It's time to introduce you to another of our brilliant new junior ambassadors, letting them tell their story in their own words of who they are, what they love and why they chose to become an Archery GB ambassador. This month, we hear from Hannah Gardiner.
Hi, my name is Hannah, I am a recurve archer from Lancashire. I am a member of Wigan and Orrell Archers and I have been shooting since I was seven. I used to go horse riding, and at the time the Disney film “Brave” came out. In the film there was a scene where the main character was on horseback and is also shooting arrows, and for me the most exciting part was the archery. I was completely mesmerised.
When I turned eight, I went to the beginners course my club and, after a lot of confusion and trying to find the smallest left-handed bow, the second or third week I got my first gold. Everyone cheered.
In my last year as an under 12, I won the county championship, which I saw as one of my first big archery milestones and showed that my hard work was paying off. That year I also managed to claim three Junior Master Bowman scores and got to go to the Masters. Since 2016, I have competed at the Indoor and Outdoor Nationals, where I have nearly always gotten a new personal best, but I also connected with members of the archery community up and down the country.
As a part of the Lancashire County Juniors squad, I’ve been chosen several times to compete at the Five Counties Competition, where my scores have contributed to the success of our county.
I have just started college after finishing my GCSEs in June, and I recently returned to shooting after taking time off to focus on my studies.
I want to utilise my role as ambassador to share my enthusiasm for the sport and show how enjoyable it is, because let's be honest, it's a really cool sport! The social aspect of the sport has always been a big thing for me. I have so many great memories and friends across the country, and I think that it’s really important we promote the whole community too.
Additionally, I want to utilise the ambassador role to support children who are the same age as I was when I started out, giving them the support and opportunities to find something they are passionate about. I am very lucky to have Dave Clayton as a coach because he has always been supportive and encouraging, helping me understand that I can do anything I put my mind to, no matter my age, and I can almost guarantee that I'm not the only person who has benefited significantly from his support. I want to combine that with the role of ambassador to inspire future archers.
In the summer, along with our Club Secretary Neil Hickman, we ran a have-a-go at Leigh St Mary's Church of England Primary School, and I helped out with club have-a-goes at Brunswick Recreation and Bowling Club in the past, which have always been super fun and encouraged people to take interest in the sport.
I am looking forward this year to organising more events to promote and share the amazing sport and community, and working with other awesome people and ambassadors!
