unlikely that she would have been contemplating an Commonwealth Games appearance at the age of 22.

In the past, few top competitors would see service beyond their late teens, if that.

But it is testament to improvements in training and preparation for the sport over the last 20 years that the University of Maryland student has a trip to Malaysia in September to aim for with her return to the Island for this weekend's Bermuda Triangle Challenge.

"In the 1970s, strength and conditioning were nasty words. When I broke into the scene 18 years ago, collegiate gymnasts were considered past their time,'' explains her coach at Maryland, Bob Nelligan.

"Training methods have changed. There is much more concentration on strength and conditioning and things like nutrition. Now we do weights three times a week and the skill level has gone through the roof. It means the gymnasts are stronger and can take more wear and tear. "We are seeing a cycle of confidence in the older gymnast. These women are saying: `I've still got some competitive life left in me.'' Wright, who expects to graduate with a degree in business later this year, in fact faces a dual role in the competition, being staged in the ballroom of the Southampton Princess.

Tonight, she is expected to make an appearance for her university in the NCAA competition pitting her team against girls from Towson University and the University of New Hampshire.

Then on Saturday and Sunday, the Level 10 competitor turns her attention to trying to meet that qualifying standard which will enable her to don her tights for Bermuda in Southeast Asia.

And then who knows? Wright admits the 2000 Olympics are "a far off dream'' but Nelligan mentions a 27-year-old mother who competed for Russia at the World University Games in Sicily last year. Wright also competed in that event.

However, if Wright makes it to either of those major competitions, she will have done it the hard way.

Nelligan remembers: "When she came to Maryland she had suffered a serious knee injury in her last year of High School -- she had damaged the cruciate ligament -- and she was not going to be allowed to do gymnastics. It took a year of rehabilitation using weights and cybex machines.

"And although she had good basic skills, the higher difficulty level was not there. If Jenny was going to make it to such things like the World University Games she was going to have to increase her difficulty level.

"To do that significantly at that stage in her career shows a real commitment to the sport.'' As it was, she scored a respectable 29 points at the Sicily meet, doing well on the vault, balance beam and on the floor, where she introduced a new element to her programme. Only on the uneven bars did her excitement get the better of her, causing her to go flying over the top at one point.

"Yes, she was right at the ballpark,'' says Nelligan, who draws on another baseball metaphor to illustrate her all round abilities. "She's my designated hitter. If someone's ill I'm pretty comfortable putting her in anywhere.'' It's a role she seems happy enough with. "All the disciplines are equally important to me, although some need more work than others,'' said Wright, whose family lives in Smith's.

And she's especially happy to be involved with an event such as the Triangle Challenge, which has more than doubled its competitor numbers since last year's one day outing.

"It's a great opportunity for me to bring my team-mates over and show them my home. And it's also a great opportunity for the younger girls on the Island to see the sport at college level,'' she says.

Club action continues Saturday and Sunday at the Southampton Princess.

WELCOME HOME -- Bermuda's Jenny Wright (left) shares a moment with friend Laura Murphy yesterday. Wright, now attending the University of Maryland, and Murphy will both compete in the Bermuda Triangle Challenge beginning tonight.