BUDDY UP TENNIS, FITNESS & FUN!

 

WELCOME!


Buddy Up Tennis, Fitness & Fun is a weekly, high-energy 90-minute program focused on adaptive tennis, fitness, and fun for children and adults with Down syndrome in Columbus, Ohio and the surrounding areas.  We are having so much fun!  If you’re interested, just click on the “Sign-Up” link above.  You will be so glad you did!  You can also click on the above “Schedule” link to see when we meet next and the “Location” link to get directions to Wickertree Tennis & Fitness Club, which is where we meet.  We hope to see you soon!  1-2-3 Buddy Up.  Have a question?  Please contact us at buddyuptennis@gmail.com or call Beth Gibson at 614-579-8808.

Click on YouTube link to see Buddy Up Tennis on NBC 4 News.

WHAT’S NEW?


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.  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 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 and Southern Financial Group Master & 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 to upload and share your own 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!


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 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.


The day will begin with an hour clinic of tennis and fitness on a side court with approximately twenty Buddy Up Athletes paired with a Buddy.  In addition, Buddy Up 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 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).  The USTA applauds Buddy Up’s mission and has made various generous financial donations to support Buddy Up.  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 here 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 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!