last year, Bermuda Track and Field Association are confident their 11-strong team can return from this weekend's Carifta Games in Barbados with some tangible rewards.

A year ago at the Games in Grenada, shot-putter Brittney Marshall pulled off a surprise by winning silver in the under-17 division, which proved to be the Island's only medal.

And while national track and field coach Gerry Swan and squad manager Judy Simmons wouldn't make any predictions before this morning's team departure, both will carry high expectations into the Bridgetown meet, which starts on Saturday.

Swan said: "We are going down there with certain expectations, but we are not the only country that has them and that's what makes the competition challenging. But I think we would like to see all of our athletes in the finals.'' Simmons, too, was confident that the 11 athletes would do Bermuda proud.

"Well I do think they will record personal bests,'' she said.

"When you look at what they did pre-Carifta in 2000 combined with their performance at Carifta 2000 against what they are doing now, pre-Carifta 2001, there is a marked improvement in their performances.

"So I think there will be some personal bests recorded in Barbados. I don't like to make predictions about medals, I feel it puts unnecessary pressure on the athletes and what we say to them is what we would like for them to do is their best.'' Simmons noted that some of the athletes last year had come into the national programme straight out of school, pointing out that the majority of those going to Carifta were not from affiliated clubs and had now had two years of training at the national level as opposed to less than a year of training this time last year.

"So with this added experience now, there are expectations that they will be better,'' she added.

The official team: Brittney Marshall (shot, discus), Richard Walcott (800m, 1500m), Henry Talbot (800m, 1500m), Shar-dae Whitter (800m, 1500m), Crystal Hayward (shot, discus), Michelle Trott (100m, 200m), Zindzi Swan (high jump), Gabriel Wilkinson (shot, discus), Danielle Watson (400m, 200m), Tiffany Eatherley (400m, 800m) and Derrick Golding (shot, discus). Gerry Swan (national coach), Judith Simmons (team manager), Dawn Watson (team chaperone).

Barbados bound: Bermuda's young athletes looking for medals at the Carifta Games this weekend are (back, left to right) Henry Talbot, Crystal Hayward, Derrick Golding and (front, left to right) Tracy Watson, Zindzi Swan, Michelle Trott, Shar-dae Whitter, Brittney Marshall and Tiffany Eatherley.