Team USA Athletes' Commission Elections#
Welcome to the 2024 Team USA Athletes' Commission (AC) Elections for USA Fencing! We are excited to begin the process of selecting the next able-bodied (OLY) and parafencing (PLY) representatives for the Team USA AC. Below you will find important information regarding the election timeline, candidate statements, and instructions on how to vote.
OLY Representative Candidates
- Iman Blow
- Jackie Dubrovich
- Kat Holmes
PLY Representative Candidates
- Lauryn DeLuca
- Ellen Geddes
- Scott Rodgers
- Rick Swauger
See candidate statements and videos below.
Election Information#
The Team USA AC serves as the representative group and voice for Team USA athletes, facilitating communication between the USOPC and active athletes. Representatives advocate for athletes' rights, work to influence key policy decisions, and provide input to the USOPC Board of Directors.
For USA Fencing, we will elect two Athlete Representatives — one for able-bodied (OLY) and one for parafencing (PLY) — as well as two alternates. These individuals will also serve on USA Fencing's Athlete Advisory Council and help to shape the future of fencing in the U.S.
No later than Oct. 1, 2024: USA Fencing will compile a list of all athletes who meet the definition of a 10-Year athletes and will call for self-nominations from eligible candidates. Nominations should minimally include a written statement of intent and may include a resume or any other information pertaining to an athlete’s ability to serve the Mission of Team USA AC. Disclosures shall be made according to the Eligibility requirements of the USOPC Bylaws.
Oct. 17–24, 2024: USA Fencing conducts AC election
Oct. 24, 2024: Voting closes at 5 PM ET. Each candidate will be notified individually of the results.
Oct. 25, 2024: Election results are announced! Stay tuned for the names of your newly elected Team USA Athletes' Commission Representatives and Alternates. We will also issue a call for self-nominations for the upcoming USA Fencing Athlete Council Elections.
To vote in this election, you must be a current or former Team USA athlete who has competed in a senior international event in the last 10 years. This includes athletes who have participated in:
- The Olympic Games
- The Paralympic Games
- The Pan American Games
- Para Pan American Games
- International Qualifying Events (IQE) for these delegation events
If you compete in Olympic fencing (able-bodied) or Paralympic fencing (parafencing), you are eligible to vote in the election specific to your category. Only OLY athletes will vote for the OLY representative, and only PLY athletes will vote for the PLY representative. You may select one (1) candidate, and the person with the most votes in each category will be named the representative, while the runner-up will be named the alternate.
- Voting starts: October 17 at 8 AM ET
- Voting ends: October 24 at 5 PM ET
On October 17, eligible voters will receive an email with their ballot. Please select one candidate for your respective category (OLY or PLY). If you encounter any issues with your ballot or feel that you should have received one, please contact either Kate Reisinger or Christina Pachuta.
Ballot for Team USA Athletes’ Commission: Parafencing Representative: Link here
Ballot for Team USA Athletes’ Commission: Able-Bodied Representative: Link here
Find your access key and password in an email from Election Buddy.
OLY Representative Candidates#
Candidate statement
My name is Jackie Dubrovich, and I am interested in running as Fencing's Team USA Athletes’ Commission Representative. I strongly believe that athletes' voices should be the most important source of input to any decisions that are made on their behalf at the NGB and USOPC. I am passionate about athlete advocacy and believe my strong organizational skills, ability to clearly and cohesively communicate & my willingness to cooperate and collaborate will be an asset to the Team USA Athlete Council. In my time across various leadership positions both at USA Fencing but also in my corporate career, I have made decisions that benefitted the collective over my own personal interests. I am able to remain mission-focused in confrontational situations and take into account different perspectives and work together to come to a common understanding that aligns with the collective's goals. What is unique about my candidacy is that my experiences as: (1) a two-time Olympic athlete, (2) a member of the 2021-2024 Athlete Council for Women's Foil and (3) a strategist in my corporate career combined will provide a unique set of skills and expertise to the role. I firmly believe that I can make a difference and lead by example as fencing’s representative to Team USA’s Athlete Commission.
Candidate statement
My name is Kat Holmes. I was a women’s epee fencer for 22 years and just retired from the sport after competing in the 2024 Paris Olympics. Since 2017 when I first got elected to USAF's AC, I have been committed to elevating the athlete voice at every level of our sport and the sports world at large. I have served as the Chair of USAF's AC since 2017, have been an athlete director on usaf's board and usaf's rep to the usopc's ac since 2020, and have served on over 15 committees, commissions, resource groups, and task forces. I started fencing at a Washington, DC Parks and Rec program, growing to become a 3x Olympian and World Champion. I intimately know the commitment and dedication all athletes put into the sport, just as I know the struggles we all face. Athletes, with their success and struggles alike, are the core of our sport and of the Olympic movement. We drive ceaselessly forward in pursuit of our goals and our voice's should reach as far. I am committed to amplifying that voice and making sure that athlete's concerns are heard, their voices amplified, and their best interests are perpetually represented.
