,
00:01:12
Circuspreneur Podcast
ah for someone I think from like Morgan State and Oregon State University forgive me if I'm wrong but they've been on my radar because I know different coaches that are my dear friends that have sent some of their athletes to these programs or they've gotten into these programs after they've started at these colleges and they came from acro and it's a it's a it's a very it's very compulsory ah form of acro and so it wouldn't say that you can you know you can't You don't do routines and things in the same way or the same capacity or the same level. You have a few skills and it's a lot of it is kind of group acrobatics as well, which is interesting. So it's, it you know, it's a playoff of, it's a playoff of a few things that they've kind of put together, but a big shout out as the Morgan State, they just gave me a wonderful shout out for my acrobatic gymnastics career as the first black and the first American athlete.
00:02:02
Circuspreneur Podcast
world champion in the history of the sport. And um I love the shout outs during Black History Month. It's so special to get those now ah these past few years. It's not something that I ever got before in my career.
00:02:17
Circuspreneur Podcast
and um And so it's a wonderful you know way to celebrate our achievements in this sport and, you know, what we've done in gymnastics and what we've done in acrobatics. And it just really warms my heart to get all of these shout outs for the entire month of February and these beautiful posts discussing, you know, my career is also the first, you know, um,
00:02:39
Circuspreneur Podcast
acrobatic gymnast to be inducted into the USA Gymnastics Hall of Fame. I was the first honorary Olympian in acrobatic gymnastics history and goes on and go it goes on. and I don't need to you know continue to say all the things, but...
00:02:55
Circuspreneur Podcast
But I appreciate the community support and it's so wonderful to be celebrated during Black History Month along with the likes of, you know, Simone Biles and and friends ah from the gymnastics community.
00:03:10
Circuspreneur Podcast
that we all share so much connectivity and within gymnastics and with each other.
Post-Career Paths for Gymnasts
00:03:18
Circuspreneur Podcast
So these are special heightened times. So back to the original um idea behind this episode.
00:03:26
Circuspreneur Podcast
i am constantly speaking either in front of the camera or behind the scenes. I you know get invited to camps and to conferences and on podcasts to discuss the transition from a gymnastics career, a competitive gymnast career, and then transitioning into circus and not foregoing circus to simply or only go to college, which going to college and having a college degree is really magnificent and amazing.
00:03:56
Circuspreneur Podcast
However, I have found that there are, you know, there has been so few over these years that, you know, took the path into circus.
00:04:07
Circuspreneur Podcast
So, you know, there is a huge base from the gymnastics and the acrobatic gymnastics communities that go into circus. um But, you know, specifically as well with artistic gymnasts, I have seen that most will forego going into circus and, you know, just fight to get ah collegiate scholarship.
00:04:24
Circuspreneur Podcast
And if they don't get it, they just don't even use their gymnastics at all. And they might've been really, really, really good. And I've always thought that was an absolute shame.
00:04:35
Circuspreneur Podcast
and you know, I've, I meet them so often and, you know, parents come to me or the gymnasts themselves, or I meet them now and their coaches, which is wonderful, but, um or they start a gym, you know, kind of like what most people typically do if they were in a gymnastics career, You either become a coach, you become a choreographer, or you become a gym owner. And, um you know, and then the the other side of that is you also go into circus or you're going to Cirque.
00:05:04
Circuspreneur Podcast
And you, you know, you use your skills that way so that you can continue to leverage them, which I think is so important with, you know, gymnasts that do so much work and tumblers and those in trampoline and double mini. I mean, there is an in rhythmic gymnastics, you know, there's a whole host of all of us that have these very complex heightened skills. And it's just always broken my heart to, you speak to the different gymnasts over the years, ever since I was really young. And, you know, the ones that I was meeting when I was younger that were older, that were like, I'm so glad that you went into circus because I didn't.
00:05:41
Circuspreneur Podcast
And it felt like my career just like suddenly just stopped from out of nowhere. And I had nowhere to go. i also want to put in the stunt stunt work in there as well, which everyone knows that I'm also a stunt performer. I've been a part of SAG for for for for for a long time.
