NEWS & WHAT’S NEW

Buddy Up Tennis is now on Facebook - Sunday, December 4, 2011

Buddy Up Tennis is now on Facebook.  You can follow us at http://www.facebook.com/buddyuptennis.

Buddy Up Tennis Thanks the Country Club at Muirfield Village Foundation for Generous Grant - November 22, 2011

Buddy Up Tennis is grateful to have received a generous grant from the Country Club at Muirfield Village Foundation (MVA) to help support its Shining Stars court and Athletes in Columbus.  The MVA was founded to raise money for a staff member's son who was born with severe Down Syndrome.  The response and generosity of its club members was truly overwhelming and the MVA has since broadened its focus to support a variety of non-profit organizations, including Buddy Up Tennis.  To learn more about the MVA, go to http://www.tcccares.org/history.html. 

We Had a Blast With the OSU Women’s Tennis Team - Saturday, November 19, 2011

Everyone at Buddy Up Tennis would like to thank The Ohio State University Women’s Tennis team for a very special clinic.  They were great Buddies during our regular clinic and then performed an inspiring and entertaining demonstration with our coaches.  Our coaches have already asked for a re-match next year!  Click <here> or on the “Pictures” link above to see pictures of this memorable clinic. 

Buddy Up Tennis on Twitter - Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Buddy Up Tennis is now on Twitter.  Be sure to follow us at @BuddyUpTennis.

Beth Gibson Receives the Lee Gillespie Award - Sunday, November 6, 2011

On Sunday, November 6, 2011, Beth Gibson, the founder and the heart and soul of Buddy Up Tennis, received the Lee Gillespie Award for being the non-tournament player who contributed the most to tennis in 2011 for her work and dedication to Buddy Up Tennis in Columbus, Cincinnati, and Pittsburgh.  Jim Amick from the United States Tennis Association (USTA) presented Beth with her award and delivered an inspiring speech.  We are grateful to the USTA, the Greater Columbus Tennis Association, and the Ohio Valley Tennis Association for their continued generous support of Buddy Up Tennis.  Click <here> to see pictures from this event.

Buddy Up Tennis & NBC 4 Promote Down Syndrome Awareness Month - October 26, 2011

NBC 4 News in Columbus showcased Buddy Up Tennis during Down Syndrome Awareness Month. This news clip tells the story of how we can all make a difference in the lives of those with Down Syndrome if we follow our heart and passion -- just like Will Gibson, whose passion for tennis is what started Buddy Up Tennis.  Click <here> or on the YouTube video box above to see the story. 

Everyone Had A Fun and Spooky Time at Our Columbus Halloween Clinic - October 22, 2011

Be sure to check out all of the fun we had at our Halloween Party.  [Click <here>.]  Many of our Athletes, Buddies, and Coaches came dressed in their favorite costumes to celebrate.  After our regular clinic, we had many fun games and activities, such as mummy wrap races, scooter races, and more.  Our Athletes were also rewarded with the opportunities to trade their well-earned Buddy Bucks for great prizes. 

Fun Was Had By All At Our 1st Clinic in Pittsburgh: Thanks to All That Made It Happen! (Posted: September 20, 2011)

This weekend, we had our first Pittsburgh Buddy Up Tennis clinic.  It was our strongest kick-off clinic yet.  We had 13 special Athletes and lots of Buddies and Coaches on hand to help make it a wonderful day.  Thank you to all who participated and made it happen.  We are looking forward to much more fun, progress, and development for all of our Pittsburgh Athletes.   Be sure to spread the word so we can share our program with more Athletes and recruit more Buddies and Coaches in Pittsburgh.  To see all of the fun we had, click on the “Pictures” link above or click <here>.

DSACO Buddy Walk - Columbus - Sunday, September 18, 2011

The Down Syndrome Association of Central Ohio (DSACO) held its annual Buddy Walk on Sunday, September 18th.  Buddy Up Tennis (together with the USTA) were there to help support DSACO and to introduce Buddy Up Tennis to more members of the Columbus Down Syndrome community.  It was a beautiful fall day and we had a blast.  Thanks to who made this event a tremendous success for DSACO and Buddy Up Tennis.  You can click on the “Pictures” link above or click <here> to see pictures of this great event.

We All Had A Blast!  A Special Thanks To Everyone Who Participated and Made It Happen (Posted: August 25, 2011)

All of the Athletes, Buddies, and Coaches had a blast at our demonstration at the Western & Southern Financial Group Master’s & Women’s Open on Saturday, August 20, 2011.  It was a very special day for our Athletes to celebrate and demonstrate in front of hundreds of people the tremendous progress they made all year.  Buddy Up Tennis extends a heartfelt thank you to everyone that made this day so wonderful, including all of our Athletes, Buddies, Coaches, the USTA (especially Jim Amick), DSACO,  DSAGC, and the Linder Family Tennis Center.  We all had a wonderful and magical day.  Click “Pictures” link above to view or download our photos.

