Thursday 25 March will mark 100 days until the Balfour Beatty London Youth Games finals weekend at Crystal Palace and to celebrate the countdown, www.londonyouthgames.org is running a series of articles this week profiling some of the personalities behind the Games.

DAN BOWMAKER - HARINGEY
Hundreds of teams will line up across a vast range of sports, but few will be as well respected as Haringey girls’ basketball team – that’s because of one simple statistic. Under the watchful eye of coach Dan Bowmaker, the team has won the title every year since 2002.

And if Bowmaker has his way, that record will be extended this year. He said: “We’re very driven to keep winning the London Youth Games title, but for me it’s absolutely a fear of losing. At first victory was the incentive, and within London it was a case of other boroughs hoping they don’t get drawn against Haringey.

"Now we are the perceived favourites and it’s very much about trying to keep on winning as long as possible.” While the Haringey girls’ record stretches back eight years, the boys’ team will also be out to retain the title they won last year.

Bowmaker, a PE teacher and the vice principal at Greig City Academy in Hornsey, became involved with the Balfour Beatty London Youth Games after coaching basketball at school.

The success of Haringey at the Games has led to sustainable success in the borough and ultimately to the establishment of the Haringey Angels, the current National under 18s and under 14s champions.

“The London Youth Games were a huge stepping stone for us,” said Bowmaker. “It led to our national league team being put together. It also means we can play outside the usual calendar, as the basketball season finishes in May, so it’s another thing to look forward to.”

It’s clear that Bowmaker and his fellow coaches in Haringey have nurtured and developed many talented players – all wanting to line up for their borough. But success has brought its own issues, with many players being selected to play for England.

He said: “One of the things that has hurt us is the number of kids that have been selected to the national team, as they often have additional training sessions for the European competitions at the same time as the London Youth Games.”

Added to that, Bowmaker has helped five Haringey youngsters take up scholarships to the United States to pursue their basketball dreams. “Five years ago I was assistant coach to the Under 16 England team and I had a contact in America who was looking for players,” he said.

“Now I have a network of people in the States I can contact to help players get recruited. There are a number of girls from the Haringey Angels on scholarships to the States - five of them are from the borough.

"We've got players at Division 1 Universities, Junior Colleges and one at High School. They are playing at a level that is the main source of players for professional basketball.

“There is a lot of kudos of being part of the borough team and the boys are aware that the girls have a better record over time than they have. The London Youth Games is a prestigious event, and it gives the kids an opportunity to showcase their talent to people outside their normal community.”

With 47,000 participants in 30 sports, the Games represent a platform for the best of London’s young athletes to shine, but for the basketball players from Haringey, it could even lead to the NBA – the biggest stage of all.

PICTURE: Last year's victorious Haringey boys and girls teams