00:05:57
Circuspreneur Podcast
And I love the stunt work that I do, but that is also another industry that so many of us gymnasts and acrobats go into to again, prolong the use of this amazing ability and
Monetizing Likeness Through NIL
00:06:10
Circuspreneur Podcast
skill. And there, to me, there's just so, such a pipeline now, you know, the pipeline is almost too good. And, you know, I discussed that a lot, but, you know, now with NIL, you know,
00:06:19
Circuspreneur Podcast
which is basically essentially gymnasts being able to, or athletes being able to use their likeness to get sponsorship deals and go to college. Before, wait when I was you know competing, it was also sad because so many of the gymnasts that I did Olympic tours with would have to do those Olympic tours for free.
00:06:37
Circuspreneur Podcast
Can you believe that? like Those Olympic tours were worth millions of dollars for them, but they had to do it for free. or else they would not be able to take a four-year college scholarship and compete in gymnastics, which is, again, another you know prolonging of your career is when you get that collegiate scholarship, you get to continue to compete. And I'm not saying that is not ah a great way to go. It's amazing. And even now, it's like it's the way it should be, because even when I was younger, because I'm still really young,
00:07:05
Circuspreneur Podcast
I knew that that was wrong. And it was, you know seeing even the gymnasts I had to forego going on the tour because they had to go and get started and they couldn't even stay, um you know, for the entire tour. They couldn't, you know, participate in certain things fully because, because of that. And it just always felt like, wow, you could have been like set up for the rest of your life. You went to the Olympics, you did very well at the Olympics. You're a name.
00:07:30
Circuspreneur Podcast
yeah However, like, like are going have to forgo all of that for a scholarship. And then you, you know, will get a degree that again, for many folks found a degree, found a passion, you know, so many folks go into, you know, kinesiology and,
00:07:49
Circuspreneur Podcast
physical therapy and all those things. I love it. However, again, i only say this because of the reflections I've gotten so many times of like, well, I had to find something else that I could use with my knowledge and with all of this skill and everything that was directed at a typical college degree, because that's where i was going and that was where my opportunity was.
00:08:10
Circuspreneur Podcast
But what I love to just continue my ah gymnastics beyond that and not necessarily, you know, gotten a degree in this particular thing. i hear that a lot. And, you know, for those that are like, yes, you know, of course, I and I and I'm a proponent of going to
Advocacy for Circus Arts and Education Balance
00:08:25
Circuspreneur Podcast
college.
00:08:25
Circuspreneur Podcast
Believe me, you know, and, you know, I i discussed this a lot about, me know, my parents, their whole wish and dream was that I was going to go to Stanford. And that was a very real reality for me growing up. And then again, because there was no acrobatic gymnastics opportunity there.
00:08:42
Circuspreneur Podcast
or at any college at that time, because the new smaller programs have just sprung up very, very recently. They're very, very new. um Shout out to the one that you know, went to ah the White House, they got a White House tour, which was so cool to see the HBCU, Acro and Tumbling ah program get a tour of the White House, which is so, so, so amazing. They were there in March and then we were there with the Circus Arts Guild of America for our huge, big and strategic meeting. I say huge, big because anything that takes that long to get people to say yes to on behalf of Circus Arts is a big, huge deal.
00:09:16
Circuspreneur Podcast
I'm never going to not say that because I was in many, many rooms and having many, many conversations to have that strategic meeting in support of the circus arts ah in conversation, discussion with the Department of Labor, just for those that are not aware of the work that we do and that I have done for this on behalf of the circus arts industry um as an advocate, and as an acrobat, as a circus performer, and as a former survivor of Fusei Gymnastics.
Exploring Diverse Opportunities for Young Athletes
00:09:42
Circuspreneur Podcast
so you know at this point in time, the conversations continue to grow because now parents see, okay, first it was like, okay, they're dangling the carrot just for just for gymnastics and just for the scholarship. Now it's like they're dangling you know twice twice the carrot, and probably even more than twice because now it's about, well, it could be NIL. What about if Nike wants to take you on? What about, it you know, what about all the sponsorship deals on Instagram?
