Five young gymnasts and their coach Mandi Baughman returned to Bermuda this week after a superb display at the St. Patrick's Gymnastics Invitational at the Raleigh School of Gymnastics in Raleigh, North Carolina.

And the highlight was when nine-year-old Tais Burgess-Allen finished her routine on the beam.

When the nine-year-old gymnast landed her front flip dismount off the beam, coach Baughman knew the routine would bring in a huge score. But when the judges flashed a 9.8, just a fraction of a point away from the perfect 10, she was shocked.

"I've never seen such a high score posted in junior competition. It made all of our girls see that with hard work, attention to detail, and confidence, anything is possible," said the coach of Burgess-Allen's gold medal performance.

While Burgess-Allen has competed for Bermuda abroad before, it was the first overseas competition for nine-year-old Ava Marshall and eight-year-old Anah Lightbourne.

They joined Jadaizha Washington, nine, in the "Rookie" level.

The high score for the group came from Washington on the vault with an 8.95 – good for fifth place in her age group. Lightbourne earned second on the vault (8.8), third on the bars (8.8), and third on the floor (8.775), along with third place in the all-around with a 32.775 .

Marshall and Washington were also awarded for their all-around efforts, earning fifth with a 33.225 and ninth place with a 32.975 respectively.

Later on in the competition nine-year-old Tomei Talbot joined Burgess-Allen in the "Premier" level competition.

Talbot earned a fifth place medal in the all-around for her 31.375 total and also impressed coach Baughman with the new skills she unveiled on vault, floor and the balance beam.

Burgess-Allen added a gold medal on the floor with a 9.225 and a fourth place medal in the all-around (34.05) to add to her victory on the balance beam.

The Bermuda team were cheered on by a lively group of family and friends, including two former Bermuda Gymnastics Association staff members, Melissa Bigsby and Michelle Strenk, who are both living and coaching the sport in the region.

Coach Baughman said: "The girls left North Carolina in high spirits, proudly wearing their medals through the Bermuda airport. They are now ready to get back into the gym to prepare for their next endeavor, an in-house competition to be held in St. Davids on May 1."

The meet will also serve as a fundraiser for the team gymnasts, who are hoping to raise $2000 for new team tracksuits, and will be open to the public.