Bermuda’s national gymnastics team are preparing to take part in the largest women’s gymnastics meet in the world.The nine strong squad are heading to Chicago next month for the IGI Chicago Style Gymnastics Invitational.The event, which runs between February 11 and 13, not only attracts thousands of gymnasts but also a raft of US college scouts.Morgan Beckles, who represented the Island at the CAC Games last summer, will skipper the Bermuda team and has already fallen under the radar of a number of scouts.“Morgan Beckles is a sophomore and in the process of getting seen by college coaches,” said coach Mandi Baughman.“We hope she will continue gymnastics at the collegiate/scholarship level, perhaps the first Bermudian to do so in a long time.“So it’s an important event for her in particular.”Several 9-12 year-olds will also be competing in the “Windy City”, said Baughman, who is hoping for some top performances from Bermuda’s junior gymnasts.“The junior girls we have attending are our hot shots in the gym,” she said. “They are all super talented, strong, and spunky.“It’s a group of seven 9-12 year olds who have been training together for quite a while and make a great team.“We really want to get them into big meets like this Chicago one to prepare them for even larger international events in the future.”Baughman said Bermuda’s gymnastics team had already started getting ready for this summer’s Island Games which will be held in the Isle of Wight.“We have also already begun our training for Island Games this summer.“We have the necessary routines and requirements posted in the gym and the girls understand how high our expectations will be of the team chosen to travel.“Plus we are in the process of fundraising for Island Games so that all of our qualified athletes will be able to attend.”The team have already made a largely siccessful start to their competitive season, having performed well at the ‘Christmas on the Chesapeake’ Gymnastics Invitational in Baltimore in December.Then, Beckles posted a 9.1 to finish second on the vaulting, while team mate Tabytha Hofheins finished sixth with an 8.65 after her new routine on the floor.Other members of the team who are travelling to Chicago, and also competed in Baltimore include the likes of Danielle Wall, and Zekiah Lewis, who was the Island’s top allrounder last time out.Bermuda’s team for the Chicago Invitational: Morgan Beckles (15, BHS), Tabytha Hofheins (13, Warwick Academy), Sydney Mason (12, BHS), Zantae Dill (12, Saltus), Danielle Wall (11, BHS), Clara James (11, BHS), Sadia Wilson (10, BHS), Tais Burgess-Allen (10, Harrington Sound), Zekiah Lewis (10, West Pembroke).