In what may be a sign of how far the Yukon has come in the last few years on the sports scene, three athletes will represent the territory at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, Australia in March.

Cyclist Zach Bell and weightlifter Emily Quarton are the two latest local athletes to book their flights to Melbourne, joining weightlifter Jeane Lassen. Bell was informed of his good news last Tuesday.

'It was well-known that there was at least one endurance men's track spot open since November,' Bell said, in an interview from Kingston, Ont., where he is currently training. '(The Canadian Cycling Association has) just kind of been dangling it as a carrot in front of those of us fighting for it.'

Bell said the CCA kept pushing back the deadline to fill the final spot until last week, at the World Cup race in Los Angeles. That's where Bell had what he believes was his best international performance to date. It wasn't enough to qualify him for the world championships, but it was enough to get him a spot in the Games.

Bell posted personal bests in almost every event, finishing 13th in the pursuit, and qualifying for the finals in both the madison and scratch races. Those results put him in the top half of the field overall.

'For me, that was a pretty big deal. I knew I'd done everything I could do. It was in the committee's hands. It definitely felt good to get the news (that he made it).

'After the way I performed, I was as confident as I ever have been that I would get the spot.'

While the Commonwealth Games may not be as strong as a world championship in some sports, because the best countries are not in the Commonwealth, that doesn't ring true in cycling. For track racing especially, said Bell, the Commonwealth countries are the strongest in the world. So the calibre of competition in Melbourne should be 'pretty on par with what you would see at worlds.'

'There's going to be a lot of really strong teams on the track for sure. On the road, I'm not so sure. They'll be stronger teams than in North America, but track will be toughest. It will be interesting to see all the highest level guys in one place.

'Still, it's not going to be a big gap. We're right there. We can steal a lot of things.'

Before the Commonwealth Games, Bell will also compete in the final World Cup race, which will take place two weeks prior to the Games in Sydney. He'll stay in Kingston until Feb. 10, then head to Richmond, Virginia to begin training with his new road team.

Rite-Aid Racing, presented by Snow Valley, signed a new deal with Bell just before the Christmas holidays.

'I contacted them more out of curiosity than anything,' he explained, adding he found out they have a better program and better races on their schedule than his previous team Jet Fuel.

Based in the Virginia area, Rite-Aid's competition calendar has a heavy focus on the North American race circuit rather than the ones in Europe, which Bell feels will be a huge benefit.

'It's a new direction for me that will keep me motivated. It provides more opportunity for results and just general exposure to some of the bigger teams.'

Bell will train with a his new teammates for a couple of weeks before heading to Sydney Feb. 24 to start track preparation in advance of the World Cup.

While he knows the Commonwealth Games will be a great experience, his most important goal for this season and the one to follow is to qualify for the world championships. Qualifying for worlds is based on a points system, and while it's hard to say exactly, any rider who places in the top eight is basically guaranteed a spot, explained Bell. And any time you place in the top 12, you pick up big points.

'The Games will be awesome for experience and racing, but in terms of advancing toward the Olympics, it doesn't really do anything. It's just kind of a bonus. So getting points at Sydney is the most important and immediate goal right now. I think it's doable in all of my races right now, but the primary focus is to do well in the madison.

'It's the only one I can achieve carding (elite-athlete funding from the Canadian government) in.'

Last year, the majority of participants in the world championships didn't qualify until the final World Cup race, Bell pointed out. Historically, it's the best opportunity, so he and his coaching staff are optimistic. A lot of the outcome will depend on how strong the teams from the rest of the world are, in advance of the Commonwealths. Some of the Commonwealth countries may choose to sit it out, preferring to have their best athletes in Melbourne especially if they've already qualified for the world championships.

'Still, I think even if they do send strong teams, we'll have a good chance to qualify.'

While Bell sets his sights on Sydney and prepares for a training session in Virginia, Quarton will stick to Montreal until it's time to leave for Melbourne.

The Yukon weightlifter successfully secured her place on the Canadian weightlifting team for the Commonwealth Games following a competition in Quebec on Dec. 18. Before the competition, Quarton was in line for the sixth and final spot on the team, but had to wait to see if anyone else improved their results by a wide-enough margin to bump her out.

'There was a few people that had a chance at making the team,' she explained. 'So after I finished lifting, I had to wait to find out whether or not I was in. It was definitely stressful.

'I had four competitions between Oct. 29 and Dec. 18, so I didn't really lift my best (at the final competition). I just really wanted to be done and come home for the Christmas holidays. But I still put in what I needed. It worked out well.'

After the qualifier, Quarton returned home and took some time off training to deal with a thumb injury. Now, she's training seven days a week until she leaves on Mar. 12.

'I don't think I'm going to change much (in training) because what I was doing seemed to work.'

This will be Quarton's first trip to Commonwealths, although she has competed at junior world championships in the past. While she doesn't have any specific goals in mind, she wants to enjoy the experience and hopefully have a consistent competition.

'I'd also like to get some personal bests. If the training keeps going as it is right now, there's no reason that shouldn't happen.'

Following Commonwealths, Quarton will looks to either the Pan American championships in May or the Canadian championships, which will take place at the same time. She'll compete in either one or the other, depending on whether or not she qualifies for Pan Ams. The Commonwealth Games will be a qualifier.

While Quarton worked very hard to secure her spot on the team for Commonwealths, more work is ahead in the next month financially, as her position on the team is self-funded, which means she had to raise the funds to get herself to Melbourne.

Anyone interested in helping out can contact Moira Lassen at Sport Yukon.

'We just started (looking for funding) last week, but so far, the response has been great,' said Quarton.

Meanwhile, Lassen, who moved back to Montreal to continue her training after Christmas, is planning to travel to Melbourne a few weeks in advance, in order to get acclimatized prior to the competiton.