Lets tell you a little bit about us and our amazing archery story ..
Ava and Amber Snell are 13-year-old identical twins from the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire, and
active members of the Newnham Archery Club.
They have been committed Archers since 2019, the first 3 years of which were of Barebow discipline.
They excelled in this field, amassing some 12 national records, and a collection of county records
between them. During this period, they proudly represented Gloucestershire Archery Society at
numerous tournaments.
In January 2022, having been recognised for their abilities, the girls were invited to become students
of Huston Archery, by two times Olympian, 3x times World Gold Medallist Patrick Huston OLY.
Initially training continued in the barebow discipline, where they developed excellent form and
continued to win at tournaments and break previous records.
In October 2022, the girls made the progressive transition to the Recurve discipline, and worked
tirelessly to master the changes that Recurve Archery demands.
Unfortunately, in November 2022, Amber was taken seriously ill and subsequently diagnosed as
Type 1 Diabetic. This posed many challenges for her both mentally and physically, but her
determination to succeed has shone through and she continues to make excellent progress.
Amber is an “Ambassador for Success” with the National Health Service, who supported her in
receiving the very latest medical technologies to assist with the management of her condition, in the
form of the Omni pod 5 pump and Dexcom G6 continuous glucose monitor. Having the ability to
better manage glucose levels within healthy parameters, greatly assists Amber with her Archery
training and competing.
In December 2024 Ava secured another win at the Junior National Indoor Championships,
Stoneleigh. She beat many other competitors in her category, and having previously won, she is, for
the second time, the under 14 Junior National Indoor Champion for 2023 and 2024.
In January 2025 Ava and Amber took part in their first international tournament in Nimes France.
This was an amazing opportunity for them to shoot alongside competitors from around the globe
and meet with new and prospective sponsors. Being in company with some of the world’s greatest
archers certainly gave them a taste for international competing. Further international tournaments
are in the pipeline including a return to Nimes in 2026.
Form changes have been the focus since January 2025 and both girls having been working
tremendously hard to cement these changes into their subconscious memories. Subsequently, in
March 2025, at the GWAS indoor county championships, Ava and Amber secured Gold and Silver
respectively, and they continue to perform strongly, looking forward to the 2025 outdoor season.
With every attainment they make their Olympic dreams edges ever closer…..