Yukon cross-country skiers Graham Nishikawa and Brittany Greer have been recognized and rewarded for their strong performances this past ski season by Cross Country Canada, the national sport governing body for cross-country skiing.

For the second year in a row, Nishikawa will be a member of the National Development Squad. This past winter Nishikawa competed in a number of high-level competitions, including a sixth place overall at the national championships in New Brunswick in March 2004.

With the recent closure of the national training centre in Canmore, Alberta, Nishikawa will move to the Pierre Harvey national training centre in Quebec. Last year's head coach at the Canmore centre is now part of the national ski team.

Yukon Ski Team coach Alain Masson said the move to Quebec will be good for Nishikawa's skiing.

'The training centre there is well-organized with good coaches,' he stated in an interview this morning. 'He could have stayed in Canmore and trained with other coaches, but I thought it was much better for him to stay with the national training centre.'

There is also a training centre in Ontario, but since most of the season's ski races tend to be on the West coast or in Quebec and Eastern Canada, Masson said the move to Quebec made more sense.

'At least for all of the races there he can drive,' the coach said. 'It makes it a lot more affordable for travel.

'And this year, most of the important races, like qualifying for the world championship team, will be held in Quebec at the sight of the training centre.'

Greer has been selected to the National Junior Talent Squad for 2004/2005. The squad is almost like a Junior B team, or a development team, for the national junior female team, which is comprised of just two women this year.

While an unusually large number of athletes across the country made the basic qualification standards for the talent squad, only seven athletes have been selected to take part in a National Ski Team junior training camp in July.

Greer's consistent high placings in such meets as the Arctic Winter Games (four gold) and the canadian national championships (third overall) moved her ahead of the pack to get the nod for the national honor the first time she's received it.

'It means she's been identified as one of the next best junior female skiers in the country,' said Masson.

Greer will graduate from high school this summer, and will be leaving the Yukon for Alaska, where she will ski and study at the University of Alaska Anchorage. Masson said the university has a very strong ski program and a number of Yukon skiers have gone there as well as Fairbanks over the past several years.

'They have good coaches, a good ski club and a really strong ski community,' he said.

Once in Anchorage, Greer's goal is to compete for the university in the NCAA races, which fortunately for the Yukon and for Canada doesn't mean she can't still compete nationally at home.

'You can both,' said Masson. 'You can't do a lot of races in Canada, but you can at least usually do something like the national championships, depending on scheduling.'

The coach believes that based on past results, Greer should have a fairly good chance of competing in the NCAA.

'She's still young,' he pointed out. 'Her first year will be very challenging because she will be competing in an open category, with women ranging from 18 to 25, 30.'

Both Greer and Nishikawa are members of the Yukon Ski Team's Red Squad, and after their performances this season, Masson said it was no surprise to anyone they were recognized nationally.

'We are extremely pleased that these talented athletes are receiving national recognition', said Cross Country Yukon president Claude Chabot in a statement. 'Brittany and Graham both work incredibly hard and it has paid off for them.'

Meanwhile, the rest of the Yukon ski squad is back at work, training for the new season after taking a couple of weeks off. Their first race of the season will probably be in Alaska in early November, said Masson, if there is sufficient snow.

With Greer about to leave the territory, and Nishikawa already gone, the coach is hopeful some young skiers will eventually fill their shoes.

'We have lots of young talented athletes,' he said. 'But it's hard to tell right now, we need a few more years before we will know for sure.'