Tina McKenzie

In 2000 and 2001, she played for the Whittlesea City Pacers in the Women's National Wheelchair Basketball League (WNWBL).[11] In 2008 and 2009, she played for the Dandenong Rangers. In the second round of the 2008 season, the Dandenong Rangers defeated the Western Stars 53–47. Despite fouling out late in the game, she scored 21 points in her team's victory.[12] In 2010, she played for St Peters and the Wenty Leagues Wheelkings,[13] and for the Stacks Goudkamp Bears in the WNWBL.[3][5] She was a three-time All Star Five WNWBL player, in 2004, 2006 and 2007.[14] After moving to Melbourne, McKenzie began playing for Victoria in 2014.[15] The team became the Kilsyth Cobras in 2015, with McKenzie on the roster.[16]

Tina McKenzie in a Gliders game against Japan in Sydney in 2012

McKenzie has over 100 international caps with the Australia women's national wheelchair basketball team,[9] generally known as the Gliders. She joined the team in 1999, but missed out on selection for the 2000 Summer Paralympics in Sydney.[2] She played in a four-game test series in Canberra against the Japan women's national wheelchair basketball team held in March 2002, the first Australian hosted international for the Gliders since the Paralympics.[17] She was then selected to play at the 2002World Wheelchair Basketball Championship in Japan,[17] winning a bronze medal,[2] and later at the 2006 and 2010 World Championships, where the Gliders finished fourth each time.[4]

She was selected to represent Australia at the 2009 Four Nations tournament in Canada, one of six players in the side who played for the Dandenong Rangers in the WNWBL.[18] She was selected to participate in a national team training camp in 2010,[19] and captained the team at the Osaka Cup[13] and the World Championships that year. In July, she played in a three-game test series against Germany.[20]

McKenzie at the 2012 London Paralympics

McKenzie at the 2012 London Paralympics

McKenzie was part of the silver medal-winning team at the 2004 Summer Paralympics in Athens,[21][22] and the bronze medal-winning team[23] at the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing.[22]

At the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London, she took to the court only twice. The first time was in her team's victory over Great Britain on 31 August, in which she played for 7 minutes 2 seconds.[24] The second was in her team's quarterfinal 62–37 victory over Mexico women's national wheelchair basketball team, in which she played for 10 minutes 47 seconds.[25] She was awarded a silver medal after her team was defeated by Germany in the final.[3][26]

In December 2012, McKenzie officially announced her retirement. After thanking various people, she concluded her remarks by saying: "I will always be proud to call myself a Glider."[27]