Local Fifth-Grader Sets Sights on the Sport of Archery

Hollie Amaro has a fascination for bows and arrows, which makes her interest in the unique sport of archery a perfect fit.

In January, the shy 10-year-old Brook Knoll Elementary School fifth-grader finished second place in the under 12 division at Tulare’s indoor State Archery Championships by hitting a target placed 20 yards away.

Hollie competes through the Predators Archery Club out of Gilroy in the Cub division. As she gets older, she will move up in various age appropriate ranks. 

Hollie looks forward to being a part of JOAD (Junior Olympic Archery Development) and will eventually join a variety of archery groups that support competition archers. 

Hollie was first introduced to the sport three years ago by a friend from school in Gilroy. After her first bow shot, it was love at first flight. The girls she met kept her informed and taught her how to gain exposure in the sport through competition and positive coaching.

After moving to Scotts Valley, she quickly set her sights on developing her archery skills. She found that the Santa Cruz area offered several outdoor archery ranges where she made a habit of practicing almost every weekend with her dad. 

“It became a family outing, with lots of bonding with her dad,” said her mom, Pam Amaro. “She is well respected at the local ranges.”

Besides frequenting De Laveaga Archery range and Mt. Madonna range, she started working with coach Mark Poling from Gilroy. Poling is well known in the archery world and has the experience necessary to teach Hollie the mental adjustments to the mechanics of shooting. 

Hollie shoots a Freestyle Compound bow and is constantly adjusting and making changes to her current purple spotted bow. Similar to other youth sports, the equipment changes as the child’s weight and power develop.    

Hollie sets the bar high for herself and will continue to compete. She has plans to go to a summer camp this year at Stanford where she will get to know other local archers, learn advanced techniques, and perfect an individual and consistent shooting style.

Her advice for others thinking about giving the sport a go is, “Don't be afraid to try.”