The name Glacier Bears has been synonymous with winning the past three years, especially this season, with 99 club records broken so far.

When you're an athlete, it's easy to get used to the winning and a lot harder when you don't return home with a medal around your neck.

So for Bronwyn Pasloski and Alexandra Gabor, last weekend's Western Canadian championships in Victoria seemed somewhat disappointing, even though both youngsters grabbed a top ten finish and despite the fact they were the youngest two swimmers at the meet ñ� Pasloski is 12 while Gabor is just 11.

'It went pretty OK,' said Pasloski reluctantly. 'I didn't do all that good.'

'I really, really wish I could have done better,' added Gabor. 'Some of my swims weren't good at all.'

While both swimmers said Westerns didn't feel too much different than any other meet, in terms of size and the fact the meet was held in Victoria, they admitted swimming in the 15-and-under category instead of their usual 12-and-under group was somewhat intimidating.

'All of the older people are really, really fast,' said Gabor.

Coach Marek Poplawski pointed out not only were Pasloski and Gabor the youngest swimmers there, but it was their first time at Westerns.

'I knew they could do pretty well, but still questioned how they were going to handle everything,' he said. 'They did excellent, especially Alex in the 1,500 (metre freestyle) and Bronwyn in the 100-m breast. At that competition level, they did extremely well being just 11 and 12 years old and their age group being 15-and-under.'

Gabor agreed the 1,500-m free was her best event, as she picked up a personal best time of 18:14.15 an improvement of nearly 17 seconds off her previous time and finished 10th. While Pasloski's best finish was a sixth in the 100-m breast, her best event was the 200-m IM, where she recorded a time of 2:32.54� nearly two seconds better than her previous time.

Poplawski said it was time for Gabor and Pasloski to be exposed to the older and more experienced swimmers, since they are among the top swimmers in Canada in their age groups.

'Sometimes it's good to get beaten too,' he said. 'It's too easy when you're just winning, winning, winning. When it's getting too easy, you know it's time to move a level up.

'They know they are still good and they are getting better.'

Pasloski and Gabor weren't the only members of the Glacier Bears to attend Westerns last weekend. Marcos Da Silva and Lynsey Pasloski also made the trip south, and for Brazilian exchange student Da Silva, it was his first time at the competition.

'I didn't see him compete at that level before because he wasn't here last year,' said Poplawski. 'I knew he was working hard and doing well, but I knew he could do better too, and he did.'

Da Silva grabbed a bronze medal in the 50-m free, becoming the first male swimmer from the Yukon to medal at a Western championship. The athlete had luck on his side in Victoria, when he slipped into the A final due to Canadian Olympian Rick Say scratching from the race. Da Silva also won the B final in the 100-m free and was 3rd in the B final of the 100-m backstroke.

Poplawski said Da Silva was very excited about the results, since he is hoping to get a scholarship to an American university next fall.

'Those times probably opened a few doors for him, so I'm very happy for him,' said the coach.

Lynsey Pasloski was the veteran out of the Glacier Bears group, having competed at Westerns a couple of times previously. While Pasloski didn't pick up any top ten finishes in the Female 16 & Over category, she was more pleased just to get the experience after a tumultuous past two years.

After some very promising swimming results in 2001 and 2002, Lynsey began fighting illness on a regular basis for two years, which meant disappointing results and missed meets.

'It was just a struggle constantly,' said the swimmer. 'I thought I was better, then I just got sick again and I was doing worse, and I just didn't know why.'

Lynsey decided to take the summer off last year after another illness hit her in March, and it was then she was finally diagnosed with a bacterial lung infection. She was put on various medications and instructed to get a lot of rest.

'I knew I would be able to continue (swimming) if I wanted to,' she said. 'The doctors said I would, I just wasn't supposed to push myself. It's hard when they tell you not to though, because you just want to push.'

Now off the medication, Lynsey said she is feeling much better, although she admitted it was hard to get back into the routine of swimming again.

'It's kind of frustrating at times I guess. You want to see improvement right away, and when that doesn't happen, it can be disappointing sometimes.

'I haven't gotten sick in a long time, which for me I guess is like four months.'

A healthy body and 'a better outlook on the sport' have helped Lynsey pick up a lot of confidence along the way this season. Her first major competition was the AAA championships in B.C. last month, where she did better than she had expected.

'I took a lot of time off so I didn't think I'd do that well. But then I finaled in an event, which was surprising. And I just about medalled. I was just a touch off.'

Lynsey gave a lot of credit to Poplawski, whom she called 'an awesome coach' for helping her with her comeback. She said it's almost like a fresh start.

'In the years before, I swam every single morning and on Tuesday and Thursdays we would go to the gym in the afternoon as well. Right now, we're not doing Tuesday and Thursdays (at the gym). Last year, I think it was too much. It was just over-training. So this year, I think it's a good amount for me.'

Now, Lynsey is looking toward university next fall, where she hopes to swim on a varsity team. She plans on swimming as long as she can competitively.

'I just love it. I don't know what I would do without it. It's nice to be able to come to practice, do well in it and be proud of what you're doing.'

But before she graduates and leaves the territory, the 17-year-old has several more competitions to focus on as a member of the Glacier Bears. The next meet isn't until April, but the Bears will take part in a local training camp during spring break as they prepare for the long-course swimming season.

Poplawski said he will be focusing on both technique and endurance in the camp, components which all three young ladies who went to Westerns agree need work.

'I have a lot of my technique to work on still,' said Lynsey. 'My strokes ... I still have a lot of room for improvement.'

'We definitely need to work on endurance,' added Gabor. 'Some of us really, really died at the end of the races.'

Meanwhile, Yukon swimmer MacKenzie Downing, who was competing for the University of Victoria at Westerns, won a silver medal in the women's open 800-m free and a silver with her teammates in the women's 4x100 medley relay. She also grabbed a bronze medal in the 50-m fly.

Downing gets two days rest and is then off to Edmonton for the Canadian Interuniversity Championships.