Catarina Guimaraes is a second-degree black belt, won 2 silver medals at the 2018 International Wheelchair and Amputee Sports competition in Ireland, was recently named a CP Soccer World Cup All-Star and has held various national track and field records. And at 18 years old, she is just getting started. We chat with her just before she is set to compete at Move United Junior Nationals presented by The Hartford in Denver, Colorado next month.

Barry Weintraub is an activity-based exercise specialist at Courage Kenny Rehabilitation Institute, a Move United member organization based in Minneapolis. He has coached wheelchair softball and basketball. Barry created the wheelchair lacrosse program there and has served on the board of Wheelchair Lacrosse USA. Sow we chat with him about hitting the sticks.

Sam Maddaus is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy. Two years into his Naval assignment in San Diego and after coming back from deployment, he would be in a motorcycle accident. The injuries would result in a below the knee amputation about a month into his rehabilitation. He was worried he would never be able to box or snowboard again, but five months after his amputation he found himself in Vail and back on a board. At this very moment, he is hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, a 2,653 mile journey from the U.S. Southern border with Mexico to the U.S. Northern border with Canada.

Daniel Hersh co-founded the Colorado Rolling Mammoth wheelchair lacrosse team in 2011 and has been highly involved ever since. In addition to serving as the team’s captain, he also serves on the board of Wheelchair Lacrosse USA.

Jessie Cloy is a 4X Paralympian in the sport of track and field, earning 7 medals at the Paralympic Games over her career. She first got involved in wheelchair racing through Children’s Lightning Wheels in New Jersey after a car accident. After retiring from competition, she continued to stay involved in adaptive sports as an official, a coach, a volunteer and now coordinates Move United Junior Nationals, an event she competed in just two years after the accident.

Ellen Minzner is the Director of Para High Performance for US Rowing, where she focuses on athlete identification and development. Previously, she served as the Director of Inclusion and Advocacy at Community Rowing, a Move United member organization in Boston, where she and her team of coaches and staff pioneered a model for serving people with disabilities, military veterans, and underserved youth that has become a national standard.

In 1999, Norm Page started working as a volunteer coach with the Buffalo Sabres sled hockey team when his 7 year old son Adam started playing. As president of the program he helped build the first sled accessible rink in Buffalo and over the years would see some of their local players make the USA National Sled Hockey Team, including Adam. For about 12 years, he would serves as the sled hockey representative for USA Hockey, putting on clinics across the country. Now with Greater Buffalo Adaptive Sports, he is helping the Move United member organization expand its sports offerings, including the growing sport of wheelchair lacrosse.

Steve Serio started playing wheelchair basketball when he was 14 years old and went on to play at the University of Illinois where he led the team to a national championship. He would play professionally in Germany for a few years and also in four Paralympic Games for Team USA, bringing home back to back gold medals in 2016 and 2020. He is equally interested in the difference he makes off the court as he has made on the court.

Jennifer Fitz-Roy is training with the high performance team at US Rowing and is hoping to make the national team this year. She learned to row at Community Rowing Inc. a Move United member organization based in Boston and now serves as the organization’s manager of para and military programs. Jen is a graduate of Boston College, a mentor to disabled youth, and a fierce advocate for inclusion and disability rights.

Retired U.S. Army Private First Class Orlando Perez became paralyzed as a result of a training accident. One of the first adaptive sports he fell in love with was wheelchair basketball and he had the opportunity to play for the Puerto Rican team at the international stage. Then he discovered alpine skiing and turned his attention to compete in this sport at the elite level, training with the National Ability Center, a Move United member organization in Utah. Orlando made history last month when he became the first athlete to represent Puerto Rico at a Winter Paralympic Games.