The recent recognition of Jimboomba-based FuturePros Tennis Academy’s Inclusive Tennis and Wheelchair Tennis programs by Tennis Australia is richly deserved.
FuturePros coaches Kiel Lindner and AJ Lindner-Thompson have an unbridled passion for the sport of tennis and put as much effort into programs for players with physical and mental disabilities as they do their able-bodied athletes, ensuring everyone under their tutelage gets as much enjoyment from the game as they do.
Their drive to make everyone in our community feel valued and included should be commended.
To give people who never thought they would be capable of participating, and even excelling, in a sport the ability and self-belief to believe they are worthy of crushing a forehand or belting a backhand like the likes of Lleyton Hewitt is a truly special thing which should be celebrated, not only in the sporting world but the wider world at large.
AJ and Kiel’s can-do attitude and unwavering belief that all are welcome, and capable of playing the sport they love, is what has rightly earned them the recognition of not only the sport’s national governing body but the admiration of its biggest national stars such as Alicia Molik, Daria Gavrilova, Sam Groth, Sam Stosur and more.
As our region grows and becomes more diverse we should all take a page out of the FuturePros Tennis Academy book and focus on what people can do and not what they cannot, and strive to treat each other not only as equals but as fellow humans, deserving of all the same chances to have fun and experience joy as everyone else.
AJ and Kiel are a shining example of what this region has to offer, genuine people who are passionate about where they live and what they do. Their Inclusive Tennis and Wheelchair Tennis programs will only continue to grow off the back of their well deserved trip to Melbourne for the Tennis Australia awards.
