Bermuda young gymnasts again came away with medals from an overseas meet.

Nine athletes travelled to Pottsville, Pennsylvania last weekend to compete in the Friendship Classic Gymnastics Meet which is held annually to give amateur gymnasts from around the world a chance to come together and test their skills.

Bermuda joined the list of 26 countries that have competed in the Classic over the past 12 years.

The Island's senior team made it to the top of the medal podium in the Level 9 division.

Team captain Morgan Beckles, 14 years old, was joined by Rosie Finnigan, 13, Tabytha Hofheins, 12, Morgan Cleave ,12 and they earned the first place trophy in the team competition.

Also earning first place medals were Morgan Beckles on vaulting (9.0) and Tabytha Hofheins on floor (8.9). Beckles also earned third place on bars (8.0) and fourth in the all-around (33.075).

Hofheins rounded out her medal count with silver medals on bars and beam and a silver in the all-around with her 32.775 score.

Morgan Cleave earned her highest finish on floor placing second (8.75) and earned the bronze in the all-around with a 31.650. Notching Bermuda's highest finish on the vault was Rosie Finnigan with an 8.625 for second place.

Competing in the junior level 7 division were 12 year old Sydney Mason, Clara James, 10, Zekiah Lewis, 9, Sadia Wilson, 9, and 10 year old Samantha Soares.

Facing tough competition from several top teams, Bermuda rallied to earn the third place team trophy. Top individual finishes came from Sydney Mason on vaulting with an 8.7 (11th place), Zekiah Lewis on vaulting with an 8.7 (fourth place) and Clara James on balance beam with an 8.6 (eighth place).

The performances of both senior and junior gymnasts impressed head coach Duke Nelligan and assistant coach Mandi Baughman.

Nelligan said: "After almost four months of training I was expecting the girls to be a little rusty! The surprise was how quickly the girls adapted to their surroundings and assumed our competitive character. Morgan, Rosie, Morgan and Tabytha all vaulted very well. Our endurance wasn't up to our expectations but we will take care of that in training. Even with these deficiencies the girls medaled on several events and showed that we are a rising programme. The level seven girls competed as a veteran club and finished third as a team. The surprise was how they fought to stay on beam and were confident performing their new skills."

Next on the gymnasts' agenda are three performances at the Ag Show in two weeks. The girls will show off their flips and twists on Friday (April 16) at 11:30 and Saturday (April 17) at 11:30 and 1 p.m.

Following the exhibition will be an in-house competition to be held on May 1 at 10a.m. This meet will be open to the public and will serve as a fundraiser for the team.