typical gymnastics meet.

When the 200 or so young gymnasts from Canada, United States and Britain compete next weekend, they will do so not in a university gymnasium but in a resort hotel.

They will also receive crystal trophies as prizes, a "goodie bag'' to die for and take part in such non-gymnastic activities as Dolphin Quest.

But then the Bermuda Triangle Challenge, now in only its second year, never did set out to be just another stop on the never-ending road toward gymnastics success.

"What we want at the end of the day is for this to be a meet they will always remember,'' said meet chairman Craig Christensen. "For a lot of them, most of them, this will be their first trip off the mainland, so we want to make it special for them.'' But the Southampton Princess? Just part of the charm and uniqueness of the event, Christensen said.

"When you're inside a hotel, it provides for far more inter-change of dialogue,'' he said. "It's more of a meeting place than what we see at a regular off-shore meet.'' In most meets, gymnasts stay at a road-side hotel and travel back and forth to the competition. In Bermuda, Christensen, athletes, coaches and parents simply nip down the elevator, where they'll find other athletes, coaches and parents.

This, of course, means the cost of renting out the Atlantic Room at the Princess and the hassle of rolling up the cushioned floor at the BGA's St.

George's facility and transporting it to Southampton, along with their balance beams and uneven bars.

"While it's more effort, it's worth it in terms of what we gain,'' said Christensen.

Just mind the chandeliers.

When you consider that the BGA are also flying in -- and looking after -- eight judges, a meet co-ordinator, a special scoreboard and its operator, the costs grow. Christensen said the BGA will looking at a final tab of close to $70,000, although much of that is subsidised by a half-dozen sponsors.

This is not so much an investment in gymnastics as it is in Bermuda. More than 100 rooms are already booked and the demographics of the 15 teams participating are enough to make even David Dodwell smile.

"This is a way of spreading good relations (and) I think that's the best form of advertising this Island could have,'' Christensen said. "It's more than just a meet.'' The philosophy is apparently working. This year's event features three NCAA Division I teams, an appearance by former US Olympic medallist Dominique Dawes and more than double the number of competitors of last year's inaugural Triangle Challenge.

Christensen concedes the event is now at "virtual capacity.'' Four teams -- Champion Valley of Vermont, Classic Gymnastics and Gymstrada of Virginia and Gym Beez of Pennsylvania -- were here last year. They'll be joined by seven other Eastern US clubs, one from Surrey, England, and another from Montreal, Quebec. Bermuda will be represented by at least one Level Ten athlete, four Level Nines and six Level Eights.

Jenny Wright, who along with Laura Murphy are Bermuda's two Level Ten gymnasts, also attends the University of Maryland and it was unclear which team she would be representing in the tri-meet next Friday against University of New Hampshire and Towson University.

DOMINIQUE DAWES