Don?t expect a medal, but don?t be surprised by a bunch of lifetime bests.

That was the message from Bermuda swim coach David Fry on the eve of the Commonwealth Games swimming competition which got underway at the magnificent Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre early today.

Fry, the coach at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, probably knows as much about each member of the Island?s four-strong swim team as anyone.

He works with students Kiera Aitken and Graham Smith on a daily basis, coached Michael O?Connor for close on three years before the Bermudian left Dalhousie, and over the years has also spent considerable time with the senior member of Bermuda?s squad, 25-year-old Ronald Cowen.

And following a four-day coaching camp in Hawaii on the way to Australia, he?s convinced each of his charges can use the Games rivalry to propel them to new personal bests.

In a meet expected to be dominated by the all-conquering Aussies, along with stars from Canada, Great Britain and South Africa, a place in any of the event finals might still be considered too much to ask.

Yet Fry says a spot in the semi-finals ? the last 16 ? is well within all of the Bermudians? reach.

?I think if you asked any of them their goals, they?d say a place in the semis,? said Fry, who oversaw a final training session early yesterday morning.

?And if they do that and swim personal bests along the way, there?s always a chance any of them could make a final.

?It?s going to be tough, but the competition isn?t quite as deep as the Olympics a couple of years ago. There Kiera made the top 30 out of 50 and set a national record. And she?ll be looking to improve on that.?

Aitken set her PB in Athens in the 100 metres backstroke, winning her heat along the way. That event will again be her main focus here in Melbourne, although she?ll also swim the 50 and 200 back as well as the 50 freestyle.

Like Aitken, O?Connor will stick with his original schedule, taking part in the 50 metres backstroke, 50 butterfly and 100 butterfly.

But for Cowen and Smith there are likely to be changes.

Already Cowen, whose name had been pencilled in for seven events, has been scratched from the 100 butterfly and 100 backstroke in order that he can concentrate on his stronger races.

For Smith a bothersome shoulder injury which he feels most while competing in the breaststroke could curtail his activity.

?We don?t want to jeopardise his other two events (200 individual medley and 100 free), so he might have to forego the breaststroke, but that?s a decision we?ll leave until later,? added Fry.

?Of course, he?ll have to swim breast in the medley, but I think he can cope with that.?

Smith is currently entered in both 200 and 100 breaststroke.

From the Hawaiian break, which allowed all four swimmers to train together for the first time in months, Fry said plenty of positives had emerged.

?Unfortunately we weren?t able to use a long-course pool as we would have liked, but the short course facility allowed us to concentrate on things like starts and turns,? explained the coach.

?However, I think far more importantly it broke up the trip to Australia and allowed the swimmers to adjust to the change in time zone and the change in climate far better than if they?d flown straight here.

?It was noticeable how tired they were when they got to Hawaii, but now they?ve arrived here and are a lot fresher than other athletes who are trying to overcome the effects of such a long trip.

?They?ve trained very hard this winter and if they can come up with some lifetime best performances over the next week then you can?t really ask for more than that.?