As much as they cheered on each other, the Yukon's Canada Winter Games gymnasts provided the same encouragement to the Maritimers competing in their group.

'Nice height!' Aletta Leitch of the local Polarettes Gymnastics Club calls out as Alice Ma of Prince Edward Island completes her dismount from the uneven bars during the women's all-round competition Thursday.

Competing in the same group with gymnasts from P.E.I and Newfoundland-Labrador was nice because they are at the same level of development, Leitch explains in an interview afterwards.

'It was just a lot of fun.'

Leitch finished the all-round competition in 32nd position from a list of 36, while teammates Sierra Palamar finished 29th and Anna Rivard 30th.

'This is like the best meet I have had all year, definitely,' says Palamar.

Asked which of the four apparatus was her favourite yesterday, Palamar jokes it had to be the beam because it was the first time in her life she hasn't fallen off.

Not exactly, she admits, but 'the first time in a long time.'

Rivard too was pleased with her performance on the beam.

'I did stick my round off, and that was my goal,' says Rivard, who placed 20th on the vault apparatus. 'I think this was one of my best experiences in competition.'

Dominique Pegg of Sarnia, Ont., a member of the Canada's national junior team, won gold with a final score of 58.05, ahead of the 57.85 tallied by silver medalist Brittany Rogers of British Columbia.

Alycia Chan, also of Team B.C., won bronze with a final score of 57.7.

'I am pretty proud,' says 13-year-old Pegg after receiving her gold medal from Whitehorse Mayor Bev Buckway. 'I tried my best, and did it.'

She agrees that competing at her level demands dedication, and sacrifice.

'But it is worth it, because it is my dream and I love it,' says Pegg, who has her sights set on someday representing Canada at the World Championships and in the 2012 Olympics.

Pegg rose to the gold medal podium after finishing first on the beam, third on the floor, third on the bars and seventh in the vault.

For her coach, Dave Brubaker, the gold medal victory holds special significance, as it was a member of Sarnia's Bluewater Gymnastics Club who won gold in the 1991 Canada Winter Games.

And as far as he knows, there aren't too many clubs across the country which can boast two gold medalists at the Games, if any.

He's quick to point out, though, that Pegg had no idea about the possibility of giving the club the two-time champion status.

In the men's category, Canada's reigning junior champion, Jackson Payne of Edmonton's Capital City club, earned gold with a final score of 76.65 while Team Saskatchewan's Jayd Lukenchuk earned silver with a tally of 75.4.

John Hall of Calgary recorded a score of 74.25 for bronze. The Yukon did not have any male gymnasts competing.

Payne says he came into the all-round competition feeling confident and looking for a solid finish. Right off the bat, however, he had a fall in his floor routine, which he notes automatically cost him eight-tenths of a point.

'After some of the guys hit their floor routine, I didn't know about it,' says the 15-year-old Grade 9 student. 'But after my pommel horse routine, I was pretty sure I was up there in the running.'

Payne, like Pegg, has aspirations for the World Championships, as early as 2009, and eventually the Olympics, perhaps as early as 2008 in Beijing.

'Most likely 2012.'

At the end of this month, he'll be travelling to the Ukraine to compete in a senior international event.

Payne won gold after finishing first on the pommel horse, second on the high bar, third on the parallel bars, tied for fourth on both the rings and vault, and 10th on the floor.

For Yukon coach Kelly Mock, his team of five gymnasts showed composure and sportsmanship.

'They made a lot of new friends at these Games, and they were genuinely happy to see the other girls do well.'