00:10:06
Circuspreneur Podcast
What about all the, you know, the leotard deals? What about, you know, yeah all of them, you know, Lululemon or, you know, Fabletics. I mean, there is, I mean, you see Olivia Dunn, And you see, you know, how prolific you can be now with, um you know, having your gymnastics career and being able to take all of the deals that weren't um acceptable, which I feel like there needs to be some kind of like restitution for all of the gymnasts that, you know,
00:10:38
Circuspreneur Podcast
had to couldn't get all those scholarship deals that would, that couldn't get all of the and the sponsorship deals that would have. And, um you know, that that that that would have been able to make, again, that money that creates generational wealth, right? Because that's creating general wealth generational wealth for someone that maybe doesn't come from money or doesn't come from money like that. And I'm telling you, um you know, the the amount of money that, you know, is probably lost. I'm sure it's like, you know,
00:11:07
Circuspreneur Podcast
who knows, but like, you know, upwards of, um you know, a billion or something like that. If you think about all these collective years of all of these gymnasts or all these athletes that were, you know, of course getting their degrees and getting, you know, certain things like that. And then maybe being able to harness some things after college, which I've rarely seen that, to be honest.
00:11:25
Circuspreneur Podcast
And um i think that again, speaks to how the environment is just set up and, you know, gatekeeping and just what you are allowed and not allowed to do. And again, maybe even what folks just haven't even pursued as much. But, um you know, I can't speak on everyone because I know that there's always exceptions to the rules, but I try to give like the most, um I would say, generalized representation back of what I see and what I've heard and what I know.
00:11:49
Circuspreneur Podcast
um from these environments. So, you know, again, what I hear now, and what I am here to say when I speak to gymnastics parents and, um you know, they're on the fence, they're like, okay, you know, we don't know if like a college scholarship is in her future, what do we do? And I'm like, well, that's where I come in Because for me, it's like, can she go and get her college scholarship, do gymnastics,
00:12:12
Circuspreneur Podcast
and do circus. I'm like, yes, she can do circus at the same time. ah She can compete as a collegiate gymnast. She can learn a circus skill in the midst of that. She can start doing shows or she can hone that circus skill.
00:12:25
Circuspreneur Podcast
And, um you know, she can start going to circus school as a little gymnast prior to the collegiate level. And then if that doesn't work out, um but she still wants to go to college, then she can go to college virtually. She can go to college in person during the day.
00:12:41
Circuspreneur Podcast
in some cases, and then she can go and do her circus or Cirque show at night. And, you know, i get this asked too, can they do it after? I said, why not? Why not after, you know, you do NIL, you do your collegiate gymnastics career,
00:12:56
Circuspreneur Podcast
And then you go and pursue a circus arts career after that. I mean, why not? You have your degree, um you know, so you don't have to worry about that. And you've gotten a lot of visibility and you've been able to stay in the shape and hone a completely new craft, support it in like an environment that's essentially you know, ah you know, crafted for high performance, i you know, athletics and art forms.
00:13:20
Circuspreneur Podcast
And what what what could be what could be worse, you know, what could be worse than being able to do that? Because there's not a certain time period that you're only able to access access this. And I've, you know, discussed this as well. If you see that your child is maybe not going to go as far in gymnastics, If you don't want to pursue elite, if you don't want to pursue, um you know, having them compete too much on a certain level, which is excruciatingly challenging and difficult.
00:13:47
Circuspreneur Podcast
And this is not talking about the fact that you're not doing holistic coaching, because even with holistic coaching, this is a very difficult, difficult sport. Gymnastics, acrobatics, trampoline, tumbling, and you know, double minute rhythmic gymnastics.
00:14:02
Circuspreneur Podcast
It doesn't matter. with, you know, holistic, conscious coaching, which there should always be. And you can create champions by doing that because I was created as a champion by folks that were like that.
00:14:14
Circuspreneur Podcast
um They were, they were so lovely, most of them to me. And I got to see a lot of other, ah you know, representations of what it's not, what's what it's like to not have conscious people coaching you and to have your best time.
