Role Model Spotlight: Chandra Crawford

Chandra Crawford is a role model to thousands of girls. She’s a gold medalist in cross-country skiing, Fast and Female founder, recent business school grad, and even more recently a new mom. Chandra embodies everything that Active for Life stands for and we’re thrilled to have her in our #AfLFamily. Get to know Chandra and say hello in the comments below.

Q&A with Chandra Crawford

AfL: What is your proudest moment?

Chandra Crawford: My proudest moment was coming 44 in the Sochi 2014 Olympics. To make it to my third games, I worked very hard on my personal development in life and sport to be whole and healthy. My goal of racing in Sochi was an excellent motivator to work everyday to be a better version of myself and I used sport as a vehicle for some much-needed transformation. Crossing the finishing line and reflecting on everything I went through to get to that moment made it as satisfying as 100 gold medals.

AfL: What is your favourite way to spend time with family?

Chandra Crawford: Skiing in the mountains! My mom, dad, brother, sister, and our three dogs all love being outside in the beautiful mountains around our hometown of Canmore and I was so lucky my parents gave me an incredibly adventurous upbringing.

AfL: What is your favourite season and why?

Chandra Crawford: I love fall. Crisp air, beautiful colours, and the anticipation of snow. Love it.

AfL: What is your favourite physical activity?

Chandra Crawford: My fave activity is running. I just lace up and can go explore, it’s so portable, can be social, I get to run with my dog twice a day and I just love the movement of that beautiful activity. A treat in the summer is to go to the nearby track before school and try and get some negative splits on 800s. Another great treat is getting out for a long mountain run around 20kms and moving through the landscape of forests and streams is the best. I just love to run.

AfL: Some other little-known fact about you that you’d like to share?

Chandra Crawford: I’m transitioning out of sport by going full blast with MBA school on the weekends and a full-time job working in finance for National Bank. Athletes often say that nothing matches the high of competing in peak shape on the world stage. That’s probably true, but it’s easy to find insane levels of challenge that require the same — and I say this fondly — “delusional optimism” required to pursue Olympic sport. Not only that, sport taught me that it’s all about the journey, and in life, there are endless opportunities to pursue challenges and journeys; I’m enjoying doing something completely different these days.

AfL: Please tell us in a few words why you’re excited to be an AfL Role Model?

Chandra Crawford: I’m incredibly passionate about being active for life! My parents have zero interest in competitive sport, and raised me with a true love of movement and, of course, skiing. They gave me a foundation of multiple sports and activities that we enjoyed as a family, with no competitive pressure whatsoever. Seriously, if I had a bad race and was having a meltdown, my mom would say to me, “Well, sweetie, you don’t have to do this.” And she was right. I don’t have to. I do it because I love it. That freedom has kept me in touch with my intrinsic motivation. Today I’m retired from sport and love to be active. No question that the work AfL is doing in our society is absolutely critical so we can shift the focus away from early specialization and obsession with excellence (especially in kids) and get the priorities straight: being healthy, happy, and active for life as a family is the most important thing when it comes to sports.