Waterloo, Canada, where they will face the challenge of some of the best swimmers in North America.

Among the Bermuda swimmers taking part in the three-day meet, which gets under way on Friday, are three who have already met the Olympic qualifying standard.

And there are plenty of other would-be Olympians among the talented squad who will be bidding to add their names to those of Jenny Smatt, Geri Mewett and Ian Raynor.

Smatt and Mewett, who are at college overseas, will be meeting up with the Bermuda party in Canada, as will fellow overseas students Trevor Ferguson, Jason Krupp and Mike Cash.

National coach Gareth Davies will be accompanying the squad to Waterloo along with team manager Jim Ferguson and assistant coach and team manager Dawna Ferguson.

Among the young swimmers flying out of Bermuda tomorrow will be the star of the Bermuda Amateur Swimming Association's first Spring Meet held at the BASA Pool on Saturday.

Thirteen-year-old Stephen Fahy qualified for July's CISC Age Group Championships in Trinidad with freestyle performances of 1:00.25 for the 100 metres and 27.79 for the 50 metres.

The other swimmers going to Waterloo are Raynor, Mandy Oatley, Claudia Seymour, Jenny Gosling, Tiffany Gosling, Elisha Miller, Abigail Madeiros, Craig Morbey, Ian Maule, Timmy Furr, Sean Smatt, Trevor Nelson, Matthew Hammond, Stephen Troake, Nicholas van de Weg and Craig Ferguson.

It is hoped that a number of youngsters will qualify for the CISCs during this weekend's meet, when some more qualifying times for Barcelona are also anticipated.

The next opportunity for Bermuda's swimmers to qualify for international events will be at the second Spring Meet at the BASA Pool on May 16.

TIMOTHY FURR.