The Bermuda Track and Field Association?s (BTFA) stringent policy about potential CARIFTA Games athletes is about to be tested.

Mid-Island Striders club intend to approach the national athletics governing body about having at least one of their athletes ? if not more ? admitted to the national training squad which is preparing for the annual, regional junior championships here in Easter.

Whitney Matthew ? a 400-metre runner ? attained the CARIFTA qualifying standard last weekend in New York and Mid-Island coaches will be pressing for her inclusion in Bermuda?s team.

In addition, coach Renalda Swan disclosed the club will be seeking to have other of its athletes who are ?knocking on the door? of CARIFTA qualification join the national programme from next Monday.

?We will submit her name (Matthew) as someone who has qualified ? along with a letter ? stating that as of March 1 she and other team members will be available to start training with the national squad at the stadium.

?We will officially approach them (BTFA) about taking our athletes on. At that point, it will be up to the BTFA to decide what they want to do. Our athletes are ready, willing and able to compete.?

However, the club may find themselves up against a brick wall given that the BTFA?s deadline for athletes to join the training programme was last December 15.

Back then national coach Gerry Swan was adamant that regulations for being considered for CARIFTA selection were virtually iron-clad and that anyone not signing up by the stipulated date would have to give ?a very good reason to the (BTFA) directors to explain why they didn?t start at the time they should have started?.

BTFA president Judy Simmons last night offered ?no comment? on the matter.

?That?s a decision the Board would have to make... until we see something from them in writing I cannot comment on anything,? she said.

Despite flouting the BFTA?s policy, Mid-Island believe they have made their point and are not interested in any showdown over CARIFTA.

?We?ve made all the noise we want to make and our athletes are doing what they have to do. They are in good spirits and morale is high. If the BTFA includes them in CARIFTA ? fantastic ? if they don?t, well, that?s their loss and we?ll continue doing what we?re doing,? noted Swan, lauding the performances of Mid-Island athletes at last weekend?s National Hall of Fame High School Classic.

Competing at the Armory Track and Field Center, Matthew placed tenth out of about 20 girls in the 400 metres, setting a personal best of 58.23 seconds.

?She was up against girls much older than herself. She was the youngest person in that field and she did very well,? said her coach.

Matthew, 14, then combined with Chianne Smith, Melissa Clarke and Joella Foster to clock one minute, 46.37 seconds in the 4x200-metre relay; an improvement of 1.6 seconds on their effort two months ago.

?As far as we know it?s the fastest time ever run by four Bermudians together indoors which would automatically be a Bermuda record if submitted and this was only their second time ever competing indoors,? noted Swan.

Thanks to this showing, the quartet have qualified for a major event ? the National Scholastic Meet ? at the same venue next month.

?Some of the best in the country will be at that competition,? said Swan. ?If we can find a sponsor to help us out we will take the girls back up there. They have done well and they have earned it.?