Bowles hails the next generation of stars!
Friday, March 26, 2010
THEY go to hell and back to get there, but the rewards are most certainly worth
it. It's not overstating anything to say Tonbridge Judo Club is one of the most
successful, and prolific, producers of young sporting talent in the country.
They have just been named a centre of excellence and have no less than 12
current GB or England internationals training at Tonbridge Dojo. That in itself
is an incredible statistic when you consider five years ago the club only had a
couple of players competing at a national level.
Of the present crop Jemima Yeats-Brown (57kg, u16, GB number one), James Martin
(55kg, u20, GB number two), Amelia Cook (48kg, u20, GB number one), Kerry Ford
(63kg, u20, GB number one) and Andrew Panayi (u20, 60kg, GB number one) are all
on the Great Britain high performance squad. And then you throw into the mix the
likes of Enrico Atkinson, George Cullen, Elizabeth Draper, Dean Garlick, Taylor
Bell, James Sparks and Michael Musker.
Head coach Chris Bowles believes several have the ability to be the best in the
world and as an Olympian he speaks with authority. "On Monday night I have them
line up in training. It's incredible – such a buzz. There can't be another
practice like it in the country," Bowles said. "I work them hard," he adds with
a wry smile. "But for them it is just rewards. What do they go through to get to
that elite level? Hell and back a few times. But I don't get a complaint from
any of them.
"Kerry, Amelia, all this high performance five, will go to the European and
World Championships. 2012 should be achievable for Kerry – it's definitely on
the cards. "And whoever goes to 2012, Jemima will be snapping on their heels –
she is that good." Jemima Yeats-Brown will only be 16 when the London Olympics
begin, but then Bowles says his young protégé is a very special talent indeed.
She has just been selected for the European Cadet Championships in Prague and
will be the first Tonbridge player to compete at the prestigious event since a
certain Christopher Bowles way back in 1974. "Because she's bottom of the age
group, she'll have two shots at the Europeans," Bowles revealed. "She's only 14,
but took the Great Britain senior number one to a split decision two weeks ago.
She is a really, really unusual talent – the like of which you only get every
now and then."
Amazingly Tonbridge Judo Club has come in for criticism in the past few months.
Bowles and his coaching team have been accused of pushing the youngsters too
hard, taking the fun out of sport and even poaching players from other clubs.
"We've been quietly going about our business lately," Bowles admitted. "We were
starting to get a name for ourselves as a performance club, but we aren't, we're
a development club. We concentrate a lot on the juniors, the under 12s and under
13s. It's important not to forget where these performance players come from.
"Take Enrico (Atkinson). He's only 12 and will be incredible. He's a strong,
strong kid and training with these (Performance Squad) will only make him
better." Bowles added: "I'm not poaching players. I'm offering something other
players are really interested in. Why should you not have the right opportunity
to further your career and maybe become an Olympian?"
Things are certainly rosy for the club at the moment. Being awarded centre of
excellence status not only means kudos, it means money. The cream of the crop
will also be training at Tonbridge Dojo every Wednesday evening.
So does Bowles wish he was a teenager again and pitting himself against these
unique talents? "I still get a buzz every time I go on the mat. You are being
competitive and individual," he said. "You are fighting for yourself. But as a
coach there is no bigger buzz than when one of your guys wins.
"I never thought I'd get that enjoyment again. I probably enjoy it more now. My
whole life is wrapped up in the production of these kids."
Article from Tonbridge courier
http://www.thisiskent.co.uk/news/Bowles-hails-generation-stars/article-1940261-detail/article.html