00:14:29
Circuspreneur Podcast
your best interest and who really take care of your heart, your mind, and your soul, because that's essentially what you're doing when you're a coach. However, it doesn't take away from the fact that it's just hard um and that it will bring so many different challenges. So, you know, I discussed this you know, with parents, um you know, in terms of, you know, start thinking about that now. Don't get so wrapped up in one thing, in one goal, um because ah obviously, too, that'll lead you to exploit your child. That'll lead people to exploit your child um because you feel like there's just this one way of being able to do things. And I don't feel like you can have these conversations now without having a very expansive conversation about your different options and choices. There's too much social circus.
00:15:09
Circuspreneur Podcast
There's too many circus programs. I mean, there's a circus program literally in every single gymnastics gym. And if you see that your child is taking more to that, then, you know, maybe you stopped them
Transitioning Competitive Sports Skills to Circus
00:15:19
Circuspreneur Podcast
competing in gymnastics earlier. I think that having a very healthy, robust, competitive gymnastics career is is really valuable, actually.
00:15:28
Circuspreneur Podcast
um For those that just like want to start their kids only in circus and keep them in circus, I have seen the difference and I have seen folks do really, really well when they come out of the competitive space to a certain extent.
00:15:40
Circuspreneur Podcast
um And then go into um and go into the the circus realm and the artistic realm because they have, you know, this kind of like reservoir of experiences um that is super heightened and um on a complex level of some ways that maybe you won't get if you're only just doing circus, because it's not like you have to get competition is a bit different. You know, it's like even when you're competing in circus, right, it's very different feeling than when you're just doing a show and it's your job. So there's of an edge to competing, which, again, it doesn't mean that you can't have that incredible edge as just a circus performer.
00:16:13
Circuspreneur Podcast
But I think it depends on your background. it depends on your circus school, depends on your circus upbringing. it depends on the circus structure and the circus environments that you're going into. Right. um For some folks, I and again, I always I always discuss things. It's not just me saying this. It's because of the opinions and, you know, the experiences that folks share with me that have been on these journeys. You know, I've met people.
00:16:37
Circuspreneur Podcast
many people that are like, oh, you know, I wish that, you know, I loved my circus experience just starting out, but um I didn't feel like people were pushing me hard to to get somewhere else. You know, they wanted me to enjoy myself. wanted me have fun.
00:16:51
Circuspreneur Podcast
And I think that's interesting when you hear that, when people are like, I would have rather have had people push me in a conscious and healthy way, but to go further and to do more and to, you know, to, to, to get more skills and to, to have that edge that you see many times in the, in the, in the competitors like myself, where people are like, you know, there's that level of discipline that maybe some circus spaces don't,
00:17:14
Circuspreneur Podcast
don't offer in the same capacity. I ah i also understand that so that's sometimes because of the environment of the children and the community that they have around them, where you just might not have a lot of parents that want that. And you have to, you know, many times people are running businesses, you know, and even if you're doing kind of like a social circus and effort and stuff, you know, it can be challenging if you want to do a high level program and you see that the that the desire for that is not exclusively also too within the parents because the parents have to be willing to go on that journey with you as
Impact of Coaching Styles on Athletes
00:17:46
Circuspreneur Podcast
well. And so I know that there's so many different dynamics. I've been in gyms and circus studios like my entire life.
00:17:51
Circuspreneur Podcast
And so I know that there's so many different dynamics that affect an environment like that. And sometimes you're just a really fun, loving coach. I remember my acrobatic gymnastics coach, Yuri, He's Russian and, you know, he's created so many world champions for years and years and years. And I was one of them.
00:18:07
Circuspreneur Podcast
I was so fortunate. And he discussed why he wanted to create world champions. And he said, well, my acrobatics coach, when I was growing up, like was so lovely, but he just loved to like have potlucks with us and like play the guitar.
00:18:21
Circuspreneur Podcast
Yeah. and He would like have us train a little bit and then he would have us like go and like do stuff like in the forest and like just have fun. he just wanted us to have fun with competing. He's like, and I just, I just always felt like I could have been better.
