Chris Wiehl

I never had the pleasure of working with my next guest, but we did cross paths at EXGO Reunion 3 in Cancun in 2010 (and we currently have 112 mutual friends!). His first season was in Club Med Eleuthera, Bahamas in the Summer of 1990 as a Mini Club G.O., with the amazing Denis Amsellem as CDV. From Fresno, California, please help me give a big MFS welcome to Chris Wiehl! Before Club Med, Chris was a walk-on shooting guard at UCLA Bruins men’s basketball team. Although the coach was Walt Hazzard at the time, Chris did get the opportunity to meet legendary UCLA coach John Wooden twice. He first heard about his future employer from a French girlfriend in high school who told him about Club Med (she later worked at CM St. Lucia in ’88). After he graduated from UCLA, Chris went to the family resort of Club Med Eleuthera, as a single guy (there is a story there). Before his week was over, he was approached by the late, great Mini Club G.O., Jim Henry, who asked him if he’d like to work there and then cleared it with Denis Amsellem. Chris worked at the resorts of Club Med Punta Cana, Sandpiper and Playa Blanca. He finally made the leap to Landsports at Playa Blanca the winter of 1991/1992, under Gregg Snyder, who was doing his first season as the resort manager. Chris is a heck of a raconteur and you will love his Eleuthera/Shell Hill/Ronnie’s Hideaway story with the Mini Club as well as his Richie Cannata (Billy Joel’s saxophonist) story. Chris talks fondly about the early G.O. reunions that the late and amazing John Shelly organized in San Francisco in the late 1990’s and how much he misses both John Shelley and Jim Henry. **My First Season podcast has always been free to listen to and is available on: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Samsung Podcasts, Podbean App, Spotify, Amazon Music/Audible, TuneIn + Alexa, iHeartRadio, PlayerFM, Pandora and Listen Notes. And if you like what you hear, please leave a review at Apple podcasts.

Please check out his Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/cswiehl/