With negative distractions such as drugs, alcohol and violence no matter where you live in this day and age, it's easier than ever for youth to get thrown off course.

And while parents and family members can always preach the importance of staying away from it all, and getting involved in sports and activities to stay positive, sometimes it's best to hear it from someone with firsthand experience.

Twenty-three year old Brittanee Laverdure grew up in Watson Lake, where she started wrestling in high school in order to keep her mind on the right track. Realizing there wasn't much opportunity for her in the North if she wanted to start wrestling more seriously, Laverdure made the decision to move to Calgary by herself at the age of 16.

While the move has brought her amazing success especially this past year she's never forgotten her roots, and she hopes that her success story will be a positive influence on the youth in Watson Lake and the rest of the Yukon.

'(Sport is) just a vehicle they can use to make anything they want happen,' she said in an interview from Calgary, where she attends university and wrestles for the Dinos club.

'I've gotten to see so much. When we went to Italy for a competition, we took a trip to Rome and I went to see the Vatican, and just saw the sights. I just thought, Wow, I could never afford this normally, or at least not for a long time.' I've gotten to go all over Europe, and I've seen every province and territory.'

Not that the journey hasn't had its bumps. Laverdure had a few good years when she first arrived in Calgary, making it to the semifinals at the national championships, but she was forced to get reconstructive surgery on her shoulder in 2002, and it took her more than a year after that to fully recover.

'The first couple of competitions, I wasn't up to par. Now, I've had two years of really good competitions. I was selected to the under-23 national team last year, so it went pretty well, but I was still losing close matches. This year, I really got more of the wins that I needed.'

So many in fact, that the captain of the University of Calgary Dinos varsity squad won both the Canada West university championship and the national (CIS) university championship. She was also selected once again to the under-23 team.

'I haven't changed my training much,' said Laverdure, who wrestles in the 55-kilogram category during senior competitions and the 57-kg class for the university. 'I did start doing a lot more weights. But mostly it was my attitude just setting goals. I started thinking, I've trained so hard for this, why not win? Why not me?'

'Last year, I lost so many matches in overtime.'

Laverdure said being captain this season has been an interesting experience because there's such a diversity of athletes on the squad, both international and domestic. She said it's hard at times because you want to be concentrating on your own training, but you also want to be helping out others.

'I feel like I set a good example though, and they can see it when I'm out on the mat.'

The Yukon athlete's success hasn't been limited to national competitions this year she competed at a competition in Colorado and one in Italy, where she placed second and third respectively.

'In Colorado, I lost to the two-time world silver medallist. I think I surprised a lot of people there and it's good to have that experience internationally. When you go international, you've got to be ready every time you go on the mat. You're not going to get an easy go.'

In Italy, Laverdure lost to a silver medallist from Athens, who is also a Canadian. But, she said, she felt like she was getting closer to Olympic-calibre, so it was a successful match for her despite the loss.

The biggest competition of her season is just around the corner, when the senior Canadian championships will be held. While she always hopes to win, she's trying to set realistic goals, since her competitor from Italy is still number one in their age group.

'I'm not at the same level as her yet, but it's getting closer and closer. It may not be this competition that I beat her, but it could be in two months or three months. You never know when the tables will turn.'

Depending on her results at nationals, Laverdure may attend a couple competitions outside of Canada in the summer, with the Canada Cup for sure scheduled back at home in July.

This week, she will be honoured with an award of merit for her accomplishments at the U of C athletics banquet. She's also nominated for the university's athlete of the year.

'It feels good, but at the same time, you get a little bit nervous because you kind of start comparing yourself to the other athletes. And you can't do that, because they're completely different sports.

'You don't need the recognition, but it feels good when you get it.'

Laverdure said she couldn't have done any of it without the support she's received from both her parents and the community of Watson Lake. She recalled the time she was headed for the world junior championships and Canada wasn't paying for the trip, so she turned to the community for help. They held a fundraiser and she was able to go.

It's because of that support the young athlete returns home for a visit whenever possible, although in sports it can be difficult.

'If you don't make a team for an event, you might get two weeks off. But then if your teammate makes it, you need to be out there helping them. You can't ever really plan what you're going to do in advance.'

Last year, Laverdure was able to come home for four days around Christmas, and she got two weeks off from training in the summer because her coaches were in Athens.

She's also hoping to come back home this summer, and she's always trying to think of ways to give back to her community.

She's actually been writing letters to Yukon politicians in hopes of getting more funding so that more kids in the communities can play sports something she knows firsthand can get very expensive.

'They need more things going on in the communities, things for the kids to do,' she stated. 'In Watson Lake, they have that huge rec centre and not much going on at it.

'It's expensive to play sports, but I know there's got to be more funding out there somewhere.'

While she can't help out financially herself, Laverdure would like to spend more time at home talking to the local youth about making the right decisions and getting involved in sports she did a presentation on aboriginal youth involvement in sport in front of a university class last week.

'I know it's hard when you're from a small community, but if the support system is there, you can do anything,' she said. 'Sometimes, you're sacrificing things, but what you get out of it in the end outweighs it. You just need to find something you love and work at it.

'I was having a tough time in high school and I needed some positive things in my life. There just wasn't much to do in Watson Lake, but I always loved sports.'

It was aYukon role model who set Laverdure in motion she always looked up to Erica Sharp, who is now wrestling for the University of Alberta but was a teammate of Laverdure's in Calgary for a few years.

'Erica kicked my ass for some years, I tell you.

'She was a great role model for me. And now, we're actually really good friends.'