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Life can change in a fraction of a second. In one split second, Gary found himself pinned under a Ford SUV. He knew his legs were crushed, and the doctors were not sure if they could save his legs or not. Six operations, including new surgical procedures at the time, allowed Gary to retain his legs, although they would never fully function in the same way.

As a former competitive swimmer and fencer, it was not easy to adjust to this limited body. In his professional life, Gary was also working 11-13 hour days on TV and film sets, and designing theatrical stage productions. His life would need to change. Sport fencing became not only a way to re-hab his body, it also opened doors he never would have imagined. His desire to give back to the fencing community that had helped him through this tough time, led him into coaching and officiating.
Gary is now one of approximately 100 certified FENCING MASTERS (Maitre d'Flouret, Maitre d'Epee) in the United States. His certifications are recognized internationally and he teaches all three Olympic weapons (foil, epee and sabre).

Gary is also the only US Fencing Officials Commission Referee Instructor/Examiner in the state of Texas. He has officiated at numerous National and International events for both Fencing and Modern Pentathlon.

Don't be surprised; Gary teaches full able-bodied fencing to his VANDERWEGE Academie students, as well as those at Texas State University in San Marcos an St. Edwards University in Austin. 
He is an award winning fight choreographer as well, having staged combat for over one dozen productions.

As a "walker" it was not until 2000 that he discovered he was eligible for the Paralympic "seated" form of fencing. He began training and competing on the international stage. By the year 2004, his world ranking led him to a position on the US Team in Athens. Following the Athens Games, Gary retired from International competition to focus on his coaching, but came out of retirement in 2011 to win the Pan American Epee Championships in Brazil and make the US team competing in London in 2012. He finally retired from competition with a top 12 World Ranking.

Gary is available to share his story of beating the odds. He has spoken to major corporations, schools, university and youth groups. For more information, please feel free to contact him through this site.