Disney World is usually associated with fun and fantasy but sports and tough competition will be on the agenda when 12 athletes from West End Athletic Club fly to Orlando in Florida on Saturday.

The group are currently going through their final paces in preparation for the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) National Championships, starting next Monday at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex.

Club president and coach Clarence Smith said their participation in the six-day meet was primarily for competition exposure though some athletes were capable of being among the medallists.

"Some of them - like Tristan Francis and Kalita Furbert in particular - have been doing very well and have a good chance to be among the winners but we are really taking them for the exposure.

"It's something new. They have gone to the East Coast Invitational for two years and done well but we wanted to expose them to something different," he explained.

The athletes, aged 12 to 18 years-old, are: Darius Burch, Danila Martin, Dennis Martin, Ashleigh Simons, Brittany Pitt, Shellicia McKenzie, Taijuan Talbot, Coyatito Smith, Johnathan Darrell, Antoine Simmons-Wolffe, Kalita Furbert and Tristan Francis.

They will compete against clubs in the AAU region and the Bermudians' involvement in the competition will be historic.

"We will be the first club outside of the region to compete in the AAU National Championships. Other Bermudian clubs have participated in AAU regional meets but the National Championships are a different thing," noted Smith.

His squad have had a long, steady build-up for this meet, from as far back as last September when many of them were competing on the cross-country circuit and into schools' sports and the national championships earlier this year. Lately, members have been training three times weekly at White Hill Field and at the National Sports Complex.

Another coach, Anthony Raynor, club vice-president Lee Tucker and some parents will accompany the contingent which will return home on July 14.

Meanwhile, another West End member will be unavailable for the meet since he is training and competing elsewhere in the United States.

Since early June, Carlo Paynter has been enjoying a stint with the Quicksilver Track Club in Atlanta, Georgia. The 13-year-old has competed in a series of track meets and has qualified for the United States Track and Field (USATF) Region 3 Championships in Virginia in mid-July. He is also competing in the USATF Youth Athletic Championships which began yesterday in Miami, Florida.

"He got this opportunity and we thought it was beneficial. His parents were very supportive so he's off and running. We are hoping we can get a few more athletes to go up to Atlanta next year.

"We have the athletes here and the aim is to develop them and get track and field back on the road in Bermuda," said Smith.