Friday, December 11, 2009

My much anticipated story on KCRA!


What an unbelievable night!
Brian Hickey from KCRA contacted me a few days ago to let me know that the interview we did at Mikuni Elk Grove would air Wednesday night on the 6pm news. With alot of anticipation and a much needed boost after the bad news about France, the story aired as scheduled just before 630pm. With a little adjustment to the TV's at work, we all watched live as the story aired.
Brian and I talked a bit about exactly what it takes at this stage for a Snowboard Cross racer to make it into the Olympic Games. I clarified that the sport was relatively new, making its debut at the last Winter Games in Torino, Italy in 2006, and that there were a few things that need to happen in order for a rider to be "qualified".
The clip came out wonderfully, and I couldn't have asked for a better outcome. I came home to a flood of messages from friends and family that had a chance to see the story. In addition, two Fil-Am organizations contacted me about possible fundraisers and / or sponsorships. For that I'm extremely grateful, this is exactly the publicity I was lacking up to this point.

Regarding the story, there were just a couple things that I wanted to clarify regarding why I chose to take this "untraditional" route towards a possible Olympic career...
Some have asked why I chose to represent The Philippines since it was so complicated compared to competing as a U.S team member. For me, the choice wasn't complicated at all. My Grandmother has been the foundation of the Filipino culture in my family. In the same way that proffessional Basketball and Baseball players represent their "home countries" during Olympic time, I chose to do something similar. This is my way of having not only pride in the culture that has contributed so much to my upbringing, but also as a means of saying Thank You to my Grandmother, and the opportunities she provided for our family so many decades ago as they moved to the US. I took some time to go into detail about this during my KCRA interview, but understandably it was cut out to keep within the time restrictions.

Once again, I have to thank you all for your support and energy. I will attach a link to the clip (HERE)

Also a big thanks to the incoming support from:
www.IAmFILAM.com
FiliIslander Clothing

Stay tuned!

3 comments:

  1. I don't see your name in the start list, what happened?

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  2. Im not yet qualified for the World Cup, I assume you were referring to Telluride? My plan was to be at an event in Europe this SAME WEEK, but it was cancelled due to "poor snow conditions." By the time the news segment had aired, I had already changed plans. My plans right now are:
    Puy St. Vincent, France January 8th-9th
    Copper Mt. Colorado January 18th-19th

    Depending on my results, I may be packing my bags for the next World Cup stops (Switz and Canada).

    Kenneth

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  3. Hey Ken - Congrats on all your success so far. I know you getting ready to leave and qualify soon. I understand time is getting tight. Give me a ring.

    Art Kwan

    ReplyDelete