Beneath a leaden sky at their spiritual sports home, West Tamworth Bowling Club, twins Zoe and Tara Stewart struck a pose.
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The photo, taken by Leader shooter Peter Hardin, is an early documentation of what looms as a pivotal year in the sisters' lives - as they contemplate a post-high school existence and a continuation of their impressive bowls trajectory.
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Rated among the nation's leading junior players, the 17-year-olds hope 2021 provides them with a clearer pathway after COVID mugged the sport last year.
"It could be pretty busy, but I think it's also pretty exciting too - all the new opportunities and things are gonna be pretty good," Tara said of 2021.
The sisters, who will soon start year 12 at Peel High, began bowling at age 11 - seduced by the sport after watching their parents, Doug and Sherilee, play.
Coached by their father, the chairman of West Tamworth Bowling club, the sisters have captured a host of state and national medals.
Zoe's medal haul includes fours gold, as well as overall and combined boys and girls silver medals for NSW at the 2019 under-18 nationals.
In 2019, she won a state pennants fours competition with her mother. Commonwealth Games gold medallist Natasha Scott commentated on the final.
Doug said Scott was "very impressed" with Zoe and "encouraged her to keep going with the game, no matter what".
Zoe said progressing in the sport with her sister had made "things a lot more convenient". "Because, obviously, all the juniors are spread around the state, so it was easier to just play together," she said.
Tara won pairs gold for NSW playing against Victoria in a Combined High Schools event, and teamed with her sister to win state CHS pairs gold in 2018 and 2019 (last year's competition was cancelled because of COVID).
In the singles for that event, Tara was runner-up in 2018 and Zoe was runner-up in 2019.
Tara was also Wests' club champion female bowler in 2019, then reached the last 16 of the statewide Champion of Champions singles competition.
Doug gets "excited" by having the chance to play with his wife and his daughters.
He said: "Bowls is one of the few sports where you can play competitively with your whole family ... And we're all competitive, so they all tell me that I'm the worst bowler in the family."
