Graham and Emily Nishikawa have both had a breakout year.

And it's paid off – the Whitehorse siblings cracked the senior national team, Cross Country Canada announced Monday.

Emily is the first female Yukon skier to be named to the senior team since Lucy Steele, who was on the squad from 1988-1997. Graham will undergo his second stint on the senior team after becoming the first Yukon male named to the group in 2005.

"I had a few off years and a little bit of struggling to work my way up internationally,” Graham told the Star. "This was a pretty big breakout year again, so getting named is always an honour to represent Canada. I'm super happy, because there were some years where it wasn't working out well and I was struggling quite a bit.”

He attributes those off years – which culminated with his narrowly missing out on the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver – to over-training, a symptom of the rough road to becoming an international skier.

"It's not always super smooth and upwards. One year I over-trained quite a bit and it took me another year to come back.”

The 27-year-old followed up that disappointment with a stellar 2010-2011 season which included five Nor-Am Cup wins and the overall championship, as well as breaking into the top 30 at the World Cup in Sweden.

"That's been one of my goals for a long time,” Graham said.

"It took a couple years of learning how much training I can handle, and also how to put the race together on the right day. That seemed to take a little time to figure out, finding my top form for the main events.”

Emily's also starting to figure it out.

In March, she won gold with Janelle Greer in the open female sprint and a national championship in the skate ski at the Haywood Ski Nationals in Canmore, Alta.; not to mention three medals at the Canada Winter Games in Halifax, N.S., in February, and grabbing Canada's best results in the U23 championshps in Estonia in January.

"I'm honoured to get named to the team,” said Emily, who was named to the junior national team three seasons ago.

"It's been a goal of mine ever since I was a kid, so I'm just really excited.

"This has definitely been my best season ever. I'm happy all my hard work paid off, and I'm looking forward to more results next year.”

She said having her brother on the team is a bonus.

"It's great having him around, especially being on the same team, because he's always giving advice. It's good to have that,” Emily said.

For the upcoming season, the 21-year-old will focus on the World U23 Championships, and will have the chance to train with Canada's best, Chandra Crawford and Dasha Gaiazova.

"That's a great opportunity for me, to go to camps with them, learn the ropes,” she said.

Graham will get the same chance.

He will get to train with Canada's top skiers, Devon Kershaw and Alex Harvey – who became the first Canadians to win gold at the Nordic Skiing World Championships – and Ivan Babikov.

Looks like being based in Canmore, Alta., has its perks.

"We're all really good friends, and I've been training with them quite a bit and traveling off-and-on with them on the World Cup, so I do know them quite well,” Graham said. "This year they had a breakout year and put Canada on the map in skiing, so I'm really looking to solidify myself as the fourth man on the team for the relays and just being with them on the World Cup, feeding off their success.

"They're the best in the world most days. Just being able to go the speed and following them sometimes and trying to beat them in intervals feels good, gives you self confidence, because you know these guys are the best in the world.”

Among the best are three Whitehorse skiers named to the junior national team for the second year: Dahria Beatty, Janelle Greer and Knute Johnsgaard.

Added Graham:

"I think it's a testament to Alain Masson, who's the head coach, and he's set up with a lot of good volunteers, an amazing development system for young skiers who start in junior high. Three is an incredible amount, plus Emily and I, so that's five people from one town. It's a great development system and it seems to be working well.”