Off the strip and outside USA Fencing, I am currently a third year medical student at Mount Sinai which is USA Fencing’s partner hospital. As of right now, there is almost no information regarding fencing sports medicine and I hope to change that. Over the past few years I have begun to research the most common injuries in fencing and their associated risk factors, the biomechanics of fencing, fencing's impact on the menstrual cycle, and the force of impact of lunging on fencing strips placed directly on concrete versus other materials. I intend to apply into sports medicine and want to work with USA Fencing as a medical provider while continuing to develop the field of fencing sports medicine. While this is not pertinent to my day-to-day activities on USAF’s AC or Board, I included this bit to express how, even though I have retired from the sport, fencing still very much is the focus of my life. I love fencing and I love USAF. From governance and policy to research and health care, I want to improve USAF and give US Fencers the best chance of success in all domains.
PLY Representative Candidates#
Candidate statement
I am excited to reapply for the position of representative, motivated by my commitment to promoting equity and inclusion in the sport of fencing. As a 2016 Paralympian and current board member of USA Fencing, I have dedicated my life to advocating for athletes with disabilities, providing me with a unique perspective on the challenges faced by adaptive athletes and the transformative power of sports.
A significant milestone in my leadership journey has been assisting with the historic inclusion of a parafencing demonstration at the NCAA 2024 National Collegiate Fencing Championships. This groundbreaking event, made possible through the collaborative efforts of USA Fencing, the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee, the NCAA, and Ohio State University, marked a monumental step toward broadening the horizons of fencing for athletes with disabilities. I am proud to have played a central role in advocating for this inclusion and ensuring that adaptive athletes receive the recognition and opportunities they deserve.
In the past year, I have worked to enshrine para representation at USA Fencing. Our board successfully passed a motion requiring parafencing representation on major committees, including expanding our International Relations Committee to incorporate World Ability Sport. While my core advocacy focuses on advancing parafencing, I also draw from my experience as a former recreational fencer from a small club in Cleveland. This background provides insight into the needs of grassroots athletes and the importance of fostering an inclusive environment at all levels of our sport.
It has been a profound honor to spearhead a cultural transformation within our governance that elevates Paralympic fencing. I take great pride in knowing that our board now consistently acknowledges "the Olympic AND Paralympic Games," while ensuring that parafencing remains a top priority.
As a board member, I have worked to make parafencing advancement a pillar of our 2024-2028 Strategic Plan. I have contributed to several committees and projects, including our Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) draft strategic plan. My advocacy efforts focus on amplifying the voices of athletes with disabilities and ensuring their needs and aspirations are central to our decision-making processes. I envision a future where fencing is accessible to all, and I am committed to making that vision a reality.
In my role with LA28, I assist in planning Los Angeles's first Paralympic Games, allowing me to apply my passion for adaptive sports on a global platform. I am dedicated to creating an environment that celebrates the achievements of athletes with disabilities while raising awareness about the importance of inclusivity in all sports.
If elected, this would be my final term as an athlete representative. I aim to work with the greater board to establish succession planning for all types of athlete representatives, both para and able-bodied. Ensuring that diverse voices are heard is crucial for the long-term health of our sport.
Thank you for considering my application. I look forward to serving as a representative and advancing the cause of inclusivity and equity in fencing.
Candidate statement
Hello Friends! I am assuming, based on the parameters given for who gets to vote in this election, that everyone basically knows who I am. That said, here are the basics! Hi, Ellen Geddes PLY- I competed in the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Paralympic Games and have been on every World Championship team since 2013. I started fencing in 2012, and am currently both an active athlete and the head coach of the Shepherd Swords Fencing Club- where I got my start in the sport. With this level of experience, I feel very confident in my ability to speak up and help promote the sport of Parafencing on the Athletes Council. My work in my day to day life is very flexible, so I am able to dedicate whatever time is needed to this role. I have a strong voice, and would look forward to the opportunity to put a larger spotlight onto our sport. With my active participation in the sport for the past 12 years I think my status as an athlete in our sport will really help my ability to bridge the communication between athletes and the USOPC. I have greatly enjoyed my time spent with athletes from other sports, and would really enjoy getting to promote Parafencing, as well as sport as a whole in this way. If I get elected, I am (as always) available by text, phone call, email, and in person chats to listen to and subsequently put forward your ideas.
