With the winter Olympics concluded, athletes are heading home and we tend to forget about what goes on once they leave.

Olympic athletes are bound to their strict regimens, high intensity trainings, and long trips to and from competitions. They work hard to make their Olympic dreams a reality and don’t quit until they are achieved. But after the closing ceremonies we don’t hear much about these athletes. Many sports are more well known than others and many people know what goes on during their regular season. I am here to tell you what goes on for an athletes from uncommon sports after they compete in their Olympic games and continue on their road.

Montana may be small, but there were a few athletes hailing from this wonderful state that competed in these past winter Olympic games. Slopestyle skier Maggie Voisin of Whitefish, Darian Stevens of Missoula, and mogul skier Brad Wilson of Butte. They were not able to clinch any medals in this year's Olympics, but the competitions and events between now and the 2022 Beijing Olympics should keep them in shape.

Many athletes retire from their sport or continue progressing towards their next achievements, which more than likely include representing their country in the next Olympic games, whether they are a summer or winter Olympian. Athletes that are not done competing continue to train in their respective sports. They are often able to compete around the world with some of their competitors from the Olympics.

FIS Freestyle Ski World Championships - Men's and Women's Moguls
Stanko Gruden, Getty Images
loading...

Skiing in the Olympics is spread into three different categories, slopestyle, moguls, and downhill. Slopestyle athletes have lots of competitions in-between Olympic, like the Dew Tour, Red Bull events, and opens placed all around the world. For moguls and downhill athletes, there are mainly competitions placed around the world in well known areas of the world and also US and European opens that athletes strive to compete in.

If you remember the Jamaican bobsleigh team, then you probably know about the crazy sport of bobsleighing. Similar to skeleton where one person slides down an icy track head first, bobsleigh athletes are a part of a 4 man team, who also slide down that same icy track. The similarity between these two sports allows for competitions to take place in many of the same places. Most of theses athletes between Olympic competitions travel to Switzerland or Germany, where big competing and events like the Para Sports World Cup, Euro Championships, Junior championships, and sponsored competitions take place.

Curling - Winter Olympics Day 15
Richard Heathcote, Getty Images
loading...

Curling, the sport that continues to gain more and more traction each year definitely has things for those athletes to compete in during their regular seasons. With major and world competitions taking place in places like Las Vegas, Euro tours, and many more, there is always something for them compete in. If you are one of those new-found lovers of the sport, then curling nights on NBC may be something you want to check out!

These completions allow for athletes to test their skills against others in their field and allow them to gain recognition, improve their skills, and promote the sport in which they all love to compete and succeed in.

More From 96.9 Zoo FM