Tweet Ryan McCarthy accomplished a lot in his gymnastics career. Coached by Gene Watson at Indy School of Gymnastics in Indianapolis, Ind., he qualified to the 2003 U.S. National Championships in Milwaukee, Wis., where he placed 13th in the all-around. Then, he joined the University of Michigan men’s gymnastics team in Ann Arbor, Mich. As a Wolverine, McCarthy helped his team win the 2009 Big Ten team title and the 2010 NCAA championship. In final routine of his competitive career, McCarthy grabbed the horizontal bar NCAA title.

After graduating from Michigan with a bachelor’s in biomedical engineering and a master’s degree in kinesiology, McCarthy moved to Montreal, Canada, where Cirque du Soleil has its headquarters. Performing in Cirque has provided McCarthy and many other gymnasts a professional outlet through which to channel their passion for gymnastics after their competitive career has ended.

A little more than a year after joining Cirque, McCarthy began touring North America as part of the “Michael Jackson: Immortal World Tour.” After the tour in North America ends, McCarthy will travel Europe and Asia for a year each as the show’s tour continues.

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