There was a little bit of everything at the 30th annual Sport Yukon awards night, with six different sports represented within the major award winners and another represented in this year's Sport Hall of Fame induction.

Major and Patricia Evans were inducted into the Hall Thursday evening, having made an enormous contribution to the sport of dog mushing over the course of four decades. A press release from Sport Yukon tells the story of the couple, saying their perseverance, optimism and selflessness are characteristics which should be admired throughout all Yukon communities:

While Major will be best remembered for his organizing and officiating throughout that period, Pat was with him every step of the way, lending her enthusiasm at each turn and encouraging the participation of children and youth in the sport.

They were truly exceptional volunteers, who gave countless hours of their time to traveling all over the Yukon, Alaska and other parts of Canada, fostering and maintaining interest in dog mushing.

Major was drawn into the sport on the banks of the Yukon River in 1957 while stationed with the military, and although work took he and Pat away from the territory for a period of five years in 1960, they returned to play an important role in the development of the Yukon Dog Mushing Association in 1965, to which Major was given a lifetime membership in 1975.

Taking the sport very seriously, Major and Pat purchased a number of race trophies for children from Whitehorse, Haines Junction and Teslin in 1967.

Pat then took it upon herself to maintain these trophies over the years, including ones like the Red Lantern that they provided to the Sourdough Rendezvous up to the day she passed away in 1996. It's a tradition that Major has continued to this day.

With the start of the Yukon Quest in 1984, Major took on a new role as started with Pat at his side throughout. With his hearing deteriorating and the intense noise level of the dogs, Major implemented the 45-30-15-10-5 second flag start process, meaning the mushers did not have to hear anything but just watch for Major's flag signals.

He continued as the official starter of the Yukon Quest until 2003, at the age of 88. He was honoured the following year by event organizers for his dedication, when he was asked to start the ceremonial RCMP team prior to the official race.

Major still loves the thrill of the race even though he is now watching from the sidelines, and although Pat is gone, those who knew her are sure she blesses each musher as they make their way along the trail.

The first big award handed out Thursday was for Administrator/Executive of the Year. Denny Kobayashi is an active and committed member of the Canadian Ski Patrol Yukon Zone, executive committee and patrol.

In his capacity as VP of finance, Kobayashi developed and implemented a formal budget process for the patrol. In 2002, he resurrected the Junior Patrol Program and in 2004, he introduced a mentorship and succession program that sees leadership passed on to another patroller. The Mount Sima program is now one of the largest and most successful Junior Patrol Programs in Canada.

In addition to his executive responsibilities, Kobayashi has also taken on the role of Patrol Leader for Mount Sima.

The team of the year award went to the 2004-05 bantam AA Mustangs hockey team.

As well as clean sweeps of tournaments in Fairbanks and Anchorage early in the season, the Mustangs made it to the semifinals in the Langley Bantam AAA International Tournament last January, won a bronze medal in the Prince George AAA tournament and capped it all off with a silver medal at B.C. provincials last March.

It was the first time a bantam team from Whitehorse ever made it to the medal round at the B.C. provincials and just the second minor hockey team from Whitehorse, at any level, to capture a silver medal.

'We're very pleased to accept the award,' said head coach Mike Young in an interview. 'A lot of hard work was put into last season and it's always nice to get the recognition.'

The last time a male hockey team won team of the year was in 1993, when the Whitehorse Huskies won the Allan Cup. Young said it's an honour being put in the same category as the Huskies and added it's nice to see hockey back on the awards list.

'The kids were pretty happy when I told them we won the award. It's just a winning situation all around, for the kids, the coaches and the (Yukon Amateur Hockey Association).'

Cycling's Grant Owen was named coach of the year. Owen has been with the Yukon Cycling Association for about seven years, taking over as head coach from his mentor, Bob Boorman, after the 2001 Canada Summer Games.

He personally coaches, teaches and trains the cycling team for up to four sessions per week throughout the season, and volunteers countless hours each year to travel with the team to national and international competitions.

The national/territorial female athlete of the year category was tough this year, with four very good candidates, but it was 12-year-old swimming sensation Alexandra Gabor who took home the hardware.

Gabor won three gold medals and two silvers at club nationals last summer and finished an impressive eighth in the 800-metre freestyle at the Canada Summer Games, competing against swimmers up to six years older than her.

At the AAA B.C. provincials, she collected three silver, three bronze and five gold, and was selected to the B.C provincial swim team. Swimming for B.C. at the Far Western Championships in San Francisco, Gabor secured three gold medals, one silver and two bronze.

Gabor said she was a bit surprised to win the award, considering the company she was in, but added it means a lot to her. At the podium, she thanked Whitehorse Glacier Bears head coach Marek Poplawski, who she said 'got me to where I am today.'

The next competition for Gabor will be the Christmas Cracker meet in Victoria, Dec. 9 and 10. She hopes to break the Canadian age-group record in the 1,500-m free. She's just five seconds off the pace right now.

Daniel Sessford won the award for national/territorial male athlete of the year. Sessford broke Team Yukon's twenty year medal hiatus by winning a bronze medal at the Canada Summer Games this past August in mountain biking.

He also placed first at the B.C. Cup #1 in mountain biking in the senior elite class and was an impressive 26th in the grueling mountain bike national championships, in the senior elite class.

The top international Yukon athletes this year were Garry Chaplin and Jeane Lassen.

Lassen has been representing the Yukon on the international stage for the past 11 years, but this past year was her most successful one to date. The weightlifter broke nine national records in the 69-kilogram weight class, won the national championships and proceeded to claim triple gold at the world university championships in France.

Lassen is currently the number one ranked weightlifter in Canada for all weight classes, men's and women's combined.

Chaplin has been training and competing in cross-country skiing for the past five years as a Special Olympics athlete. He qualified for Team Canada when he won silver and bronze medals at the 2004 Special Olympics Canada Winter Games.

He attended the Canadian training camp in Alberta and at the 2005 World Games in Nagano, Japan, he gained instant Yukon celebrity status when he picked up 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 invited to Ottawa to be recognized alongside his teammates and coaches in the House of Commons.

'The great thing about Gary is he never gives up,' said Serge Michaud, executive director of Yukon Special Olympics, in an earlier interview. 'That's just Gary.'

Michaud said Garry's success is due to his commitment to himself, his willingness to train and prepare, and 'just his overall willingness to be the best he can.

'You can't ask for any better than improving on your personal best every single time you race. That's a coach's dream.'