Jake Holden’s come home from Sochi Olympics

February 28, 2014 · 0 Comments

By Bill Rea
His performance in the Games was not what he was hoping for, but Belfountain’s Jake Holden is still basking in his olympic glory.
Holden and a host of his fellow Olympians arrived back on Canadian soil Monday evening at Pearson International Airport, and there were a number of people on hand to greet him, including his parents Renee and Waldo.
“It was an amazing experience for sure,” he commented after the greetings. “It’s nice to be home.”
A member of the men’s snowboard cross team, Holden said his event was delayed a day. In his heat, he said he got caught in traffic while trying to pass, and fell, ending his competition.
Despite that, he was impressed with the whole Olympic experience.
“Everything was really well-organized,” he said. “The overall organization of everything was really quite impressive.”
He was also able to take in some of the other events, especially those taking place near the slopes where he competed.
“We tried to watch as much as we could,” he said.
He also said the accommodations were good, complete with an athletes’ lounge and food counter. “It was really good,” he said.
There had been concerns before the Games about security and possible terrorist attacks. From Holden’s perspective, the authorities in Sochi were ready.
“There was no question there was a ton of security everywhere you looked,” he commented, adding he had to pass through two or three check points just to get to the competition.
Holden said he plans to spend about 10 days at home, before heading back to Europe for the last two World Cup events of the season (one in Switzerland and the other in Spain. Then he’ll be back in Canada for the Nationals in Kelowna, B.C. the first week of April.
And he said he’s not done with the Olympics, as he’s hoping to compete in the 2018 Games, to be held in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

Belfountain snowboarder Jake Holden arrived Monday night at Pearson International Airport, home from the Winter Olympics in Sochi. He was greeted by his mother Renee and father Waldo.
Photo by Bill Rea

Belfountain snowboarder Jake Holden (right) is seen here with teammates Chris Robanske, Robert Fagan and Kevin Hill on their arrival at Pearson International Airport Monday night.
Photo by Bill Rea