The success of Yukon athletes in the past year is really unprecedented, from national and international gold medals in cross-country skiing, cycling and weightlifting, to history-making performances in both soccer and hockey.

Yukon volunteers were also hard at work, with huge events like the Canadian mixed curling championship and the Western Canadian Juvenile Alpine Ski Championships hosted in Whitehorse.

And annual events such as the Yukon Quest, Yukon River Quest and Kluane Chilkat International Bike Relay rounded out in style an already packed year. For the first time, there were two winners in the River Quest, as Yukoners Stephen Mooney and Greg McHale joined paddles with Americans Chris Swan and Sean Brennan, crossing the finish line in Dawson City together in their tandem kayaks.

Once unknown and underestimated, Yukoners have let it be known that they will no longer be happy with the relegation round they're aiming straight for the top. Increased training, amazing dedication and excellent coaching staff have all made a difference, and made sure that 2005 will be a hard year to top on the local sports scene.

But with the 2007 Canada Winter Games on the horizon, as well as test events such as the 2006 Freestyle Skiing Canadian Junior Championships and the 2006 midget AA B.C. provincial hockey championships, this could just be the beginning.

Here are a look at the stories in local sports this year, for each month of the year. And believe me, it was anything but easy to chose just a few.

January

Downing dominates Canada West

The first month of 2005 featured some impressive performances in the pool by several Yukon athletes, but it was MacKenzie Downing, the former Whitehorse Glacier Bear who is now training at the University of Victoria, who took the cake.

Downing grabbed five medals in total at the Canada West swimming championships in Lethbridge, Alta. four of them gold. She also helped the UVic relay team pick up a bronze medal in the 4x200-m free relay.

And after claiming gold in the 100-m fly, 200-m fly, 200-m free and 400-m free, no one was too surprised when she was also named Canada West Rookie of the Year. And she added Canada West All Star awards to her impressive haul, as she was named an All Star in the sprint freestyle, distance freestyle and butterfly categories.

It was just the beginning of what was a very successful year for Downing, as you'll read more about in February's and May's reviews.

Also in the pool last January, Glacier Bears Alexandra Gabor and Bronwyn Pasloski brought back seven medals between them from the B.C. AAA championships two golds for Pasloski, and two silvers and three bronze for Gabor.

February

Mackey wins Yukon Quest in

first attempt

The Yukon Quest Sled Dog Race is one of the most popular events in the territory, as mushers gear up to hit the trail every February. In 2005, Alaska musher Lance Mackey made history by winning the Quest in his rookie year, in 11 days.

It was a sprint to the finish, as Mackey arrived at the finish line just eight minutes ahead of second-place finisher William Kleedehn, from Carcross.

'I started crying over the last 15 miles,' said Mackey in an interview following his big win. 'It's very emotional. It's probably going to be the highlight of my mushing career.'

Also in February, Downing would compete at the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) championships in Edmonton, where she swam to four silver medals in the 100- and 200-metre fly, and the 400- and 800-metre freestyle distances. She was also honoured as a CIS Second Team All Canadian and was selected to the Canadian team for the World University Games.

March

Chaplin golden at World Games

March is usually one of the busiest months of the year and 2005 was no exception. While there were several key moments in local sports last March, Special Olympian Garry Chaplin became a hero for many local youth when he picked up three medals at the World Games in Nagano, Japan. Chaplin won a gold medal in the three-kilometre freestyle, a silver in the 4x1-km relay and a bronze in the one-km freestyle.

As a member of Team Canada, Chaplin was also invited to Ottawa to be recognized alongside his teammates and coaches in the House of Commons.

Also making waves were the Whitehorse Mustangs bantam AA rep hockey team. The Mustangs collected a silver medal at the B.C. provincial championships, marking the first time a bantam team from Whitehorse ever made it to the medal round at provincials. And they were just the second minor hockey team from Whitehorse at any level to capture a silver medal.

While there weren't any medals for local athletes at the Western Canadian Juvenile Alpine Ski Championships, there was certainly a lot of excitement generated in the territory from hosting the event at Mount Sima in Whitehorse. In what was a test event for the 2007 Canada Games, nearly 80 athletes descended on Sima Sunday from Alberta, B.C., Alaska and the Yukon.

The crew from Juneau said while they host eight to 10 races a year and travel to many more, the Whitehorse event was the best run race, with the friendliest people.

'It's the best race course we've been on all year,' stated Tom Nave, parent of one of the athletes and president of the Juneau ski club.

