Ava and Amber Snell -

Ava and Amber Snell are 11-year-old identical twins from the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire. They were introduced to Barebow Archery in 2019 at school during taster session provided by the Newnham archery club, which they promptly joined.

Following the induction training the girls continued to show early promise, and despite the challenges of the pandemic they were invited to join the Gloucestershire County development squad at Deer Park in the spring of 2021. By the summer, Ava and Amber started competing at tournament level, winning medals, and setting both UK and county records within the Barebow under 12 years category.

Following a kind invitation, the girls excitedly embarked on private professional coaching with Patrick Huston OLY, with a view to a transition to Recurve later this year.

They commenced monthly training with Patrick in January and developed the best Barebow technique in the country, which will also assist them with the transition to recurve. With hard work and determination Ava and Amber have both attained Junior Master Bowman Status within one month and have both been invited to compete at the Junior Masters in September.

At the Junior National Outdoor Championships, the girls brought home gold and silver placements on both days and were also jointly awarded the mixed recurve team trophy. This annual trophy was first awarded in 1965 and annually thereafter to various counties but never to Gloucestershire, until now.

The girls have certainly had an eventful year so far and their progress to date is truly amazing. They are making excellent progress toward their Olympic journey!

Instagram: @archerytwinsofgloucestershire