Meet the Parafencing Team

ELLEN GEDDES

Paralympic Games: 2020

Weapons: Epee and Foil (Category B)

Current World Ranking: No. 12 (Foil), No. 13 (Epee)

Hometown: Aiken, S.C.

Current Residence: Johnson, S.C. Age: 33

Clubs: Shepherd Swords and Augusta Fencers Club

College: Bachelor’s degree in religion and psychology from Presbyterian College

Career Highlights:

• Four-time World Team member

• Nine-time gold medalist on the North American Cup circuit

• Bronze medalist at the 2018 Pan American Wheelchair Championships (Category A epee)

• Bronze medalist at the 2014 Montreal Grand Prix (Category B epee)

• Top-eight finishes in epee and foil at the 2018 Kyoto World Cup, in epee at the 2019 IWAS World Games (Category B)

A former competitive equestrian, Ellen broke her back in a car accident in 2011 and suffered a complete spinal cord injury at T10. While rehabbing at the Shepherd Center in Atlanta, Ellen met National Team member Dennis Aspy who she says “offered me a weapon and a chance to stab people.” Within a year, Ellen had qualified for her first Wheelchair World Championship Team and in 2014 she won her first medal on the World Cup circuit in Montreal. Ellen, who will compete at her first Paralympic Games in Tokyo, says she has “always been an athlete, and I enjoy pushing myself to be better and progressing in everything I do.”

PARAFENCING

SHELBY JENSEN

Paralympic Games: 2020

Weapons: Epee and Saber (Category A)

Current World Ranking: No. 25 (Saber), No. 28 (Epee)

Hometown: Salt Lake City, Utah

Current Residence: Salt Lake City, Utah Age: 20

Clubs: Valkyrie Fencing Club and Salt City Swords Academy

College: Associates Degree in applied sciences Career Highlights:

• 2019 World Team member

• Seven-time gold medalist on the North American Cup circuit, including three-time national champion

• Bronze medalist at the 2019 U23 Wheelchair World Championships (Category A Epee) • Two-time medalist at the 2018 Pan American Wheelchair Championships (Category A)

• Top-16 finishes in both epee and saber on the World Cup circuit

Shelby began fencing when she was 15 years old. Volunteering at a wheelchair sports camp, Jensen – who had a stroke at seven years old – was intrigued by the sport and when she gave it a try, he was immediately hooked. Loving that you can “stab another person or hit another person and not get yelled at,” Jensen began fencing all three weapons. The following year in 2017, Shelby began competing on the national circuit and won her first gold medal at the October North American Cup. After taking two medals at the 2019 Pan American Wheelchair Championships, Jensen made her first Senior World Team in 2019 and won bronze at the 2019 U23 Wheelchair World Championships in epee.

PARAFENCING

TERRY HAYES

Paralympic Games: 2020

Weapons: Epee and Saber (Category B)

Current World Ranking: No. 22 (Saber), No. 31 (Epee)

Hometown: North Fort Meyers, Fla.

Current Residence: North Fort Meyers, Fla. Age: 63

Club: Southwest Florida Fencing Academy and Zeljkovic Fencing Academy

College: Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Special Education from Old Dominion University (1997); Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education K-6 from Atlantic Christian College (1990)

Career Highlights:

• 2019 World Team member

• Bronze at the 2019 October North American Cup in epee

• Fifth at the USA Fencing National Championships in foil and saber

• 10th at the 2018 Pan American Wheelchair Championships (Category A Saber)

• Three top-eight finishes in team on the World Cup circuit

As a kid, Terry and her sister would pretend to compete at the Olympic Games in their backyard. A member of the varsity lacrosse team at Old Dominion University, Terry served in the Army was an early childhood special education teacher. After being diagnosed with Primary Cerebellar Degeneration, a progressive brain disease, and becoming a fulltime wheelchair user, Terry wanted to remain involved in sports. Doing a Google search for wheelchair sports, Terry discovered parafencing with a video of Lauryn DeLuca fencing in at the 2016 Paralympic Games. She’s been fencing ever since and will be the oldest Category B fencer at the Tokyo Games.