Jake Holden is impressed with support from his town

Belfountain area Olympian Jake Holden stood down from Friday's opening ceremonies of the Sochi Games, but he plans to be there when it counts.

Just hours before he left for Sochi, Holden took some time to catch up with local Olympic coach Barrie Shepley, who he's known for more than a decade.

Shepley reported that Holden watched the opening ceremonies from his training base in Whistler, B.C.

“Jake and his snowboard cross teammates wisely decided to stay in Canada as long as possible to keep their preparations going without any distractions,” Shepley said.

He added when he spoke to Holden, he had just received his Kinetico - C3 and Town of Caledon “Good Luck” banners. They contained more than 4,000 signatures and expressions of best wishes.

Holden said he was “pretty emotional” realizing that his old grade school, high school, ski club friends and sponsors from Caledon had taken the time to get out and leave the messages. He added he will proudly carry the banner and flag to Sochi and bring a part of the town with him for good luck.

“I could not have gotten here without the amazing support of so many people, starting with my parents, coaches and sponsors,” he observed.

Holden's races are scheduled for Feb 17.

“It's pretty cool to realize that I will be on the same Canadian Team as hockey player Sydney Crosby, cross country skier Alex Harvey and our flag bearer Hayley Wickenheiser,” he said.

Holden is also pumped up to watch the results fellow Caledon Olympian Brittany Webster, who is expected to race three times over the two weeks.

See if you can see your autograph on Jake Holden's banner!