The mood was relaxed at Mad Trapper Alleys Wednesday evening, as the Yukon youth bowling team held one last practice in preparation for the 2006 Youth Bowling Council's National 5-Pin Championships.

All five of the athletes have been to the event before, one of them more than once. That's not to say they're an experienced, veteran team, but they do have an idea what they're in for. And when it comes to mental preparation, that's half the battle.

'You no longer focus on the big bowling alley, lots of noise, lots of people,' explained Wayne Beauchemin, the head coach for Yukon. 'Now, you have to keep pace, keep you mind on the game, the bowling aspect.

'You need to focus on the mechanics. If you throw a bad shot, don't get mad about it, focus on your next shot. What did you do wrong? Fix it and move on.'

That can be difficult in a sport like bowling, he admitted, when it doesn't matter how well you bowl if your opponent does better. You could bowl the game of your life, he said, and still lose. It can be tough to realize you still played a good game and get ready for the next one.

'You really have to set your mind on what you're supposed to do and don't let that distract you.'

It's about cleaning up as many points as you can with each shot, said Beauchemin, hoping you can surprise your opponent at the end and win as many games as possible. Athletes from some provinces go through hundreds of games just to qualify for nationals, with a lot more population to draw from.

In the Yukon, there were about 35-40 kids involved in the youth league, so the local athletes need to be realistic about their goals heading to the championships, which will be held in Sudbury this year, May 5-8. Yukon has been sending individual players since 2001 and did win a surprise silver medal in 2002.

'We try to make a point of saying, we'd like to see them bowl higher than their average,' said Beauchemin. 'That happens quite often, actually, because they push themselves up against tougher opponents. Most bowl 25-30 points over their average.

'Certainly, a win or two would be great. But it depends on the category.'

Craig Beauchemin will be competing in the senior male category this year, after picking up five points and bowling above his average in the 2005 event.

'I just want to do better than second-last this time,' he stated.

Wayne said since this is Craig's first year as a senior bowler, it could be tough on him, up against 18 year olds. It will be very difficult to keep his head in it, said the coach, and Craig needs to make sure he doesn't feel overwhelmed.

Craig will be joined by junior male Nicholas Koltun, junior female Sarah Koltun, bantam male Matthew Smith and bantam female Olivia Smith-Tucker. The Yukon is short a senior female competitor this year, but the coach said he expects to have a full squad again in 2007.

'I want to win gold,' stated Smith, adding he needs to work harder this year and try to stay focused on the game.

Nicholas said he just hopes to play some of his best games at nationals, after two years off from the competitive bowling scene.

'With Nicholas and Sarah, it's tough to say (how well they will do),' said Wayne. 'There are certainly some good bowlers out there. Nicholas has to make sure he doesn't get overwhelmed.

'Matthew and Olivia were the darlings of the competition last year (at just 10 and 7 years old, respectively, during the 2005 championships). But now, they have to focus past that and maybe surprise a few people.'

In 2005, Smith won three of his matches and tied two for a total of five points while Smith-Tucker had five wins.

In the end, Wayne said, he and assistant coach Jim Tucker will be happy as long as each bowler goes out and does the best they can. Perhaps they can even play the role of spoiler toward the end of the championship, he said.

'There are tears, there are breakdowns. You've just gotta say, alright, lets stop for a second, get back and finish the game. It's a pressure-packed situation.'

At least the financial aspect of the Yukoners' trip has been taking care of, thanks to the support of a new sponsor. The Co-operators Insurance national, regional and local offices are providing $4000 in sponsorship to Yukon's young bowlers.

'We've been doing a lot of fundraising to help offset the costs for everyone to attend this event,' said Wayne. 'But we were coming up a bit short.'

That's when his coaching partner Tucker stepped in. Tucker approached the local representative of The Co-operators, Vern Dickau of Dickau Insurance & Investments, about a possible sponsorship and 'things just sort of snowballed from there.'

Dickau was happy to sponsor the Yukon players, contacting some of his colleagues at the insurance company's regional and national offices, who also quickly came on board.

'The Co-operators has a long history of supporting youth and sport in Canada,' stated Dickau. 'We are really pleased to help these kids attend the national championships.'

Steve Quock, the owner of Mad Trapper Alleys, has also been a huge help to the local bowlers, providing the training ground as well as various other forms of support.

There are approximately 360 bowlers competing in team and individual categories at the annual Youth Bowling Council National 5-Pin Championships.

The five Yukon athletes left Whitehorse on a flight this morning, heading to Ontario.

Their toughest day of competition will be Sunday, when each of them will bowl 12 games.