Candidate statement
I am running for the Team USA Athletes’ Comission to represent parafencers and provide them with a voice in USOPC and US Fencing in order to advocate for our best interests. My goals are to help build our parafencing program and community based on honesty, integrity, and fairplaythat will be competitive and thriving for years to come. Foundationally, this means advocating for a fair, open, and transparent organization that treats everyone equally. One that communicates regularly on what is going on and issues that may affect of us. As an athlete representative I will work to promote a transparent and fair environment where all can compete cleanly, safely, and without fear; advocate for athlete wellbeing both physically and mentally; provide a collaborative/interactive voice between the athletes and the USOPC and US Fencing; promote and raise of awareness of any issues that affect us; and stand up for what is right taking in to account the variety of perspectives that exist in our athlete community.
As an athlete I have over 30 years of experience in fencing at all levels and have served in a variety of rolls within the fencing community. I am a 3-time Paralympian, Paralympic bronze medalist, World Championships bronze medalist, 2-time top world ranked athlete of the year, former world number 1, winner of 35+ international medals, and winner of numerous US national championships. I have been a nationally rated referee, a member of the bout committee, an armorer, and served on the b
oard of directors for US Fencing. I am currently on the international relations committee, the chair of the sub-committee for international relations with WAS, and on the sports performance resource group.
Professionally, I am experienced leader and technologist with over 20 years of experience leading and developing technology and technology strategy. I have led diverse organizations and complex programs working across the aerospace industry with governments, big primes, sub-contractors, and suppliers. I have demonstrated skills and experience that include P&L leadership, strategy development and execution, strategic technology development, program development and execution, business development, engineering management, staff development, government contracting, and customer interactions. Key positions in my career include Sr. Director Component Technologies, Program Execution Director for Advanced Program Development, and Director of the Spectrum Systems Laboratory.
Educationally, I received a PhD in electrical engineering from Ga Tech and have technicalexpertise in physics, optics, photonics, RF systems, materials science, systems engineering, nanotechnology, microelectronics, and systems engineering.
It would be a great privilege to represent parafencing athletes as their representative on the Team USA Athletes’ Commission and in US Fencing.
Dr. Scott Rodgers, PLY
Candidate statement
My first act of advocacy/serving para-athletes dates back to 1981 when after one season in wheelchair basketball I sent a letter to the directors of the Ohio Wheelchair Athletic Association indicating the various ways the coach was not competent and suggested they replace him. In the closing line I offered my services if a more suitable candidate could not be found.
My first official act as the new coach was to request funds to pay our conference dues. I was told there was no money available.
My first act of filling a specific need for athletes was to create the Columbus Buckeye Wheel-a-thon. The event raised enough for the basketball team’s full season expenses and carried all the other sports until he tax-time donations came in.
Two years later I was asked to run for a board seat and won it. Two years after that I was asked to run for president and won that. As president I presided over board meetings and was co-chair of the Ohio Wheelchair Games, which was a national qualifying event for the International Stoke-Mandeville Games, the precursor to the Paralympic movement. One of my key accomplishments was to advocate for fair and equitable distribution of OWAA resources to all para-athletes, not just the one competing internationally.
As wheelchair basketball coach I worked at an annual national camp and served as fill-in national team assistant coach, which led to being named Assistant US Team Coach for the 1996 Atlanta Paralympics. That experience led to running camps and expos in Ecuador and Korea.
After discovering parafencing in 2017: I designed, developed and sold/loaned parafencing equipment to 13 clubs/fencers in the US and 3 in the Middle East; elected to USOPC and USAF Athlete Councils; served on USAF Referee Commission; completed a board governance course on line; and graduated from USAF Leadership Academy at Summer Nationals this past July.
Additionally: in 2022 I began a comprehensive review of USAF, USOPC, IWAS, FIE governing documents and rules of play. I studied all Paralympic results back to the initial Paralympics in 1960. In 2023, I travelled to 15 clubs to fence, deliver equipment, compete. In 2024, I spent 10 days at USA Fencing Summer Nationals single-handedly manning a parafencing equipment display/demo.
My objective as USOPC AC Sport Representative is to continue my service and voice for athletes from a new vantage point. My focus will be to expand parafencing via greater club involvement, to create more frequent and less expensive camps/competition during the critical first stages (introductory, beginner, intermediate) of discovering and developing in the sport. Creating robust networks of local and regional parafencing opportunities via clubs would organically generate the numbers needed for upward competitive pressure to both fill and energize the “Paralympic pipeline”.
Serving as TEAM USA AC Sport Representative is an opportunity to continue and expand advocacy for, and development of, parafencing, with the added responsibility to be a voice for all athletes via USOPC involvement.
I am qualified and prepared.
Rick Swauger
October 11, 2024