Just about any kind of matchup could be found at the Games of Texas’ table tennis tournament Saturday at Reicher Catholic High School.

It wasn’t uncommon to see a man face off against a woman, or a young child meet an senior citizen.

In the middle of the fray were a pair of wheelchair players in Pam Fontaine and Mike Godfrey using the event as a final chance to hone their skills before an international tournament in Costa Rica next week.

Mike Godfrey hits a shot during the table tennis event at the Games of Texas on Saturday. Godfrey will travel to Costa Rica this week to qualify for the U.S. Para Pan American Games team.
Duane A. Laverty / Waco Tribune-Herald

Godfrey’s goal in that event is to earn a spot on the United States Para Pan American team, which will compete in November in Guadalajara, Mexico. Fontaine has already wrapped up her position on that team.

“This is a tune-up for me,” Godfrey said. “I chose this tournament, even though Pam and I are the only wheelchair players here — our game is a little different, but we still have to hit the ball and practice. The endurance of the all-day deal is why I’m here, for the endurance and training.”

Indeed, it was a long day for competitors, as there was a chance they could play up to 10 singles matches.

There was also a doubles event, and Fontaine and Godfrey teamed up to win a bronze medal in their division.

Preparing for Costa Rica

But for them, the results Saturday weren’t nearly as important as the experience and preparation for next week.

“I came out here to have fun and sharpen my game since I’m leaving next week,” Fontaine said.

Fonataine was 16 years old when she suffered injuries in an automobile accident and has been in a wheelchair ever since. She definitely hasn’t allowed that to slow her down, athletically or otherwise.

“You can do anything you want to do,” Fontaine said. “There should be no limitations, and nothing can set you back. The only limitation is yourself. I’ve done absolutely everything. I’ve got (two) kids, I’ve worked my way through school, I’m a professor now, and I’m really active. I didn’t allow my disability to set me back. It wasn’t a barrier for me, so since I didn’t have that barrier to overcome, I could just move forward and do the same thing everyone else is doing.”

Fontaine’s ultimate goal is to represent the U.S. at the Paralympics next summer in London. She was on the 1984 U.S. Paralympic team in table tennis before giving up the sport in favor of wheelchair basketball.

In that sport, she helped the U.S. win its first-ever Paralympic gold medal in 1988 and was a member of the U.S. national team five times. Last year, she was inducted into the National Wheelchair Basketball Association Hall of Fame.

After retiring from basketball, she decided to give table tennis another try.

“Obviously, I’m very competitive, and I love sports,” Fontaine said. “My job is kinesiology, and I just love athletics. I thought I’d give this a run, and if I can qualify again in a different sport, that would be kind of amazing. We’ll see what happens.”

Godfrey was a professional bull rider until a question come to fruition changed his life in 1996.

“Somebody asked me, ‘What are you going to do when one of those bulls breaks your neck?’ ” Godfrey said. “I said, ‘I guess I’ll just play wheelchair sports.’ ”

Godfrey first began playing table tennis on a cruise a quarter-century ago, but put it aside during his bull-riding career.

About two years ago, he picked the racket back up and has been training and improving ever since. While he’s a relative newcomer on the international scene, table tennis has already taken him outside of the country several times.

“Even though the rodeo-ing sent me all over the country, the table tennis has sent me all over the world,” Godfrey said. “. . . The (best) thing is meeting the different people and the disabilities they have. You see all kinds, but to see the people makes you want to keep on going.”

Godfrey is married to his high school sweetheart, Krissi, and has three boys. He said his family, and his neighbors in Dublin, the Herrera family, have been great support to him.

“They help me so much, whether it’s helping me train or picking up balls, or moving me from chair to chair,” he said. “I couldn’t do this without them.”

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