Fund-raiser for local athlete
By Jennifer Goodhand

It was a lovely party.

Delectable food, fine wine, merry chatter, and an auction tempting guests to dig deep into their pockets.

Held at the Belfountain Inn Nov. 7, the Playground to Podium fund-raiser was a refined and jolly event aiming to raise money for Jake Holden's Olympic efforts. And it did. But Olympic dreams come at a high price.

Holden, local snowboarding phenom, has been headed towards the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games for years. Unfortunately, the government can only afford to sponsor a few hopefuls and Jake, who came 25th in his latest World Cup race, just missed the cut. Consequently, his goal of reaching the Games is now all on his shoulders.

And he has been busy. Between 2006 and 2007, Jake came out of the competitive season with much positive progression. He had 14 top-16 results; 8 top 8 results; came 7th at the World Juniors in Austria and 2nd at the South America Cup in Chile. And don't forget, he is still a regular guy, working as a stone mason with Stony Links and Denson over the summer.

This winter Jake must move to Canmore, Alberta where he will train for the new season. His goals? To continue to qualify for all World Cup races; to finish in the top 16 in all competitions, and to be named an official member of the national team before the end of 2008.

Canada would be lucky to have him.