14 June 2012 | Tennis Victoria

As Tennis Victoria’s Championships Dinner on 25 June draws closer, we take a look at the finalists in each category; today, we look at the Most Outstanding Athlete with a Disability award.

This award, presented by Hoyle Da Silva Lawyers, commends the Most Outstanding Athlete with a Disability for the nomination period (1 May, 2011 to 30 April, 2012) who has shown exceptional skill throughout their competitions. They have competed for Australia or Victoria in many official tournaments and competitions and demonstrated an outstanding attitude on and off the court.

Glen Flindell

The winner of the men’s singles and doubles at the 2012 National Deaf Tennis Championships, Glen Flindell has shown skill and dedication to tennis and has been rewarded with some wonderful achievements. He represented Victoria in the Cohen Cup where he won three gold medals and was part of the Bundoora men’s Grade 2 team when they won the premiership in 2011. Glen has since been awarded promotion to the men’s Grade 1 team and, in the current season, he is yet to be defeated. Glen currently holds the No.1 ranking in Australia in the deaf singles and doubles categories. Due to his ranking and skills, he has been selected to compete at the 2012 Asia-Pacific Deaf Games for Australia. Glen does not only excel on the court but he also strives to help as much as possible when not playing. He is heavily involved in the deaf tennis community and is currently the President of Deaf Tennis Australia.

Zvi Schweitzer

Zvi Schweitzer is a dedicated tennis player and enjoys helping others get involved with his favourite sport. He has many great achievements on court and has been ranked No.2 in Australia and No.4 in the world at stages in his tennis career. In 2011 Zvi received a silver medal at the Global Games in both doubles and team events and reached the semifinals in singles. At the Australian Tennis Championships for players with an Intellectual Disability, Zvi won the doubles event with his partner and was a semifinalist in the men’s singles. On top of competition, Zvi is an Assistant Coach at some tennis clubs in his area and is committed to helping children with an intellectual disability become involved in tennis.

Stephen Swann

Stephen Swann is an extremely committed team player who is always there to assist his team mates by providing guidance and support. In 2011 he was part of the Australian team that competed at the Dresse and Maere Tennis Cup in Turkey, finishing sixth overall. Stephen was a very valuable member of this Australian team by organising all the bookings and administration details required for the team. As well as representing Australia overseas, Stephen competes in many tournaments in Australia. His Grade 3 Pennant men’s team made it to the final last year, and earlier this year he competed in the Australian Deaf Tennis Championships, winning a gold medal in the doubles and coming fourth in the singles event. He has a wonderful attitude on and off the court and is always enthusiastic in assisting his team mates in any way

Tickets are still available for the dinner which will be a celebration of our local champions, Pat Cash’s Wimbledon triumph 25 years ago and Victorian tennis as a whole. You are invited to come along and attend this fantastic event, and members receive a discounted rate when booking a table of 10.

Affiliate/member table of 10 – $1300
Table of 10 – $1500
Individual – $150 each

Book your seat/table at this inaugural event now by downloading and submitting the Championships Dinner booking form.

For more information, please visit the Championships Dinner page on our website.