Snowboard Yukon has selected its team for the 2012 Arctic Winter Games in March.

Eleven riders came out to try out for the team on Jan. 22.

After several setbacks due to cold weather, a team of eight was chosen.

"Based on their scores and ranking we invited eight riders back to participate in the selection round,” said Katrina Couch, one of two coaches with Snowboard Yukon.

This year's selections are Adam Waddington, Tim Schirmer, Alidas Jamnicky, Francis Bouffard, Lara Bellon, Haylie Grant and Esa Suominen.

The team will be one of the youngest to ever represent the Yukon, with all of the riders technically falling into the juvenile category.

Jamnicky and Bouffard, however, will compete in the Junior Category this year.

It's a challenge, both are more than ready to take on, she said.

"Alidas is one of our strongest riders,” said Couch. "I have full faith in his ability to compete at that level. Francis is our oldest male rider and we thought he would be the best fit for the older category.”

The team also has two female riders this year.

Bellon represented team Yukon at the 2011 Canada Winter Games in Halifax.

Grant is new to competitive racing, but is already carving out a reputation as a tough competitor.

"Haylie is new, she's progressed a lot and I hope to see big things for her,” said Couch.

"I think we have some very strong riders. Francis and Alidas, for instance are front runners in racing, and we have a good chance with border cross and slalom with some of our riders too,” she said.

Waddington is the most experienced of the team, having ridden competitively for the last two years.

Having chosen the team late in the season, the local snowboarders have little time to sharpen their skills before facing tough international competition.

In preparation for the games, many of the team will be heading to Calgary this weekend to compete in the Alberta series, an annual regional competition.

The event will provide some important half-pipe time for the team, some of whom will be taking to the event for the first time this season.

"Our priority is to get them out training and get better on the half-pipe,” said Couch. "For some of them, this will be their first experience on the half-pipe this season. Many have been looking for more work on the half-pipe, so hopefully this will be a good opportunity for them as far as training goes.”

The riders have also begun extensive training at home.

They have been participating in weekly strength training and gymnastics, including trampoline work, which focuses on flexibility and rotations.

As the AWG approaches, the team has also been taking weekly yoga classes, in addition to an already intense daily riding regimen.

"It's quite a commitment,” said Couch. "We have a lot of back country trails, many of them build their own rails and jumps, they are riding all the time. They are very dedicated.”

Couch is no stranger to intense training herself.

A former competitive rider, Couch competed in the Arctic Winter Games in 2004 in Fort McMurray, Alberta and 2006 in Alaska.

She's been a coach for three years and looks forward to her first year coaching the Arctic Winter Games team.

Her experience has taught her to anticipate intense competition at this year's games.

"Team Alaska and Alberta are especially tough competition,” she said. "They have their teams chosen early and generally have more resources available to them.”

Still she remains confident and says she has big plans for this year's team.

"I am really optimistic,” she said. "The team is really new and young and we have lot of years ahead of us and I look forward to continuing to coach them.”