We Made NBC News! (Posted: August 16, 2011)

NBC News paid a special visit to Buddy Up Tennis at our Saturday, August 13th clinic.  It was a special time for all of our Athletes to show-off the tremendous progress they have made throughout the year and to promote our demonstration at the Western & Southern Masters Tennis Event in Cincinnati.  A special thanks goes out to NBC 4, Ben Gelber, and Priscilla Shanmugham for making this happen.  It always makes a significant and positive impact on our fundraising efforts and creates other television, radio, and newspaper opportunities.   Check us out on NBC News by clicking <here>. 

Buddy Up Tennis is Launching in Pittsburgh (Posted: June 20, 2011)

Buddy Up Tennis is on the move.  We are busy planning and will be launching our program in Pittsburgh on Saturday, September 17, 2011 at The Club Health and Sport in Monroeville.  We are so proud to be associated with the Pittsburgh Down Syndrome Association and excited to share our program with the Pittsburgh Down Syndrome community!  One of the keys to the success of our program is energetic, fun, and caring volunteer Buddies.  If you would like to be a Buddy, or know of someone who would like to volunteer as a Buddy for a weekend (or more), please contact Michael Osborn at michaeldosborn@gmail.com, TerriAnne Barker at terrianne@comcast.net, or Beth Gibson at buddyuptennis@gmail.com or 614-579-8808. 

We Had A Blast At Our Columbus End of Season Party - Saturday, May 21, 2011 (Posted: June 20, 2011)

Our Athletes, Buddies, and their families and friends all had a blast at our End of Season Party in Columbus.  Over 150 people attended.  Each of our Athletes performed a demonstration to show off the tennis skills he or she learned during the year for all to see and enjoy.  We are so proud of all of our Athletes and the tremendous progress they made this year.  We then had a great party, complete with a giant inflatable, face painting, balloon toys, a photo booth, lots of food, and much more.  Go to our “Pictures” page to check it all out!

Pictures From Our Cincinnati Clinics - Saturday, March 12 and May 14, 2011 (Updated: June 7, 2011)

Our Cincinnati program continues to grow quickly.  Everyone is having a ball, and we had a fantastic time at our end of season party!  Be sure to check it out by clicking on the link to our “Pictures” page.  A special thanks to our Columbus Coaches (Amanda, Kate, Keegan, Mike, and Will) who donated their entire Saturday to Buddy Up Tennis in Columbus and Cincinnati.

Pictures From Our Valentine’s Day & “Minute To Win It Party” - Saturday, February 12, 2011

We all had such a great time at our Valentine’s Day and “Minute to Win It Party” in Columbus.  To see all of the fun we had, click on the link to our “Pictures”.  You’ll be glad to did!

Pictures From Our Christmas and Holiday Clinic - Saturday, December 18, 2010

We have uploaded pictures from our Christmas and Holiday Clinic, which was lots of fun.  We were happy to welcome several new Athletes and see that many came dressed to spread holiday cheer.  We are proud to see all of the progress and development that each and every one of our Athletes has accomplished this year.  We are looking forward to more success in 2011!  Click on the link to our “Pictures” page to see pictures of all of the fun we are having.

Time To Say Thanks and Celebrate the Holidays - Sunday, December 5, 2010

Buddy Up Tennis is very fortunate and thankful to have so many Buddies who invest their valuable time on Saturdays helping our Athletes achieve their potential and make our program such a success.  To say thank you to our younger Buddies and those Buddies who feel young at heart, we are having a bouncing and pizza party at Sky Zone (click here to complete waiver and for directions) on Tuesday, December 21st from 7:30 to 10:00 PM (you must have a waiver on file with Sky Zone before you attend -- click here on Sky Zone to complete your waiver).  To say thank you to our adult Buddies, we are having a party at Beth Gibson’s home (click here for directions) on Saturday, December 18th from 7:00 PM to ???.  Please be sure to join in all of the fun and celebration!

Lots of New Pictures - Sunday, November 6, 2010

Be sure to check out our “Pictures” page.  We have posted lots of new pictures, including pictures from our first Cincinnati Clinic at the Club at Harper’s Point, our Columbus Halloween Party, our first Fundraiser, our October 23rd clinic, and more.  We are all having a great time, and we are so proud to see the great progress all of our Athletes are making each and every week!

