Athlete Council
The USA Fencing Athlete Council is a diverse group of fencers who represent every weapon discipline, including parafencing. Its mission is threefold:
- Representation: The AC plays a key role in selecting athletes for positions within USA Fencing, ensuring that athletes' perspectives are considered in the organization’s leadership.
- Advocacy: The council advises USA Fencing’s Board of Directors and the Chair on issues important to athletes, from competition policies to the resources available to athletes at every level. They are also key advisors for the Sport Performance team and national coaches, contributing their insights to help shape training, selection and competition policies.
- Support: The AC acts as a first point of contact for athletes who have questions, concerns or grievances. Whether you’re facing a challenge related to team selection, need advice on grievance procedures or simply want to voice a concern, your AC representative is there to listen and guide you. You can contact members of the AC by emailing ac@usafencing.org.
The USA Fencing AC is composed of one athlete representative for each weapon and gender (totaling 6), one male parafencer, and one female parafencer.
Team USA Athletes' Commission Representatives and Alternates, members of the Team USA AC Leadership group, and Athlete Representatives of the USA Fencing Board of Directors are ex-officio members of the USA Fencing Athlete Council.
If any athlete has a weapon-specific concern, problem, protest, or question, the athlete should contact their weapon representative, who can be found by locating him or her below. Any issues in general should be sent to the athlete chair.
Athlete Directors on the USA Fencing Board of Directors: Scott Rodgers PLY and Kat Holmes OLY.
For information on the Team USA Athletes' Commission, visit here.
Athlete Council Contact Information
You can now contact the Athlete Council directly via email at ac@usafencing.org.
| Athlete | Weapon |
|---|---|
Kat Holmes OLY | Women's Epee |
Ari Simmons | Men's Epee |
Lee Kiefer OLY | Women's Foil |
Gerek Meinhardt OLY | Men's Foil |
Elizabeth Tartakovsky OLY | Women's Saber |
Jonah Shainberg | Men's Saber |
Ellen Geddes PLY | Women's Parafencing |
Scott Rodgers PLY | Men's Parafencing |
Daria Schneider | Ex-Officio (USOPC Board of Directors) |
Jackie Dubrovich OLY | Ex-Officio |
Lauryn DeLuca PLY | Ex-Officio |
2024 Team USA Athletes' Commission Election Procedures and Timeline
USA Fencing Athlete Council Guidelines
Athlete Representation Review Working Group Review Report - March 2021
2025-2028 Team USA Athletes' Commission Eligibility PowerPoint
USOPC - Team USA Athlete's Commission Member Election & Voting Policy