A former able-bodied fencer who was nationally ranked in the Y12 and Y10 age groups, Bouwkamp was born with fibular hemimelia – a condition in which the muscles in her right leg never fully developed. Bouwkamp’s experience as an able-bodied fencer helped her earn quick success on the international wheelchair scene where she won National Championships in all three weapons as a 14-year-old in 2010 and defended all three golds in 2011. In August, Bouwkamp won gold in foil at the Wheelchair Pan American Championships and qualified for the 2012 Paralympic Games as the youngest member of Team USA.

Meinhardt competed as the youngest U.S. fencer at the 2008 Olympic Games where he placed 10th as an 18-year-old. In 2010, Meinhardt became the first U.S. men's foil fencer ever to win a medal at the Senior World Championships where he brought home a bronze.