April

Nishikawa named to

Canadian team

Yukon cross-country skier Graham Nishikawa continued to make Yukon sports history in 2005, becoming the first male athlete from the territory to be named to the senior men's national cross-country skiing team.

Four women and four men were named to the Canadian team, which has a specific goal of training for the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver. Nishikawa, who recently competed at World Cup races in B.C. and Alberta as part of the Canadian team, said the Olympics have been a goal for him since day one.

'It's definitely really exciting to be on a team training specifically for that,' he stated. 'I had a pretty strong year and I'm still pretty young.'

May

Firefighters turn up the heat

The temperature in Whitehorse went up a few more notches than normal last May, as the local fire department hosted the what's called the toughest two minutes in sports. The Scott FireFit Combat Challenge was set up in the parking lot of the S.S. Klondike in downtown Whitehorse, with teams from Alberta, Saskatchewan and the Yukon taking part.

It was the first time ever that FireFit Canada hosted a regional competition North of 60, and by all accounts, it couldn't have gone much better. Dale McRoberts, the president of FireFit, and a few others drove all of the combat challenge equipment on trucks up the Alaska Highway from Vancouver, which took them five days because of a few stops. But in the end, he said, the long drive was worth it.

'We've never had a better event,' stated McRoberts. 'The competition is topnotch, the sight is topnotch and a big thing for us is the support. What really helps is when we have the fire department behind us. The chief (Clive Sparks) has done that here and he's really gotten behind the local guys.'

Whitehorse's combat challenge team of Brian Fedoriak, James Paterson, Barry Blisner, Scott McFarlane and Glenn Regan dominated the competition, posting a time of just under one minute, 13 seconds, about a half second off from their personal best and well ahead of their competitors.

In the individual competition, Fedoriak blew the competition away, finishing the course in one minute and 25 seconds, a full 15 seconds ahead of the second-place finisher.

'I've competed at a lot of events around the country,' summed up Paterson. 'This was by far the best event I've ever been to, and that's nice to be able to say about your home.'

Also in May, Downing was once again back in the water, posting more impressive results. The Yukon swimmer finished the Canadian World Aquatic Championship Trials with two silver medals and a bronze in the fly events.

And it was announced that month that Whitehorse will play host to the 2008 junior world weightlifting championships, May 1-10, 2008. About 500 athletes and an additional 200 coaches and officials from 72 nations are expected to decend on the territory.

June

Record number take part

in bike relay

Nearly 1,200 people hit the pavement in the 13th annual Klaune Chilkat International Bike Relay, divided into 236 teams, which is the most ever to take part in the event. Even more impressive was the fact there were 21 solo riders this year, including Whitehorse resident Jonah Clark, who took first place in the men's solo category.

The overall winner of the 2005 KCIBR was a four-person male team from Fairbanks, Animals of Fairbanks, with a time of 6:49:15.

Yukon group Up North Adventures finished second behind the Fairbanks squad in the four-person men's category, with a time of seven hours and 58 seconds.

July

A first for the River Quest

It certainly wasn't the finish anyone expected for the 2005 Yukon River Quest, but when it was all over, only two previous Yukon River Quest records stood, with new standards set in eight categories, including the overall course time.

In what will surely be called a banner year for the annual 740-kilometre (460-mile) journey, the winning teams posted a time of just 42 hours and 51 minutes. And for the first time in the race's history, there were two winners, as Yukoners Stephen Mooney and Greg McHale joined paddles with Americans Chris Swan and Sean Brennan, crossing the finish line in Dawson City together in their tandem kayaks.

'I don't think either one of us could have won without the other,' explained an exhausted Brennan after finishing the race. 'The respect we have for those two guys (Mooney and McHale)...we talked about it and there wasn't any other way we could have gone.'

McHale and Mooney were quick to agree, pointing out the two teams raced side by side for pretty much the entire race. Besides, said Mooney, the tie was a good decision for the Yukoners, considering the competition they were up against.

What nobody besides the American duo knew at the start was just how much paddling experience Swan and Brennan brought to the table, something they purposely kept under wraps.

We kind of sandbagged our experience a little bit in our bio,' laughed Brennan. 'Chris is a two-time Olympian for rowing and I was also a national team member for kayaking.'

In fact, the two men recently won the world dragon boat races, something which wasn't lost on Mooney and McHale, who only found out about their competition's background while in conversation on the river.

'I'm glad we didn't sprint to the finish line, because we would have lost,' said Mooney.