Business First Showcases Buddy Up Tennis - Friday, November 5, 2010

Buddy Up Tennis was featured in the Corporate Caring section of the Columbus Business First.  Click the following link to read their entire inspiring article! ==> Business First Article.pdf  We’re pleased and excited that the good word about Buddy Up Tennis continues to spread quickly!

Buddy Up Tennis Cincinnati is off to a fantastic start (Posted: Oct 17, 2010)

We had a wonderful turn-out for our first clinic in Cincinnati on Saturday, October 16th.  We had 18 Athletes (which is many more than we had for our first event in Columbus), and everyone had a fun time.  We are happy to be off to a great start, which is due in large part to the support and enthusiasm we received from the Down Syndrome Association of Greater Cincinnati.  We were happy to see and meet lots of new Athletes, Buddies, and their families and we are looking forward to growing and adapting the program each week to meet the needs of our Cincinnati Athletes.  To see pictures of all of the fun we had, go to our “Pictures” page.  We look forward to seeing you all on Saturday, November 6, 2010 at the Club at Harper’s Point from 4:00 PM to 5:30 PM.

Buddy Up Tennis Launches a Cincinnati, Ohio Program (Posted: Sep 11, 2010)

As a result of the success of our demonstration at the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters Open in Cincinnati and with the support of the United States Tennis Association (USTA), Buddy Up Tennis is proud to be launching a program to serve the Cincinnati, Ohio area Down Syndrome and tennis communities.  Our Kick-Off Clinic will take place on Saturday, October 16, 2010 from 3:30 PM to 5:00 PM at Five Seasons Family Tennis & Fitness Club.  To join the fun and sign up your son or daughter as an Athlete or to become a volunteer Buddy, click on the “Join the Fun” link above.  We are hard at work to make our Cincinnati program as beneficial and fun as our Columbus program, and we are looking forward to getting to know many new Athletes, Buddies, and others that are part of the Cincinnati area Down Syndrome, tennis, and volunteer communities. 

Check Out Our New “In The News” Page (Posted: Aug 31, 2010)

Be sure to check out our new “In The News” page.  It contains links to all of the great videos, sites, articles, and blogs that talk about Buddy Up Tennis.  If you know of additional links that we should include, be sure to let us know and we will post them for all to enjoy.

Thank You to the USTA and the Cincinnati Down Syndrome Community (Updated: Aug 23, 2010)

Buddy Up Tennis would like to say thank you to the USTA (and Jim Amick) and the Cincinnati Down Syndrome community for a wonderful experience at the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters & Women’s Open.  We all had such a wonderful and magical day.  Everyone who participated will surely always remember this most special day.  Click “Pictures” link above to view or download our photos, or click on the “In The News” link above to see and hear about our day.  Thanks to all who participated.

Buddy Up Tennis on NBC News! (Posted: Aug 15, 2010)

Click on the YouTube link to the above right to see Buddy Up Tennis on NBC 4 News.  You will learn how Buddy Up got started, what we do, and about all of the fun we are having.  Thank you to NBC 4 for visiting Buddy Up Tennis!

Radio Interview on FM 97.1 & AM 1460 (Posted: Aug 15, 2010)

Be sure to go to our “In the News” page to listen to a 15-minute interview with Beth Gibson regarding Buddy Up Tennis that was aired on FM 97.1 and AM 1460 on Sunday, August 15, 2010.  You will hear exciting news about Buddy Up Tennis, our Athletes, and much more.  Great job Beth!

You Can Now Make On-Line Charitable Contributions To Support Buddy Up Tennis (Posted: Aug 13, 2010)

Great news!  It is now easy to make an on-line charitable donation to support Buddy Up Tennis.  You can either sponsor an Athlete or make a general donation via Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express, PayPal, or check.  To learn more and make a donation today, click on the “Donate” link above.

DSACO (Down Syndrome Association of Central Ohio) Recognizes Buddy Up Tennis (Posted: Aug 12, 2010)

DSACO (the Down Syndrome Association of Central Ohio) recognized Beth Gibson with their “Best Buddy Award” for 2010 at their annual awards ceremony for her contributions to Buddy Up Tennis and the Down Syndrome community.  Way to go Beth and all of the other DSACO award winners!  To learn more about DSACO, you can go to http://www.dsaco.net.

