For Whitehorse resident Alexandra Gabor, the sport of swimming was a welcome alternative.

At the age of seven, Gabor was figure skating when she stabbed herself in the shin with her skate, an incident which scared her enough to try something new.

'I couldn't get hurt from swimming,' explained the ten-year-old in an interview Saturday.

Three years later, it's safe to say that decision has paid off for the young swimmer. Gabor now holds first-place national rankings among 10-year-olds in eight long course and seven short course events. She broke another Canadian record at the Yukon Invitational Friday evening this time in the 1,500-metre freestyle.

'It's fun when you get the results,' smiled Gabor. 'It's a really competitive sport.'

A week and a half ago, Gabor broke a Canadian record in the 50-metre fly while at the Island Invitational in Victoria. She swam the race on a Friday, but didn't find out until the following Monday just how good her time was. The old record was 32:98, posted by Shauna Collins back in 1988, and Gabor had a time of 32:20.

'I was just really shocked,' she said.

This past weekend, the swimmer admitted she wasn't quite as shocked when she broke the 1,500-metre record, since she knew the record time going into the swim (19:12:09). She also knew when she finished that she had broken it her time was 19:11:70 so she was more impressed with her performance rather than the record.

'I feel really happy that I made the record yesterday,' she smiled. 'That swim was ... I couldn't have done any better than that swim.'

Gabor's father, Gustav, was also proud of his daughter's performance.

'She was hoping she could do it (break the record),' he said. 'We knew the time going in. Halfway through, it didn't seem like it was possible, but she turned it on unbelievably after the first half.

'That was the best swim I've ever seen her do. The best swim, bottom line.'

Head coach Albert Burgund said he's always been impressed with the younger Gabor's work ethic and results, but he was hesitant to get too excited about the new record.

'The hard part is, you want to temper that enthusiasm, because there's a real danger,' he said. 'You run a real risk with young kids. You don't want to have them getting disillusioned with the sport.

'Sometimes it's real hard for them to learn that some day, after the puberty process has passed, other kids are going to pass you.'

Burgund said he doesn't want to put too much pressure on any of the swimmers and make them feel like they have to break every Canadian record.

'That's phenomenal, for a 10-year-old to have a record,' he said. 'I need to make sure she's not just a great 10-year-old, that in four years time, at 14, she's going to be one of our Olympians.'

Gustav Gabor said while he has always asked his daughter to strive for the best, he has also taught her not to brag or boast about her accomplishments. It's important that you don't show too much externally, he said.

For Alexandra, who's role model is Olympic medalist Inga Bruijn of the Netherlands, that doesn't seem to be a problem. The modest young swimmer plans to stay in the sport as long as possible, and her dream is to make the Olympics, which she acknowledges will take 'a lot of hard work.'

'That's her dream,' stated Burgund. 'I believe she has the potential and I believe she has the right character for that to happen. She's already beaten the odds phenomenally. When I first got here, she was just fanatical about the 50-metre freestyle and now look where she's at.

'She'll probably make the next Olympic team, by the time she's 14. I hate to put that kind of pressure on her, but she has a chance to become one of the youngest Canadian swimmers.'

Burgund said the most important thing for Gabor is to keep doing what she's doing now, and keep believing in herself. And now matter where that takes her, Gustav said he will always support her.

'When she got into the sport, I told her I'd give her any means available,' he said, admitting that has left him broke a lot of the time from the traveling. 'But if she decides this is what she wants to do, and she wants to go all the way, I will support her.'

The senior Gabor insisted he and his daughter owe a lot of her success to Burgund, whom he called 'the best thing that's happened to this club.

'The reason my kid is doing so good, in my opinion, is this man standing in front of me. It's work ethic. I think Albert instills perfection, or tries to . He doesn't take crap.'

It's for that reason many parents were disappointed to hear Burgund handed in his resignation on April 28, for personal reasons. After three years of coaching the Glacier Bears, he will be heading to Waterloo, Ontario at the end of August, to pursue a different kind of life one with a family.

'I can leave with my head held high,' he said. 'I came up here to prove that I could do something, make a national champion. I just wanted to prove you could do it anyplace.'

And the proof is in the pudding, he said, referring to Yukon's national medalist Mackenzie Downing. While Downing is currently nursing a knee injury, Burgund is confident there are a few more national medals within reach this summer.

'Don't ever bet against me, because you'll lose,' he stated. 'Everybody that thinks Mackenzie is out, my advice is just watch.'

One of the most important things Burgund teaches is the process of swimming, not the results.

'It's not the time that's important, it's how you do it,' he said. 'You have to be process orientated because that's far more important. The outcome is just icing on the cake.

'If they're smart and follow the process, they will all be champions in their own right.'

Burgund said he also taught the swimmers how to be more responsible for themselves, both in and out of the pool.

'I will get phone calls from parents who say they don't know what to do because their kid is sick and they still want to come to the pool. I have to tell kids to stay home. They know it's going to be hard, but they still want to be here.'

The coach admitted it will also be hard for him to leave here in the fall.

'I know these kids not only as swimmers. I know what they like, I know what they don't like. I know what they do at school, I see their art work and watch their school plays. I know a lot about these kids.

'In Victoria (at the Island Invitational), I got up at four in the morning to watch the San Marino Grand Prix with Mackenzie.'

As much as it's hard to leave, Burgund is confident he is leaving the Glacier Bears in good hands.

'This club has come a long way,' he said. 'We have a very strong staff. The coaches themselves have done a terrific job, and again the results prove it. This organization is strong all the way through.'

As for a replacement, Burgund said he's already been doing some 'head hunting' for the club and he will be meeting with the board next week.

'I know who I'd like to get here, but the guy I'd like to get here unfortunately has a girlfriend who is a world-class cellist. So while he'd like to come here, he doesn't know if she would.'

Burgund's own coaching career may be on hiatus when he relocates to Ontario. Both university coaches in Waterloo are friends of his, and the funding isn't there to hire another coach, although he may volunteer part time.

'My dream job would be to coach at any of the Western universities,' he said. 'I would prefer Victoria because I love it there. But I'm not going to hold my breath waiting.'