He has a long way to go before he reaches the status of Canadian figure skating sensation Elvis Stojko, but Kevin Caron is still an exceptional role model for young Yukoners in the Arctic Edge Skating Club.

Quiet and unassuming, Caron is the type who leads by example, and he set quite the example at the western championships this past weekend, which were held in Mississauga, Ontario.

Caron finished fifth overall at the championships, becoming the first skater from the Yukon to qualify for the junior nationals since Aidan Sanderson and Liam Dougherty in the late 1990's.

And yes, you heard right, the Westerns were held in Ontario. Under the new judging system adopted by the competitive figure skating world, Canada owns just one set of computers, so the eastern and western events needed to be held side by side.

'(Westerns) were quite good,' said a modest Caron, in an interview during practice at the Canada Games Centre Monday. 'I could have skated a little better, but I had a lot of fun so that made up for it.

'It was pretty well just the B.C. guys and few from Alberta who were really strong. There were four B.C. guys from sectionals (Caron included) and three of us made it to nationals. We got first, fourth and fifth.'

Caron's father, Konn, also made the trip to Mississauga, along with Kevin's coach from Vancouver, Karen Magnuson.

'I think our goal was to go down there and make the next cut, but it was an educational triple for him as well,' said Konn. 'He got to go out and watch the eastern teams as well, to see what they're doing.'

They key to Kevin's strong finish at the western championships was his double axel, which he's only had under his belt for a couple of months. The first time he landed it in competition was at sectionals last month. After the first few times he landed it, said Kevin, it became easy.

'If you didn't have a double axel at Westerns, you pretty well didn't make the cut,' he said of the jump's importance.

While the double axel was 'the weapon' this time around, Kevin expects he will need a triple if he wants to make any noise at the junior nationals, which will be held in Moncton, New Brunswick, Feb. 1-4. He's been working on his triple loop for a while and now plans to try the triple sow as well.

He's landed the loop a couple of times in practice, but has yet to try it in a competition.

'I want to try and get at least one triple (before nationals) and work on my presentation,' he said. 'Then I want to improve my spins just a little bit more and work on flexibility.'

That may sound like quite a lot to improve in two months but if anyone can do it, it's Kevin, according to his coach at Arctic Edge, Harold Sher.

'He's a very confident, very solid competitor,' said Sher, who only began training with Kevin this year. '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.'

While his skill and presentation has taken an obvious turn for the better, Sher praised Kevin's mental outlook and work ethic more than anything. He also pointed to Kevin's 'outstanding' support group around him family, friends and coaches as well as his choreographer this season, Vancouver's Mitch Miller.

Off-ice, Kevin's cousin, former Commonwealth Games medalist in weightlifting, Scott McCarthy, has been working with the skater on strength and flexibility.'

'I'm sure all of the members of his group have played a role in the progress,' said Sher.

'But really, the credit has to be given squarely where it's deserved and that's on him. He's worked very hard this year. He has tremendous athletic prowess.'

Konn believes the coaching change for Kevin this year has perhaps played the largest role in his sudden success, going from one coach to a team system. Both Sher and Magnuson have done wonders for Kevin's confidence, said Konn.

The next time Kevin will work with Magnuson is at the B.C. regionals at the end of January, where he will undergo an evaluation of his current level.

You would think all of the travel he's been doing so far this season would have taken a toll on Kevin, both physically and mentally, but travelling and meeting new people is what the younger skater enjoys most about his sport.

'It's nice for him, because here, he's the only boy skater,' explained his mother, Maureen. 'He doesn't normally get to skate with a lot of boys, so it's good for him to be able to make some friends that are male skaters.'

While the travel doesn't bother Kevin, it has certainly taken a toll on the Carons' wallets they also have a daughter, Teneil, who is in figure skating. Kevin is hoping for some funding from the Yukon government's Best Ever program now that he's posted such great results, and is also considered a strong contender for the 2007 Canada Winter Games.

As a serious athlete who is still in high school, Kevin doesn't have much, if any, time to work for money on the side he also plays the tenor saxophone in the school band, snowboards and is currently taking guitar lessons.

Somewhere in there, he did find time to become certified in skate sharpening, and now he and Konn run a side sharpening business for club members out of Konn's office.

A top-level athlete, musician and hard worker do role models get much better than that?

'You need your heroes, your champions to inspire people to do things,' said Sher. 'Having someone in the conscience of the community inspires people to be more involved and gives them confidence the right coaching and programming is in place.'

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.'