My Son Cedric Featured in Challenger Films, The Winning Edge

Airing on Fox and other media outlets in cities across the US, is a feature film on my second eldest son (it aired in Seattle area at 8:30 Saturday morning). Cedric is an athlete, training for the Olympics. He is a flat-water sprint kayak racer who has been a multiple National Champion, has been on 3 US Junior Worlds teams (racing in Russia twice, Czech Republic, and training in Slovakia and Italy), and the US Senior team, racing in Hungary, August of 2011.

He was chosen for this feature because of overcoming challenges in his life as an athlete and student. The producers of the film are more concerned with helping young adults make right choices and with the practical implications of right living and sports than with any overt message of the gospel of grace, the forgiveness of sins in Christ (though Challenger Films, as I understand it, is a Christian film maker). I say this, because I was waiting to hear the source and enabling to overcome temptations and challenges. It never came. Cedric would have a great deal more to say about overcoming sin in his life that what is here. Nevertheless, here it is, and it does underscore the grace of God, that no one is exempt from sin, and that there is a way out. But if falls short of giving us the way out--Jesus, the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

Then there's the fact that the content of this film, and what Cedric candidly talks about, is sort of personal, which makes me wonder why I am writing a blog post on it and embedding the film. Watch and see. If you have fallen into the enslaving trap of measuring your spiritual health, your skill and worth as a parent, your faithfulness as a Christian, by your kids' successes, and then the realities of being a sinful parent, raising sinful kids in a sinful world have kicked in (and I do mean 'kicked' here), then give this a watch. It reinforces the axiom that God makes us parents to keep us humble. Still more, if you have turned from grace and think that God owes you blessings because of your faithfulness in raising your kids, get ready for a shocker. And then turn and cling to Jesus and his grace; he alone is the Author and Perfecter of faith--in us and in our kids. Praise be to God!

TRWE ’11 -’12 Broadcast Station List
Fox stations:
New York - WNYW/WWOR (Fox O&O)
Los Angeles - KTTV/KCOP (Fox O&O)
Chicago - WFLD/WPWR (Fox O&O)
Philadelphia - WTXF (Fox O&O)
San Francisco - KTVU/KICU (FOX/Independent)
Dallas - KDFW/KDFI (Fox O&O)
Washington, DC - WTTG/WDCA (Fox O&O)
Houston - KRIV/KTXH (Fox O&O)
Phoenix - KSAZ/KUTP (Fox O&O)
Minneapolis - KMSP/WFTC (Fox O&O)
Orlando - WOFL/WRBW (Fox O&O)
Tucson - KMSB (FOX)
Portland, ME - WPFO (FOX)
Gainesville - WOGX (Fox O&O)

To see Cedric on other media outlets and cities, click here: http://realwinningedge.com/images/pdfs/trwe_airings.pdf

Cedric featured on OKC Television

Cedric was featured on an Oklahoma City television spot about paddling and rowing sports being centered in OKC. Check out the article here:

http://www.kfor.com/community/greatstate/kfor-northwest-paddler1-20111003,0,6758407.story

There's a video but not behaving right now so maybe I can get it up later.

Cedric at the Children's Center, working with special-needs kids

I just watched this youtube clip of Cedric working with special-needs kids in Oklahoma City. I miss him so much and wish he were here, but God is using him there. So I should stop feeling that way, right? Right.

With Cedric at Lake Placid OTC and International Canoe/Kayak Regatta

Lake Placid, New York is a beautiful place! Though a bit unseasonably chilly (38 degrees one morning) and rainy (like Western Washington), but not any more. This morning, the opening day of the Lake Placid International Flatwater Canoe and Kayak Regatta, is gorgeous. This is a critical race for my son Cedric because he and his K-2 partner Ryan Stock have an opportunity to bump up to the full USA Senior Team and World Cup racing in Poland, not an easy thing for two guys who are only months into being senior division athletes (18 and above).

It's been an interesting morning meeting all Cedric's kayak friends from around the country--and the world, and talking with his new senior coach, Sean Caven, as well as various parents and supporters. There's virtually no wind, water is flat and calm, wispy clouds linger in the hills (they call them mountains) surrounding Mirror Lake where the regatta is underway.  See pictures below of Cedric, Lake Placid and countryside, warming up, adjusting a borrowed boat (XXL--too big), warming up and off to the start, midway in the 1000m heat, and the 3rd place finish and an advance to finals. More later today!

Cedric Bond ESPN Featured athlete

My third child, Cedric Christian, graduates from Covenant High School this evening. By the merciful kindness of Christ, and the gifts of God's grace, he is a Washington Commended Scholar (52% of the CHS 2010 graduating class are academically in the top 10% of students in the state), and was the student body president. He was featured in a recent ESPN Rise article (at right) and featured in the USACK magazine.

A year ago he was featured in Sports Illustrated as the number one ranked junior sprint kayak racer in the USA. The above articles detail the challenges of transitioning from junior division to senior, where Olympic-bound competitors are usually well into their twenties. Cedric will compete in senior trials in June for a spot on the US senior national team to compete at World Cups in Poland, and World Championships in France. He has already qualified to compete in international regattas in Germany, Nova Scotia, and Lake Placid, NY.