With the Slush Cup coming up on Sunday, Biathlon Yukon has plenty of reasons to celebrate the 2007-08 season.

The organization recently sent a team of six athletes to compete at the 2008 Squamish Life Canadian Championships, held at Whistler Olympic Park in B.C.

The team showcased their talent at the event, which had several highlights, including an incredible bronze medal performance by the Yukon's relay team on March 30.

"For a young group who this is their first nationals, the depth of talent was just amazing," said Biathlon Yukon coach Judy Hartling.

"They far exceeded my expectations."

I would have thought they would have needed this nationals and perhaps next year before they could do as well as they did.

So really I would have expected two more years of training and national experience before reaching the standing that they did."

The bronze medal team was comprised of Nat Rodden, Aliye Tuzlak and Ryan Burlingame.

Other highlights during the competition featured Yukoner Erin Oliver-Beebe,13, winning the best overall shooter in the Senior Girls sprint race on March, 29.

Beebe shot exceptionally well, missing only one shot out of 10.

What makes this even more impressive was the fact that she was competing against the best across Canada in a 15 and 16-year-old age category, which is the youngest age group at the nationals.

Nat Rodden also won best shot honours.

Rodden competed in the senior boys individual race on March 26 and missed only four shots out of 20.

In the senior girl's sprint, Oliver-Beebe placed sixth out of a field of 21, while Aliye Tuzlak finished in seventh place in the same field.

The race consisted of three ski loops and two shooting bouts.

In the senior boy's 7.5-km individual race, Burlingame placed sixth, while Rodden came in ninth in a field of 24 athletes.

The race consisted of five ski loops and four shooting bouts.

In the senior girl's 7.5-km individual event, Aliye Tuzlak finished in sixth place, while Olive-Beebe placed right behind her in seventh.

The race consisted of five ski loops and four shooting bouts. It featured 18 athletes in total.

The six athletes had to meet a standard before Biathlon Yukon could sponsor them, which involved skiing a certain distance in a certain amount of time and shooting a set amount of shots.

This was the biggest competition that any of the Yukon athletes have entered in the sport.

Hartling credits the success to their commitment in the sport.

"They are a tight group," she said.

"They are quite disciplined.

They have training plans that they follow, so they have to work out five days a week.

They are just a committed little group and they are enthusiastic about biathlon."

Sunday's Slush Cup is open to anyone and will be held up at the biathlon range on Grey Mountain, which is right next to the shooting range.

It will begin at 1 p.m. and most likely be over at 3 p.m. There will also be a BBQ afterwards.

Competitors will test how many loops and how many shots they can make within a 24-minute period.

Participants can sign up the day of the event, which is free to anyone who is interested.