Bermuda will send a team for the first time to the Carifta swimming championships next month with medals on their minds.

The nine youngsters will compete in 57 individual and four relay events between them at the competition in Curacao in the first week of April.

Bermuda have never competed in the event before but now their swimming calendar has been altered to a September to August programme, coach Richard Goodwin feels the young stars of the pool will be able to compete.

“We didn't use to swim through the winter, so the competition was always at the wrong time of year for us,” said Goodwin, who has taken two teams to the tiny Caribbean island before, in 1990 and 2002, where medals of all hues were collected.

“But when we changed to the new calendar two years ago, the competition became a possibility and we feel our swimmers are going to be ready.

“To a certain extent we are heading into unknown territory having never competed in the competition before, but our swimmers have come up against some of their competitors before in other regional events so there is some prior knowledge.”

The team of Catriona Brewer, Eleanor Gardner, Rebecca Heyliger, Lara Loescher, Rebecca Sharpe, Nicole Yearwood, Jason Mastalir and Nick Thomson have all competed internationally before while Martin Danielak, the oldest squad member at 16, makes his first appearance for his country.

“I don't want to make any predictions about numbers of medals,” continued Goodwin.

“But I expect us to do well and be competitive although it is still early in our season. Some of the swimmers are moving up age groups so it will be interesting to hear how they progress.

“Curacao has been a good venue for us before and we have done well so we are hoping for more of the same.”

Unlike the Carifta athletics event, held in Bermuda last year and in Tobago this time around, the swimming is competed for over three age categories, 11&12, 13&14 and 15 to 17.