It was an incredible year in sport for the Yukon, with names like Alexandra Gabor, Bronwyn Pasloski, Graham and Emily Nishikawa, David and Janelle Greer, Owen Munroe and more splashed all over the headlines.

History was made on more than one occasion, from Gabor's two gold medals at the Canada Summer Games, to Munroe's incredible showing in the Special Olympics World Winter Games.

Whitehorse hosted the Stanley Cup and saw the Yukon Quest won by local musher Sebastian Schnuelle, who added a second place finish in the Iditarod a few weeks later.

Athlete after athlete brought back the hardware to the territory, and helped put Yukon athletes on the world stage.

As we all prepare to ring in the New Year, and a new decade, local athletes must have one thing on their minds – how can we top 2009?

The successes of the previous year bode well for another incredible year in sport for the Yukon.

Here is your year in review.

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Whitehorse's cross-country skiers barely had time to celebrate the end of 2008 when they were off to Canmore for the Noram races – to celebrate topping the podium.

David Greer brought home a gold medal in the junior male division after a 15-kilometre free technique. He finished the distance race in 38 minutes, four seconds.

Graham Nishikawa, a 2010 Olympic-hopeful, had a brilliant start to 2009 as well.

He place second in the open mens 15-km free technique race with his time of 36 minutes, 31 seconds.

Janelle Greer won a bronze medal in the junior women's race with a time of 34 minutes, 52 seconds.

Nishikawa made headlines again a few days later with a gold medal in the 30-kilometre race, which was a combination 15-km classic technique, and 15-km free technique race. His achievement scored him a coveted World Cup spot.

Back home in Whitehorse, local ski fans were left without a hill to ride when freezing cold temperatures saw Mount Sima closed for weeks. The hill finally opened on Sunday, Jan. 11 when temperatures rose to a still-cold -26 C. The only other day the hill had been open before, was Christmas Eve 2008.

Newly appointed area manager Guillaume Rochet said it was nice to see people finally on the slopes.

Mount Sima has a cut off temperature of -30 C.

As reported on Jan. 12, former NHL star Morris Lukowich visited Whitehorse to host a hockey camp with Whitehorse Minor Hockey. He offered players an offensive clinic. Lukowich is formerly of the legendary Winnipeg Jets, the L.A. Kings and the Boston Bruins.

Janelle Greer and brother David were back in the news half way through January, as both were selected for the Junior National Ski Team to represent the Yukon at the Junior Cross Country Championships in Praz de Lys, France.

Emily Nishikawa was shocked with the announcement that she won a last-minute spot at a World Cup race for a classic sprint event in Callaghan Valley at the Olympic site.

Oddly high temperatures made for a happy bunch of dogs at the Yukon Brewing Copper Haul Twister league's January race. The dogs that made up 18 teams enjoyed temperatures hovering around 0 C, and Jo Van Randem won the eight-mile race in 58 minutes, 30 seconds, followed by Kyla Boivin in second at 59 minutes in her lead up to the Yukon Quest, and Tony Radford at 59 minutes, 4 seconds.

On the other side of the world, Yukon cyclist Zach Bell took home a silver medal at the Cycling World Cup held in Beijing, China.

Graham Nishikawa managed a 26th placing at the World Cup races in France against the top cross-country skiers in the world.

Whitehorse Midget Mustang goalie Brad Gustafson returned in January from his first practice with the Medicine Hat Tigers of the WHL. Gustafson had signed with the Tigers earlier, but this was his first time skating with the team.

While Yukon Ski Team members brought home the medals in January, the Whitehorse Cross Country Ski Club celebrated the lighting of a few kilometres of trail with a Poker Run and Celebration of Lights on Jan. 21.

The lights were funded by the Community Development Fund and Lotteries Yukon, and added to the trails already available for night skiing. The club opted to use a smaller number of more efficient lights than previously.

The Fulda Challenge Extreme Arctic Winter Adventure series ended in Whitehorse on Jan. 23, and in second place was the Yukon's Jeane Lassen with her teammate Mike McCorkell of Vancouver. Lassen placed third out of the females, and McCorkell was second over the men.

Graham Nishikawa was back in the news to finish off the month of January with a second place finish in a 15-km race at the Noram races held in Rossland, B.C.

The Arctic Edge Skaters were in Aldergrove, B.C. at the end of January for Winterskate 2009, where they brought home three medals.

Rachel Pettitt won a silver in Introductory Interpretive; Kelcy Armstrong won bronze in Pre-Introductory and Bryn Hoffman was awarded a gold medal for her Senior Bronze Skills.

Pettitt and Hoffman's skates qualified them for the Pacific Skate at the B.C. Provincial Star Skate Championships that were held in March.

Hidden Valley Elementary School and Ecole Emilie Tremblay made a little bit of history at the end of January, when they won their first hockey championships at the Elementary Schools of Whitehorse Invitational Hockey Tournament.

February rolled in with the anticipation building for the 2009 Yukon Quest. The month started off with a huge announcement from Special Olympics Yukon, that the legendary Stanley Cup would make a stop in Whitehorse. The announcement spurred a Stanley Cup playoffs-style competition between Whitehorse's elementary schools and they began fund-raising like mad.

The school that raised the most money would get the honour of hosting the trophy. The top fund-raiser would get the honour of having dinner with the Cup, which is usually only reserved for players.

Northwest Territories curler Kerry Galusha and her team earned the right to represent the north at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts Women's Championships for the fifth straight year after beating out the Yukon's Team Hewitt.

Crispin Studer won his second straight Carbon Hill Dog Sled Race 30-mile in a time of two hours, 37 minutes 22 seconds, beating Luc Twedell's second place time of two hours, 42 minutes and 59 seconds and Hugh Neff's two hours, 44 minutes and 46 seconds.

The Yukon Ski Team, tired of the lack of headlines in the first part of February were back at it, with Janelle Greer's 37th place finish in Praz de Lys, France at the World Junior Championships. She was the fastest of four Canadian young women at the event that pitted her against the best rising cross-country skiing stars in the world.

The Polar Games were held Feb. 6. The event drew participants young and old for the 40th anniversary.

The Whitehorse Midget Mustangs swept a series of three exhibition games against the Richmond A2 Blues in mid February.

The year in review, and the month of February, will continue in tomorrow's edition of the Whitehorse Star.