Also that month, Yukon weightlifter Jeane Lassen brought home triple gold from the World University Weightlifting Championships in Villeneuve-Loubet, France. Lassen proved she's not only a good athlete, but mentally tough as well, overcoming Outside factors such as poor organization and hot weather, to finish first in the 69-kilogram weight class.

'It was really, really bad conditions,' said Lassen at the time. 'It was super hot and I thought it would be better organized than it was. The transportation was horrible, and they didn't have a scale at our hotel, which is a pretty big thing.'

In fact, not having a scale in the hotel may have affected Lassen's performance at the championships. She snatched 94 kg and clean & jerked 122 kg for a total of 216 kg, but both lifts were five kilos below personal bests. Lassen had just completed a one month training stint in Fiji in Australia, and was right on her weight when she left.

'I left Australia on a Sunday and wasn't able to make a scale until Thursday,' she explained. 'I had some problems with my weight because of this. I ended up two kilos over on Thursday, but luckily I didn't have to compete until Saturday, so it wasn't too bad.'

Glacier Bear Gabor continued to prove her worth in the pool last July, picking up three gold medals and another two silver in the 12-and-under category at club nationals in Winnipeg.

Gabor was first in the 50-metre free, 100-m free and 200-m free, while finishing second in both the 400-m free and 800-m free.

In fact, the entire Whitehorse Glacier Bears Swim Club had an excellent month, as 13 swimmers claimed 18 medals at the AAA long-course championships in Prince George.

It was the largest team the Yukon had ever sent to the provincials and all of the swimmers achieved personal bests.

The Bears placed an impressive seventh out of 34 teams some of which had more than 30 swimmers from their club competing.

August

Sessford ends Yukon's drought

Dozens of Yukon athletes headed to Regina for the Canada Summer Games, where half of them would witness history during Week 1 action.

Cyclist Daniel Sessford picked up just the second medal for the territory at any Canada Games and first in more than 20 years placing a well-earned third in the men's mountain bike race.

'I was really excited,' said Sessford following his victory. 'I had a pretty good idea I was going to win it with about three kilometres to go, but I was still pushing hard, just to make sure.'

Sessford, who was the Yukon's flag bearer at the opening ceremonies, finished less than two minutes out of second spot with a time of one hour and 46 minutes.

'It was nice to be in the top again, after maybe not finishing so well in some of my previous races earlier this season,' he said modestly. 'I had a really good race.'

In other action at the Canada Games, both Gabor and Bronwyn Pasloski made finals in the pool, despite the fact they were up against girls as many as six years older than them.

And the men's soccer team also made history in Regina, becoming the first Yukon soccer team to tie a province at the games a 1-1 draw against Nova Scotia and shocking many spectators and coaches at the Games with their skilled and determined play.

Also in August, 16-year-old Reid Campbell skated for Canada in the Czech Challenge Cup, one of the most prestigious summer hockey tournaments in Europe, and helped Canada bring home the championship for the first time in the tournament's history.

'It was a really incredible feeling, just hoisting the cup,' said Campbell. 'I'm pretty excited and honoured that I got the chance to go.'

Canadian coach Don Stoneadge said choosing Campbell, who was named an alternate captain on the squad, was one of the smartest decisions he ever made.

'Reid wore the A (assistant captain) for our team and he was one of the go-to guys, no doubt about it. I actually feel like Reid packed this team on his back. On the power play, he just thrived. He ran the show.

'He was one of, if not the, best defenceman in the whole tournament.'

September

Take No Prisoners unbeatable

Make it a four-peat for Anchorage, Alaska's Take No Prisoners. They took the overall title at the Klondike Trail of '98 International Road Relay for the fourth year in a row, shaving more than half an hour off their 2004 time, crossing the finish line in 10 hours and 56 minutes.

The closest team to Take No Prisoners was the masters mixed squad Peak Performers I, of Anchorage, who clocked in at 12 hours, 19 minutes and 10 seconds. Whitehorse's Bi-Squatches came in second behind the Prisoners in the Open category, with a time of 14:17:11.

Bi-Squatches Marcus Waterreus spent a few years in Fairbanks, where he attended university, so he knows firsthand how good a lot of the runners from Alaska are. Asked if he knows of any up-and-coming runners in the Yukon who may be able to overtake the four-time defending champions in the next few years, he said it would be tough.

'I think there's a different culture in Alaska,' he explained. 'Athletics is quite big there and running is quite big. Given we're such a small population ... the only way someone else could win, I think, is if they come from Vancouver or Victoria, or somewhere like that. (Take No Prisoners is) pretty dominating, that's for sure.'

