The total number of Yukon dog mushers competing at the 2008 Arctic Winter Games might be down from a couple of years ago, but the teams' dedication and passion for the sport more than make up for it.

Last weekend, four local mushers took part in a two-day Arctic Winter Games trial event that featured one entry in the junior category and three mushers in the juvenile class. Both junior races were 15 km each, while the two juvenile races were each 5 km.

Under the Arctic Winter Games rules, a team may enter as many as four athletes, but the maximum number of individuals per category is two, which meant the person who finished with the slowest combined time from the two days in the juvenile class had to settle for the role of spare. Spares can only attend the games if one of the other two mushers in their category drops out.

'Typically, we will have two kids and a spare in each category, but this year we don't have any kids that are coming out for it,' said Darren Kinvig, one of the organizers of the trials. 'There used to be several families that mushed earlier, but they are all too old to be in the Arctic Winter Games, so this is really the younger one's coming up.'

Mushers born between April 1, 1993 and March 31, 1997 fall under the co-ed juvenile category at the Games, while participants born between April 1, 1988 and March 31, 1993 will compete in the co-ed junior class.

Competitors at the Games will compete in three races. The first is an individual race, which for juveniles will consist of a 7.5 km race, with four dogs, plus a spare; while in junior it will be a 10 km race, with six dogs, plus a spare. The second race will be a team event, which will feature the same distances and amount of dogs for both, but it will combine the finishing times of the two members on each team. The final race for juveniles will be a 10 km race, using all five dogs, while the junior race will be a 13 km race with seven dogs in total. Gold, silver and bronze medals are awarded for each mushing race at the Games.

Eilidh Lucas will be the lone junior representative for the Yukon at the Games. Lucas's total time for both 15 km races was 2:19:37:11.

This year's Games will be special for the Kinvig siblings, who both qualified in the juvenile class. Rachel Kinvig posted the best two-day time of 19:06:64, while her brother, Ben, who won three medals at the previous Arctic Winter Games, came in second with a combined time of 19:30:71. Despite a great second race time of 11:35:85, Jeffrey Diment was unable to qualify for the upcoming Games, finishing in third place.

The purpose of the trials taking place over two days is to provide the mushers an opportunity to get an extra day of race experience as well as take away some of the pressure that are sometimes created with single-day trial events.

Darren Kinvig said despite the lower number of Yukoners mushing at the Games he is confident they will do well.

'We plan on helping each and every team that makes it to be successful,' he said. 'Once the kids make it they have to dedicate their time to training, they don't just make and then put the dogs away. We expect them to bring the best team (of dogs) they can to the Arctic Winter Games.'

He said the races are important for both the mushers and the dogs.

'If you are not out racing how can you go race? It is just like any other event, you have to train for what you are doing and practice what you do,' Kinvig said. 'That is what it is about.'

In preparation for the Games, the team will compete in several races, including one in Fort Nelson, B.C. at the end of December.

Rachel Kinvig has been mushing since she was four years old. She is now 11 and will compete at her first Arctic Winter Games.

Kinvig said she was pleased with her performance at the trials.

'I thought it was great, everybody was working well,' she said 'They were both really good runs.'

She said she is looking forward to competing at the Games and her only goal is to participate and have fun.