preparing for the stiff competition they will face in the British Youth Triathlon Championships on Sunday.

The squad is spearheaded by 16-year-old Jonathan Herring, the current Bermuda National Triathlon Champion.

Herring, who last month attended the International Triathlon Union's Solidarity Camp in Hawaii, will be hoping to emulate Tyler Butterfield's performance in the British Youth Championships last year where Butterfield took second place overall.

Butterfield has had to pull out of the team as he is still recovering from a viral infection. The other junior boys on the team are Nick Taylor, the 1998 Junior Triathlon Champion, Brian Steinhoff, Chris Conway, Mark Morrison and Matthew Herring.

All five of the juniors have had top 15 finishes in adult events this year.

Steinhoff (15), after a relatively disappointing start to the season, had an excellent race in the AON National Sprint Championships in July when he finished eighth overall in a time of 1.07.15, with Conway and Taylor also finishing in the top 15.

Morrison has been making a name for himself on the local running scene and will be hoping to use his ability in that discipline to come from behind in Manchester.

The youngest member of the team is Matthew Herring who, at 13, has already made quite an impression in adult races.

Bermuda will also be represented in Manchester by a talented group of girls who are emerging as very exciting prospects.

Ashley Robinson (14) has been in excellent form all season and will be hoping to bounce back from her disappointing finish in the National Sprint Championships when she was kicked in the swim leg and ended up down the field.

Robinson Roberts is a strong all round athlete and should lead Bermuda's challenge.

Robyn Dickinson, who took top honours in the 13-15 division in the AON National Sprint Championships with a fast time of 1.19.05 and Melissa DeSilva and Ashley Kirkpatrick, round out the girl's team.

Traditionally the British Youth Championships, which consist of a 750 metre swim, 20km bike and 5 km run, have attracted a strong junior field -- providing much needed competition for Bermuda's youngsters.

The squad will also have to contend with the changes in time zones and possibly cold conditions. Wet suits in the swim are mandatory with the water temperature hovering around 16 degrees celsius.

From England, the squad will travel to Chicago where they will meet up with 50 other local juniors and parents of the Tri Hedz Bermuda Junior Triathlon Club to compete in the prestigious Mrs T's Chicago Triathlon, a weekend of triathlons that attract over 5,000 triathletes each year.

Bermuda has been well represented at top US Junior Championships in recent years, but this will be the first time that a large contingent has traveled to Europe.

Water babes: Bermuda's young triathletes warm up for the British Junior Championships before leaving the Island for the colder climes of Manchester.