October

Ribbon cut on Games centre

After years of anticipation, the Canada Games Centre was officially opened in October.

Stephen Owen, the Minister of Western Economic Diversification, as well as the Minister of State for Sport, joined Yukon Premier Dennis Fentie, MP Larry Bagnell, Senator Ione Christiensen, Whitehorse Mayor Ernie Bourassa, many other political guests and first nation elders at centre ice for the opening ceremony at the massive recreation complex.

Hundreds of enthusiastic spectators crammed the seats of the Olympic-size arena to witness the beginning of what some may call a new era, as the territory prepares to host the 2007 Canada Winter Games.

'This type of facility not only fulfills the community, but it's also a nation builder,' said Owen.

'This new facility will endeavour to build on our growing reputation as a formidable contender on the international sports stage,' said Fentie, adding the facility is not only for the sporting elite, but all Yukoners at all levels of sport.

'We are one step closer to our goal of hosting the best Canada Winter Games ever. Today shows what can be achieved through sheer hard work and the perseverance of many people.'

The Games centre features an olympic-size ice rink, NHL rink, soccer complex, flexi-hall, running track, lay area for kids and the Whitehorse Lions Aquatic Centre, as well as a weight and aerobic room.

Also in October, Yukon soccer teams would continue to make history, this time at the national club championships.

The Selects men's crew posted the territory's first-ever win at the championships, over New Brunswick. They also picked up a tie against Nova Scotia.

'We played great,' summed up Joe Zuccarini, head coach of the Selects. 'We definitely surprised some people. The calibre of play was unbelievably high, probably the best you can see in Canada.

'We played incredibly well and everybody worked their asses off.'

But the Selects weren't the only team which posted impressive results, as the U-16 Icebreakers girl's crew also finished 10th, ahead of Newfoundland and P.E.I. During the tournament, the Icebreakers defeated P.E.I. 5-0 in a playoff game.

November

Mixed championship exceptional'

Whitehorse played host to the 43rd annual Canadian mixed curling championship last month, with teams from across the country displaying some impressive talent throughout the week.

When it was all over, Ontario would be crowned 2006 champions, but the real story was the name the Whitehorse Curling Club is building for itself on the national level, especially when it comes to ice conditions at the Mount McIntyre Centre.

'It's probably the best ice I've ever played on, honestly,' said Ontario skip John Epping. 'And I say that with an ice-maker on our team (Foster),' he laughed, adding the facility itself is huge and 'incredible.'

'I don't think we expected this at all when we came here.'

It's mainly because of the success of the mixed championship that the local club is now planning to hold an annual major cash spiel, featuring teams from across Canada.

Hockey would also be a big story in November, as the Whitehorse Northern Cross Mustangs midget rep hockey team hauled in the hardware at a tournament in Abbotsford.

The Mustangs played five games against host Abbotsford, Juan de Fuca, Semiahmoo, Vancouver and Quesnel and returned home with the championship trophy after posting a record of 4-1. It's the first time a Whitehorse team has won the title at an Outside tournament in at least a decade.

The Mustangs would also go on to sweep Alaska in a four-game series later that month, further enforcing the fact they may be one of the strongest teams to come out of the territory in quite some time.

December

Caron sets sights on New Brunswick

It seems only right that 2005 would end with a bang, and Kevin Caron made sure of that with his fifth-place finish at the western Canadian figure skating championships.

With that result, Caron became the first skater from the Yukon to qualify for the junior nationals since Aidan Sanderson and Liam Dougherty in the late 1990's.

'He's a very confident, very solid competitor,' said Harold Sher, Caron's coach in the Yukon. 'When I first started working with Kevin, I saw how close he was and how coachable he was, and I knew this was going to be a very good year, but just how good of a year, I have to be honest with you ... he's taken about a year and a half of development and done it in six months.

'It's not just good, it's spectacular.'

And the best may still be yet to come. While his coaches believe that Kevin will definitely be in the hunt for a medal at the 2007 Games, if he continues to develop at the same pace, he could even be an Olympic prospect for 2010.

'He figures he's going to the Olympics,' said his mother, Maureen. 'Of course, he's figured that since he was 10.'

Also this month, the midget Mustangs swept a four-game series against the North Shore Winterhawks before heading out to an international tournament in Richmond, B.C.

The Mustangs are just one of the teams that should guarantee another banner year in Yukon sports, with the Canada Winter Games just over a year away and counting.