They came armed with boatloads of stickers, ready to share stories with local school students and talk to residents about the broad scope of the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver.

The Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games (VANOC) is visiting Whitehorse this week, to observe how the city is preparing to host the 2007 Canada Winter Games. The VANOC visit is part of a pan-Northern tour.

'We are very happy to welcome VANOC to Whitehorse,' said Piers McDonald, president of the 2007 Canada Winter Games Host Society. 'We are proud of all the work we have done to get ready for our Games and hope we can pass on some of our experiences to them.'

On Tuesday, VANOC CEO John Furlong, who was joined by several of the committee's staff members, enjoyed a traditional lunch with the Kwanlin Dun First Nation at the Nakwataku Potlatch House.

From there, Furlong participated in a torch relay event at Elijah Smith Elementary School. Elijah Smith students carried the flags of all 13 provinces and territories, and one student was in charge of carrying the torch.

As the rest of the students and staff sat around the podium in the school's entryway, they listened to an inspirational story from Lara Mussell-Savage, the aboriginal participation specialist who accompanied Furlong on the trip to the North.

Mussell-Savage is a two-time world champion in the sport of ultimate frisbee, and it was the Olympic Games more than 20 years ago that peaked her competitive interest. She was just 10 years old, growing up on a first nation reserve in Chilliwack, B.C., when she tuned in to the 1984 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

'I was watching the Games and was a big fan of gymnastics,' she explained. 'It was the first time I'd seen rhythmic gymnastics on TV and I was fascinated by this sport.

'Lori Fung, a young girl from B.C., won gold. I thought, Could I be like Lori Fung?''

Mussell-Savage immediately told her mom that she wanted to go to the Olympics and the two of them set out some goals for the youngster to achieve if she ever wanted to get there.

She never made it to the Olympics as a gymnast, although she 'became a good gymnast for me'. Mussell-Savage ended up applying the same goals to other aspects of her life, and eventually, became a champion in ultimate frisbee.

'(Goal-setting) taught me how to be a champion,' she told the students. 'There's a champion inside each and every one of you. And it doesn't have to be a champion in sport.'

Following the speeches Furlong also spoke to the school there were a couple of special presentations. The Kwanlin Dun and Elijah Smith school collaborated on a hand-stitched blanket they gave to VANOC as a token of their appreciation for not only the visit, but for what Shirley Dawson called a good relationship with aboriginal people when it comes to the planning for 2010.

The symbol stitched on the front of the blanket resembled the Inukshuk logo which is being used for the Olympics. In return, Furlong presented a framed momento for 2010 to the Elijah Smith school.

'Our job is to share (the 2010 Games) with the whole country, engage Canadian spirit and show people how they can become involved,' stated Furlong, as he spoke with the media prior to a traditional sports demonstration.

'Part of the message here is the door is open. We're hoping people who work on this project here will come and work in Vancouver after. We hope the volunteers will come down, we hope a few athletes from here will make a Canadian team.'

VANOC will be starting volunteer recruitment by the end of this year and will need somewhere from 20,000 to 25,000 volunteers, plus as many as 15,000 involved in the cultural program.

Furlong added, VANOC is also hoping Yukoners will be inspired to become a part of the cultural events at the Olympic Games.

'We're ready to genuinely make these about the whole country.'

Asked how VANOC could benefit from their trip to Whitehorse, in terms of hosting a major sporting event, Furlong said there is always something to learn and watch for. He said putting on a Games of any kind is a logistical challenge that requires an entire community to come together and do it.

'We want to send every Canadian who comes here away with the best experience they've ever had. It has to be about changing lives, touching families, inspiring children.

'Some of the best Olympians have started their rise to stardom at the Canada Games. There are athletes coming to this town who will be the champions of tomorrow. We don't know who they are yet, but we will in a month.'

While in Whitehorse, the VANOC contingent also planned to visit the Yukon Artists at Work Gallery, tour the Athletes' Village and the Canada Games Centre, and meet with the staff and volunteers of the 2007 Canada Winter Games host society.

From Whitehorse, the pan-Northern tour will continue to Yellowknife, N.W.T. and Kugluktuk, NU. For complete tour details, visit www.Vancouver2010.com.

Meanwhile, the 2007 Canada Winter Games Host Society and the Canada Games Council announced earlier this week the launch of two, 30-second Public Service Announcements (PSAs), which will air on television stations across the country to promote the Canada Games movement and upcoming Winter Games in Whitehorse.

The PSAs will be broadcast between Jan. 2 and Feb. 9, and were developed by McDonnell Haynes in conjunction with their northern partners on this campaign, Outcrop Communications.

'The Canada Winter Games is a national competition for our nation's next generation of amateur athletes and future champions. It is also a forum for our young athletes to achieve their personal best and excel in their sport,' said McDonald.

'These PSAs depict every young athlete's dream and the journey they take to become the best they can at their sport.'

The PSAs ask: 'Where does greatness begin?' They pose answers through a montage of visuals that show young children playing hockey and other sports, then shift to images of Canadian athletes who competed at previous Canada Games before winning international acclaim.

They feature various Canadian athletes, such as sprinter Bruny Surin crossing the finish line, Paul Kariya scoring a winning goal and Toller Cranston leaping in a graceful flourish.

At this last major winter Canadian multi-sport event before the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, more than 3,600 Canadian athletes, aged 12 to 18 years old, will compete in 22 sports.

'It is through creative initiatives such as this that the Canada Games will ensure that more people understand the power of sport and the positive impacts the Canada Games have on our society,' said Sue Hylland, president and CEO of the Canada Games Council. 'We invite people across Canada to watch the Games, which will be broadcast on several major networks,' she added.

The 2007 Canada Winter Games will be covered extensively on TSN/RDS, CBC and APTN. The Games will receive more than 140 hours of coverage and will be the most broadcast Games to date.