Beth Rumsey, Staff Writer

“It was really awesome,” said Jena Feller, 16, a junior at Cavehill Christian Academy. She won first place in Freestyle Archery at the International Student Convention held in Warrensburg, Missouri on May 24-26. According to Feller, there were about 20 competitors in the Freestyle Archery competition. The Versailles resident broke the record score of 224 points that was set in 2002, earning a score of 228 out of possible 240 points.

Students from 36 states and 24 countries competed in events such as archery, track and basketball as well as academic competitions. “It was really neat to compete against others from around the world,” Feller noted. She said competitors came from as far as South Africa and Australia to the event.

Feller has been a participant in archery for a couple of years, as soon as she became strong enough to pull back the bow. “It’s something I’ve always wanted to do,” she said. “It’s a lot of fun.” She said she mostly taught herself how to shoot the bow, along with some help from others. She also enjoys hunting, she shot her first deer this year, and fishing. “I like doing anything outdoors,” she noted.
Residing with her parents Joe and Amy Feller and brother David in Versailles, Feller says she’s unsure of her college plans. “I might study journalism,” she told the Osgood Journal. She plans to continue competing in archery, and would like to go pro if she could get sponsors.

Feller is grateful for everyone who helped with the preparations for the competition.. She uses a sight that a Versailles business - Sure Lock - manufactures. Evans Trucking, owned by her aunt and uncle, Angie and Robert Evans, sponsored the trip for competition. Kelly Schmidt and Tom Wissing were her coaches helping prepare her for competition. “They’ve been a lot of help to me,” she noted. She thanked her mom and grandmother, Karen Pierce, along with the pastor of Cavehill Independent Church of God, Pearl Cornett and his wife, Elaine, who is the administrator of the Cavehill Christian Academy.

Elaine Cornett told the Osgood Journal, “She (Feller) is a talented young lady who we are very proud of.”

The Cavehill academy offers Accelerated Christian Education for its students. Each year a regional student and international student convention is held to give Christian young people opportunities to develop leadership skills. Some of the events along with athletics include: music, oratory, art, and academics. The conventions are held on major university campuses where they compete in approximately 150 events. There are as many as 4,000 students worldwide who participate in the regional conventions.

Jena Feller places first in international competition SUBMITTED PHOTO Jena Feller breaks the record score of 224 points that was set in 2002. She earned a score of 228 out of a possible 240 at the recent international competition held in Missouri.