Meet Ellen Tribley, Neo G Athletic Partner
Meet Ellen Tribley, the 15-year-old wheelchair tennis sensation who's determination to stay active embodies our core values and we are proud to support her on her journey to tennis success as a Neo G Athletic Partner.
Diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy at birth, Ellen, won the girls tournament at the Wheelchair Tennis National Finals at Shrewsbury in December 2023.
Ellen has big plans to compete Internationally during the coming year to improve her world ranking and has already moved up to position 18 in the world following her excellent performance at the Bolton Indoor ITF Junior Wheelchair tennis tournament.
Born to parents Lucy and Mark Tribley of Canterbury, Ellen has a twin sister called Rose who was born able bodied. Ellen’s condition was caused by twin to twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS) which occurs in the womb and only 10-15 per cent of babies survive without treatment. It resulted in the loss of the right side of Ellen’s hind brain which controls co-ordination, balance and mobility in the right hand side of her body.
Despite her many challenges, Ellen’s is determined to progress in a sport where her disability does not hold her back. She has competed in National tournaments in wheelchair tennis across the UK in 2023 in her first full year of competitions. Ellen also competed in an International competition in Lille, France at the Open Hauts de France tournament in January 2024.
At Neo G, we initially provided Ellen with complimentary products, including our active wrist support after she reached out to us. The relationship between Ellen and Neo G has flourished and she now receives funding which pays for all manner of expenses including travel and, hopefully in the future, for her coach to attend tournaments with her, as well as continued supply of Neo G products.
Ellen’s mum, Lucy Tribley said, “We are so incredibly proud of Ellen and all she has achieved so far.
“Her determination and willingness to learn, grow and develop her skills is admirable and we are looking forward to more tournaments this year.
“We’re so grateful for Neo G – we really couldn’t do as much without the funding and support offered to Ellen to enable her to progress in the sport she is so very passionate about.”
Dan Jones, Neo G CEO added, “At Neo G we value the importance of staying active to our health & wellbeing, whether it’s playing sport or simply staying mobile. We chose to expand our support of Ellen as we felt she embodied this belief.” Jones continues, “As well as inspiring other wheelchair users, Ellen has also inspired the product development team at Neo G. Working with Ellen, we have adapted one of our products to suit Ellen’s needs by adding extra cushioning between the thumb and fore finger where Ellen experienced a lot of wear against her wheelchair.
“We can’t wait to see what the future brings for Ellen - we’re all right behind her!”
Ellen Tribley added, “I absolutely love playing wheelchair tennis, but training can be tough, especially if I’m not wearing the right support for my wrist – which I use every time I play!
“I’m really looking forward to the next year and all the exciting tournaments – especially as I am now using a wheelchair once used by Dana Mathewson who won the Wimbledon doubles in 2022 – she’s my inspiration!”
Ellen trains at Polo Farm, Canterbury with coach Will Carnegie, which she fits around her GCSE and BTEC studies at the newly formed Canterbury College (Junior College).
Learn more about our partnership with Ellen here.