Buddy Up Tennis Athletes to Take Center Court at the Western & Southern Tournament (Posted: July 17, 2010)

Great things continue to happen at Buddy Up Tennis.  On August 21st, participants in Buddy Up Tennis take “Center Court” before the Men’s semi-finals match at the Western & Southern Group Master Series (Link => Cincinnati Website) in Mason, Ohio to perform a demonstration of their tennis and fitness skills in front of an expected crowd of several thousand people.  This tennis tournament is just one of nine elite professional tennis tournaments and is televised on ESPN2.  Previous winners include Roger Federer, Andy Roddick, and Andy Murray.  This is a great opportunity for our Athletes to demonstrate their tennis skills and for us to continue to spread the word about Buddy Up Tennis.

The day will begin with an hour clinic of tennis and fitness on a side court with approximately twenty Buddy Up Tennis Athletes paired with a Buddy.  In addition, Buddy Up Tennis will host fifteen guests from the Down Syndrome Association of Greater Cincinnati to share the fun and excitement.  Athletes of all ages, from five-year old children to young adults will be able to participate.  When the clinic is over, Buddy Up Tennis Athletes and Buddies will move to Center Court to demonstrate their awesome tennis and fitness skills for the tournament crowd of thousands!

Great News: Your Charitable Donations to Buddy Up Tennis Are Now Tax Deductible! (Posted: May 9, 2010)

Great news!  Buddy Up Tennis received its determination letter from the IRS and is now officially a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.  This means your charitable donations to Buddy Up are now tax deductible.  We are hopeful that this will facilitate Buddy Up Tennis in its fundraising efforts and allow us to raise Buddy Up Tennis to the next level and to provide an even more beneficial program for all of our athletes!  Click above on the “Donate” link to learn how to support Buddy Up Tennis ==> Donate!

USTA Supports Buddy Up Tennis (Posted: May 9, 2010)

Buddy Up Tennis is now officially a member of the United States Tennis Association (USTA).  We are proud to be part of the USTA, and we are very thankful for their support!

A Year In Review (Posted: Dec. 17, 2009)

It is hard to believe that Buddy Up Tennis recently celebrated its 1st birthday.  We had so much fun our first year, everyone made great progress, and we made lots of new friends.  To see and read all about our wonderful journey, click the following link to download a copy of our photobook and year in review. => Buddy Up Journey.pdf  We look forward to much, much more in 2010!

Be Sure to Check Out Chris’ Pictures and Blog (Posted: Nov. 12, 2009)

Check-out all of the fantastic pictures taken by Chris Kalouche of C’est Cheese, a good friend of Buddy Up Tennis (and a professional photographer).  Chris attended our November 7th clinic and took lots of great pictures.  You can see them by clicking on the “Photos” link above.  Chris also posted some very thoughtful words about Buddy Up Tennis on her blog, which you can read on her website by clicking here. => Chris’ Blog  Be sure to also enjoy all of the other great pictures on Chris’ blog!

New Time to Meet - - - Sleep-In for an Extra One-Half of an Hour (Posted: October 28, 2009)

Starting with our Saturday, November 7th session, we will meet starting one-half of an hour later or from 9:30 AM to 11:00 AM (instead of from 9:00 AM to 10:30 AM).  Almost all of our athletes, their parents, and our buddies asked for this change, so we listened!  We can now all sleep-in for an extra one-half of an hour on Saturday, so we should have even more energy for our clinics!!!!  You can click on the “Schedule” link above for a detailed listing of the dates and times of our upcoming clinics. 

Unsolicited Donations Keep Flowing! (Posted: October 15, 2009)

Much to our humble surprise, Buddy Up Tennis has continued to receive numerous unsolicited donations, all of which are quite generous, with the common explanation that the energy from our program is contagious and our donors want to help us.  We would like to thank all of our generous contributors, and we promise that your donations will help us share all of the fun we are having with, and benefit, everyone in the Down Syndrome community who participates in our program.  If we keep receiving such donations, we will be able to meet our goal of offering our services to all of our participants for free.  Thank you to everyone who has contributed . . . . keep up the good work.

GCTA Makes Generous Donation (Posted: Sept. 26, 2009)

The Greater Columbus Tennis Association (http://www.gcta.net) has made a generous donation to Buddy Up Tennis, Inc.  Their contribution will help us continue to grow and improve our program.  Thank you GCTA for your support!

Buddy Up Tennis, Inc. Has Been Formed (Posted: Aug 21, 2009)

It’s official.  On August 21, 2009, Buddy Up Tennis, Inc. was formed as an Ohio non-profit corporation.  Our goal is to apply for and qualify as a Section 501(c)(3) charitable organization with the Internal Revenue Service (so that we can accept tax deductible charitable contributions).  The formation of Buddy Up Tennis, Inc. was our first step in the process.  We hope to complete the Section 501(c)(3) qualification process within approximately four to six months.  We will keep you posted as to our progress!