The road may have already been partially paved for young Yukoners Bronwyn Pasloski and Alexandra Gabor, but that doesn't mean the two swimming sensations aren't making their own way down it.

Thanks to Pasloski's older sister Lynsey and former Whitehorse Glacier Bear Mackenzie Downing, who now swim for the University of Calgary and the University of Victoria respectively, the Yukon has already been a bold point on the map of the swimming world over the past several years.

Lynsey and Downing made the rest of Canada sit up and take notice as high schoolers, winning numerous Western and national medals before passing the torch.

Now, Bronwyn and Gabor are providing an exclamation point.

After making headlines on the age-group scene for the past two seasons, dominating the 12& under, and 13-14 age group events, the two Glacier Bears made their way to the short-course senior nationals in Toronto this past weekend, part of the Bell Grand Prix.

There, they met up with Lynsey and Downing, who were swimming for their university teams.

The Bell Grand Prix, launched earlier in June in Vancouver, was designed to enhance the domestic competitive program and provide Canadian athletes with a competitive environment in which they could excel in their performance.

Members of the Canadian 2007 World Aquatic Championship Swim Team as well as more than 450 top swimmers from across Canada and the U.S. took part in the event.

It was the first senior national event for Bronwyn and she admitted to feeling slightly nervous, considering the competition she was up against.

'It was the biggest competition I've ever done,' said said, following a practice back home in Whitehorse Thursday. 'I was racing with 20-year-olds and some 30-year-old girls.'

Heading to Toronto, Bronwyn was hoping to make one semifinal in a breast stroke event, her strongest area. She would not only do that, but exceed all expectations from herself and head coach Marek Poplawski.

She made the A finals in two events, the 100-metre breast stroke and 200-m breast stroke, finishing seventh and fifth respectively. In the very fast 50-m breast stroke, Bronwyn came 24th.

'It was really great, probably the best meet I've done in my life,' she grinned. 'It was just pretty sweet.

'In my 200-m breast, from my (personal best), I took off a few seconds. It felt so good. I know I can get even faster.'

Gabor, one of the youngest competitors in the event, swam in the tough freestyle events. She placed 22nd in the 200-m free, narrowly missing a berth in the B final, and finished in the top 50 in the 50-, 100- and 400-m free, against seasoned veterans many years her senior.

'The meet was excellent experience for them,' said coach Poplawski. 'They're starting to be more comfortable at that level.'

Poplawski said he expected the two youngsters to do well at the Grand Prix, but wasn't exactly sure where they'd place, since there were so many good swimmers taking part.

'Bronwyn, her swimming in the finals was better than I expected and she took a couple of seconds off. For her first nationals, placing fifth, this was just a fantastic performance.'

'Now, they have to go to more senior meets and make more finals, get better against all the swimmers at the national level.'

Both Bronwyn and Gabor have been more consistent so far this season, added the coach, and are learning the importance of commitment and everyday effort. They're training hard, he said, but once you accomplish one level, it's time to train even harder so you can get to the next level.

'They are 13 and 14 years old, so obviously, the improvement now will be slowing down somewhat,' he explained. 'Because now every second makes a difference. They won't be taking off as much time as before. Now, it's just more about swimming with the seniors.'

With their performances in Toronto, both Bronwyn and Gabor have qualified for the long-course senior nationals in July already. Currently, said the head coach, they hold number one rankings in the country for their age groups, in breast stroke and freestyle, respectively.

Meanwhile, Downing had a three-for-three sweep in the butterfly events at the Bell Grand Prix, grabbing gold in the 50-, 100- and 200-m fly. In the 50- and 100-m fly events, Downing set new B.C. provincial records and was only one half of a second off a new record in the 200-m fly.

After a convincing win in the 100-m event, posting a time of 58.79 seconds, more than a second ahead of her next closest competitor from the U.S., Downing said she was very pleased.

'I had no idea I was going to go that fast this early in the season. It was a great surprise and confidence boost for me. This sets me up well for the rest of the season.'

Downing has already qualified for the senior world championships, which will be held in Melbourne, Australia in March. Her next competitions are the western Canadian championships and the Canadian university championships, both of which are in February.

Lynsey, who is in her second year with U of C, hit the pool for the 50-m free, 100-m free, 200-m free, 50-m fly and 100-m IM. Her best finish was 34th in the 50-m fly. Her next competitions will most likely also be the Westerns and university championships in February.

Bronwyn said it was nice to compete at the same event as her older sister.

'My other sister (Erin) lives in Guelph and she came (to Toronto). Being there with both my sisters really meant a lot to me. It was great to have that family support. I miss them.'

For Bronwyn and Gabor, there won't be much down time prior to their next competition, as approximately 15 members of the Whitehorse Glacier Bears swim club are currently preparing for the Christmas Cracker meet in Victoria next week.

'I want to just go down there and get the same times in my breast stroke events, then work harder on something I haven't done this year, something other than breast stroke,' Bronwyn concluded.