The Yukon's many talented youth athletes finally got to head to the Arctic Winter Games this week after months of preparation.

The weekend started off with a pep rally at F.H. Collins to gather the entire team together in familiar territory for one last celebration.

Athletes were treated to cultural presentations and more, before they took the trip down to Grande Prairie for a week of sports and athletics.

On Sunday night, Team Yukon was led into the Games by Erin Oliver-Beebe, who was selected as the team's flag bearer.

While Oliver-Beebe was not present for the pep rally, she met the team in Grande Prairie after competing in the Ski Biathlon National Championships in Canmore, Alta. last week.

Oliver-Beebe was chosen based on her dedication to biathlon.

She has been competing in the sport for the past four years in the Yukon, and has had a number of successes.

She won gold and bronze at the 2008 Arctic Winter Games in Yellowknife, gold and bronze at the Canadian Western Championships in 2009, gold and silver at the 2010 Calforex Cup, gold medal at the 2010 Yukon Cross Country Ski Championships, a gold in the 2010 Biathlon Yukon Championships and was a participant at the 2009 National Championships.

Oliver-Beebe cross trains by roller-skiing and biking.

She has been a member of the Biathlon Yukon team for the Klondike International Bike Relay for the past three years.

Following Oliver-Beebe's flag in the second half of the show, the team entered and was treated to entertainment and had the chance to watch the 21st Arctic Winter Games Opening Ceremonies with over 2,000 athletes from all over the northern world.

Today the games started off with junior female hockey.

Team Alberta North took on Team Nunavut to start things off.

Team Yukon saw their first competition, with the girls and boys dominating in the snowshoe event.

Kieran Halliday took first place in the 2.5-kilometre juvenile male category with a time of 11:36.43.

Fellow Yukoner Aidan Bradley came in fourth with a time of 13:03.52.

Sara Burke-Forsyth came first n the same distance in the juvenile female division with her time of 13:54.27.

Coming in third was Galena Roots, another Team Yukon member with a time of 14:58.55.

In the 5-km distance, Logan Roots was second in the junior male category with a time of 22:09.02.

In the junior female category, Nahanni Dyes was fourth with a time of 30:00.05.

In the 777-metre individual junior female speed skating, Kathryn Fortune was first in her heat with a time of 1:34.40.

Hanna Wirth also led her heat with a time of 1:31.53. Daryn Lovell moved onto the semi-finals in the juvenile male category with his time of 1:27.62.

In the 1,000-m junior female category, Heather Clarke came first in her heat with a time of 1:52.49.

Emily Klassen placed third in her heat with a time of 1:56.84. Both moved on to the semi-finals.

In the junior female 5-km snowshoe biathlon, Aven Knutson and Anna Jacobsen were third and fourth respectively, with their times of 57:41 and 58:22.

More information on Team Yukon's events can be found at www.awg2010.org. Events are ongoing throughout the day.