00:18:37
Circuspreneur Podcast
um i wish I had a, you know, a more disciplined coach with structure and all these things. He's like, but he was like the most beautiful person. And the funny thing is, is that I always felt like my coach Yuri was the exact same way. He's like that kind of person where he's like playing the guitar, you know, and doing all the fun things at the beach, but then had like the hardcore discipline and the vision to make you a champion at the same time. And that, I mean, to have that kind of compassionate experience.
00:19:01
Circuspreneur Podcast
you know, ideology and being able to execute that with his level of mastery is to me, ah you know, it's, it's really remarkable. Um, when you see, ah you know, when you're on the inside of that and you know how much attention and effort and focus it takes to not only be that, but to have that, you know, that, that intense level of, um, of focused psychology, especially when it comes to,
00:19:26
Circuspreneur Podcast
um honoring children in their development and what went into that for him and how many different roads. So again, NIL, circus, or both. I could talk about this all day. I'm not going to. This is my short mini series of this. And, you know, maybe I'll be coming to a gym or a conference near you where I discuss this because this has been my favorite topic for years and years and years.
00:19:49
Circuspreneur Podcast
And I, you know, have always continued to encourage folks and especially nowadays, because it's so much easier to go from the gymnastics realm into the circus environment. I mean, it is literally just laid out for folks in a way that it never was. I'm not saying that it is, you know, but you have Cirque just at every single competition now scouting.
00:20:09
Circuspreneur Podcast
um I do talk about this as well, which I won't talk about that in this episode, about all the things that parents should also have the information about when they're being scouted and when they're in these circus spaces and how much they need to educate themselves.
Preparing for a Career in Circus Arts
00:20:23
Circuspreneur Podcast
about the circus arts prior to having their children accept these contracts and go into these shows um and start off working as a minor in circus. And you know the things that they should know and um that they should be aware of going into these spaces, that you should not go into these spaces green, that you should go into these spaces very much aware of the fact that it's an industry And at any point that your child is participating in it as a youth or as an adult, it is an industry.
00:20:54
Circuspreneur Podcast
And that is very important because it is a business. um It is not just, you know, this kind of overall communal space, which it can be. And it's essentially you can create your own sense of community um in this industry um because it's a very forgiving and very communal and very interdependent industry. um That's what makes it so beautiful. But you definitely need to know what you're getting yourself into and then how you can prepare your child, especially if you see them on a unique journey.
00:21:23
Circuspreneur Podcast
where you're trying to see where they fit in appropriately, what is going to harness their capabilities and their, their talents on whatever level they are, because there's varying in different degrees.
00:21:34
Circuspreneur Podcast
You don't have to be the best, you know, to be able to go into a circus or a circus show. And that's a really big miscon misconception, misconception and myth around going and seeking these opportunities, you know? um So, you know, just knowing that, this journey can start with your child now and that there are many different degrees, there's many different specialties, there are many different roles that your child can play in the performing arts and the circus arts.
00:21:58
Circuspreneur Podcast
that can support them um on their journey, you know, through the rest of their life and in in in in the capacity of the type of career that they'd like to have.
Conclusion and Listener Encouragement
00:22:06
Circuspreneur Podcast
So that is all for today. Thank you so much, everyone, for joining. I'm your host, Shanae Stiletto. This is the Circuspreneur Podcast. We are sponsored by Stagelink.com. Thank you to Stagelink.
00:22:16
Circuspreneur Podcast
And this is a special episode. a mini solo episode. And um yeah, thank you for tuning in. And please like and subscribe and comment and share the podcast. It helps us to continue to bring you high level content.
00:22:31
Circuspreneur Podcast
And we love to do that. So thank you for supporting the podcast. We're here to support you. And I just really appreciate everybody tuning in and for spreading the word about you know, the information and the education and the professionalism that we try to bring ah to the podcast, um you know, with every single episode. And it's very near and dear to me.
00:22:53
Circuspreneur Podcast
And it means so much to me. So thank you again. Until next time.