THE 2009 Caribbean Games would have been ideal for Bermuda's international swimmers.

Richard Goodwin, the national swimming coach, said that while 2008 was an excellent year for the sport with two swimmers competing at the Beijing Olympics this past summer, having more top international meets will only help improve those flying the flag for Bermuda – especially in a sport where it gets harder and harder for small countries to not only get better against the giants of the world but to just stay abreast of the rising standards being set constantly at international meets.

The first Caribbean Games are set to take place in Trinidad this summer and Goodwin said he was disappointed that swimming was not one of the sports chosen.

"We would have loved to compete at the Caribbean Games next year. It is important for our swimmers to be at games like that. You are put on a more even keel when you compete against other Caribbean countries. It is a great way to get your foot on the rung and that is vital for any athlete no matter what the sport. The more exposure they get to international competition the better it is for them. We could have sent down a good sized team to take on the best of the Caribbean. We would have got our younger swimmers involved."

As it is next summer will see some of Bermuda's swimmer compete at the Island Games in Aland off the coast of Finland. And of course Bermuda's top two swimmers – Kiera Aitken and Roy Allen Burch who both competed at the Olympics this year – are expected to race in the FINAWorld Championships in Rome.

"The Island Games are on track and the World Championships in Rome as well. We also have a number of other meets we plan to compete in but the Caribbean Games would have been ideal. We could have taken everyone to one venue," said Goodwin.

One of the first meets Bermuda's young swimmers will be involved in will be the Carifta Games in Aruba in April.

"Carifta is great especially for our young swimmers. It is an early benchmark in the season and a good thing to have to to work to. It involves swimmers from 11 to 17 years old. At this year's Carifta Games we did very well – we won our first gold medals and a lot of young swimmers got some exposure (to international competition). The more exposure our athletes get earlier in their career the better it is for them."

And like all coaches and swimmers in Bermuda, Goodwin is looking forward to when the island finally gets a 50 metre pool at the National Sports Centre – a pool which Government have promised they will be build.

"The ground is supposed to be broken as early as May and we have not heard anything different," said Goodwin.

"We really need it and there is also a hidden asset in that we get many requests (from swim teams in North America) to come here and train.

"They ask, 'how many lanes does you 50 metre pool have?' and we say 'sorry, we only have a six lane 25 metre pool'. And then they say 'let us know when you have a 50 metre pool and the we will come'."

One of Bermuda's rising stars is Julian Fletcher and it was he who managed to win the two gold medals this year at Carifta. He also managed to break the 50-metres breaststroke record in a time of 31.05.

And then later in the year Fletcher came within a whisker of breaking his own record again in the 50 breaststroke when he competed at the Commonwealth Youth Games in Pune, India.

Fletcher recorded 31.12 seconds to place 10th in the event.

Also representing Bermuda in India was Rebecca Heyliger.

"Julian is improving in leaps and bounds and the expectation and hope is to see where that goes," said Goodwin adding that many of Bermuda's young swimmers leave the island for schools which have excellent swimming programmes.

"We can only do so much here," he said adding, "we are very happy with this past year. We have accomplished a lot and hope that trend can continue in the face of rising standards. It is has been a good year – we are pleased with what we have seen. But it takes so much just to maintain our pace. We are seeing world records broken all year round."

In fact recently at at the Short Course Championships in Croatia and the French National Championships there were "probably 10 to 12 world records set over two weekends".

Goodwin said: "Ben Smith (assistant national coach) and I joke when we see each other every week at training. We ask each other 'how many world records were set this weekend? Only two. It must have been a slow weekend.' That is how it is these days.

"People are going so fast early in the season and it is all dollar driven – that provides intense competition. Sometimes you have to wonder what is going on."

Goodwin believes that one of the reasons swimmers have been breaking world records so much recently is the new swim suits.

Now FINA may enact controls on the high-tech swim suits when they meet in March in Dubai..

nd there can be no question that the high-tech suits have greatly contributed to the new world records. There have amazingly been 100 world records set this year.

Goodwin said he was angry at the US swim authorities who have been pushing for a second look at the suits.

"It is very interesting. The fact is that there has been intense hypocrasy from the US who are pushing for a reversal use of these suits."