TWO Bermuda gymnasts got the perfect preparation for this weekend's Crown of the Carolinas meet ¿ personal coaching from legend Bela Karolyi.

Karolyi, who coached gymnastics trailblazer Nadia Comaneci to five Olympic medals put Bermuda High School student Morgan Beckles, 13, and Warwick Academy student Tabytha Hofheins, 11, through their paces over four days.

The pair traveled with coach Mandi Baughman last week to the famous Karolyi Gymnastics Ranch in Houston, Texas to take part in the Pan American Gymnastics Union (PAGU) annual training camp.

The girls had the chance to work with several other elite coaches and members of the USA Gymnastics National Staff, including Olympic coaches Mihai Brestyan and Steve Rybacki and USA national team coordinator Martha Karolyi.

The training camp serves as an opportunity for the Pan American nations to share the latest gymnastics information and training techniques in hopes of improving performances in international competitions.

Bermuda Gymnastics Association head Coach Tina Williams said: "It was hard training, they did two three-hour slots a day. There aren't a lot of kids in the groups so they are working non-stop.

"It is quite a tough camp but coach Mandi Baughman had no complaints about our girls and said they worked really hard.

"They listened to the coaches, some of them were hard to understand, but the girls were excellent and got a lot out of it."

The girls also enjoyed meeting fellow gymnasts from all over the world ¿ other countries participating in the camp were the hosts the US, Argentina, Brazil, Peru, Mexico, Venezuela, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Canada, Colombia, Panama, Trinidad, Costa Rico, and El Salvador.

Williams said the pair put all their effort on bar skills used by Olympic athletes, although some of them take up to two years to perfect and perform.

They also got in plenty of conditioning and strength work but there was little time to rest with the duo going straight back into training earlier this week in preparation for the Crown of the Carolinas meet in Rock Hill, South Carolina where they will compete against 30 teams from all over the US.

A dozen Bermuda girls flew out yesterday with Williams confident they can put on a good showing.

"We are aiming to put in as many new skills and big tricks as we can ¿ more of the difficult ones. That's our focus."

The girls put in a good showing at a similar meet in North Carolina at the beginning of the year said Williams.

"We did very well. The kids worked so hard during the summer ¿ doing full-day training for five days a week for ten weeks but we felt like there was nothing for them at the end of it. So we found this meet and they get a chance to perform new routines they learned over the summer."

But it is the first time the Bermuda squad has gone to the South Carolina meet.

"I have no idea what the standard will be because they have just changed the rules which they didn't tell us about ¿ but we are used to this. Everywhere we go the rules are different. We are now changing our routines."

The team: Morgan Beckles BHS, Rosie Finnigan BHS, Morgan Cleave BHS, Tabytha Hofheins Warwick Academy, Corey Ford Warwick Academy, Danielle Wall BHS, Clara James BHS, Samantha Soares Warwick Academy, Amy Outerbridge Warwick Academy, Zekiah Lewis West Pembroke, Zantae Dill Saltus, Sydney Mason West Pembroke.