Local archers win national championship

By Rusty Murry

Nevada Herald

Vernon County 4-H archery competitors Aaron Greer and Dustin Terry were half of a four-man team that won the national championship while representing Vernon County and Missouri at the 4-H Shooting Sports National Invitational Match, held June 28 through July 1, in Columbia.

Greer and Terry teamed up with Ste. Genevieve County archers Matt Rottler and Brian Flieg to represent Missouri and placed first in each of three compound bow events during three days of competition held at the Cedar Creek Rod and Gun Club in Columbia. The team was one of 15, representing states both east and west of the Mississippi River.

"We had an awesome team," Terry said. But the team didn't shoot together during the competition he said, describing how their team was actually split up and each member spent the three days competing with three shooters from other states. The skill of the team can be seen on the scoresheets.

On the first day, during the 3-D competition, two of the team members placed in the top 10. The field competition was held on the second day, and three members placed in the top 10 -- actually, in the top five. Again, in the FITA round of shooting on day three, three shooters placed in the top ten.

Three of the archers also placed in the top ten with overall individual scores for the entire match.

Greer said he enjoyed the 3-D match the most, adding, "I wish I would have shot a little better, but I did alright."

Their performance, which gave the team victories in each category and the match championship, prompted Greer's mother, Melodie Greer, to say, "it was a good week for them."

During the competition, the archers shot from distances up to 65 yards and Terry, pulling a 55-pound Mathews Feather Max bow, estimated that in one day of practice and three days of competition, he shot more than a thousand arrows.

Each evening, an awards ceremony and banquet was held at the Boone County fairgrounds before the shooters returned to hotel rooms for much needed rest.

The team garnered several medals and ribbons both individually and collectively.

"They all did a really good job, we were impressed with them," said Sonja Terry. The team has been invited back to Columbia as the guest of honor at a big game feed in March of 2006 that will be sponsored by the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation.