Amber Hill gets behind the wheel as she prepares for the road to the Rio Olympics
One of Britain’s brightest sporting talents has switched from the range to the roads as she seeks to get motoring.
Seventeen-year-old Amber Hill is youngest ever winner of a shooting senior World Cup and has amibition to compete in the 2016 Olympics in Rio… but the road to her Olympic dream is taking second gear to her getting onto British roads.
Amber wants to learn to drive to give her more freedom and independence. To help her, the international shotgun superstar has teamed up with RED Driving School in the hope of obtaining her full driving licence as soon as possible.
Amber currently trains three times a week with competitions and has sponsor commitments on top of this.
She said: “Learning to drive will really help my parents out and take some of the pressure off them. I’m constantly relying on them to take me to training and I feel it’s a lot to ask as it’s a half an hour drive to the shooting range and a three hour drive to Matlock where my coach lives.
“If I could drive myself around I would definitely train more which would be great for improving my competition performance especially in the lead up to Rio.”
The youngster from east Berkshire was last year awards the BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year.
She added: “The most challenging aspect of driving was getting to grips with the gears but my RED Driving School instructor Paul Groves is really good at boosting my confidence and it’s not something I have to worry about anymore.”
When talking about the skills needed to be a good shooter, Amber admits, “I am generally a calm person which is an important quality to be a good shooter as the minute you get nervous you tense up and that’s when you miss shots. Shooting is a very psychological sport and it’s all about staying calm and not letting the pressure get to you. I think this has helped massively with my driving.”
Amber is looking forward to getting her own car so she can get out on the roads and practice with her parents.
“They are completely supportive of what I do and I will definitely give them lifts when I pass to repay them for everything they’ve done for me,” she said.
The rising star, who was 10 when she first picked up a shotgun while at a shooting range with her Grandfather, is hoping to pass her theory test after she returns from the World Championships later this month.
Last modified on Monday, 15 September 2014 14:27
