Re: [XJ1] Shane McConkey
XJ1 wrote:
Happy Birthday. Thanks for the sick times. Baddest Mofo Ever!
And the most professional sponsored extreme athlete with whom I ever had the pleasure of working.
Shane understood that sponsors don't pay you to have fun; they pay you to make them look good -- and he took that more seriously than anyone I know.
Everyone who is sponsored can learn a lot -- a LOT -- from the way Shane always put his sponsors front and center before, during and especially after his adventures, when he would not only be available for interviews, but put together "after-adventure" reports that had almost every detail reporters needed to make a complete story.
Then he would also hook me up with photographers, and otherwise help coordinate the data collection to make it easier for me (and the other reporters on his list) to meet deadlines with the best and most comprehensive story possible. When I wrote for Magazine, it got to the point where we'd laugh about it turning into "Skyshaning" Magazine because, no matter what the event or adventure was, he'd end up getting quoted because he was always the one who got back to me fastest, knew the most -- and had pix ready to go.
Anyone who knew Shane or knows his legacy knows he was one of the greatest skiers ever and a gifted base jumper too and I just wanted to pass on that he was literally as good at the business part of being a sponsored athlete as he was at skiing and base jumping... and that those who follow in his footsteps would do well to emulate that part too.
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