Times of Crisis

Chris has celebrated victories with organizations, athletes, and their families. Victory-management, however, is easy compared to leading athletes and organizations through their most challenging times. Few can forget a tearful Mellisa Hollingsworth facing media in the mix zone at the 2010 Olympic Games where she arrived as the top-ranked female skeleton racer, and left Whistler posting a crushing fifth-place finish after laying it all on the line to go for gold. Canada’s top Paralympic cross-country ski racer, Brian McKeever, earned his start at the Olympic Winter Games, but a coaches’ decision to start one of his able-bodied teammates dashed Brian’s Olympic dreams. She seemingly came out of nowhere to take the triathlon world by storm – a 21-year-old redhead from Edmonton, Paula Findlay appeared unstoppable as she marked win after win in her first five starts competing at elite-level triathlons around the world. A nagging injury and coaching changes plagued Paula as she headed to her first Olympic Games, where she finished dead last, crying on the shoulder of her media attaché and a coach. The common thread in these and many other stories – all of these athletes faced the media, gave Canadians a glimpse into the real struggles of competing at the highest level, and they remained real throughout the process. All of them had Chris at their side – a trusted and sympathetic partner to guide their path as they managed themselves and their public brand and reputation through some of the most challenging events of their lives.