Times are changing, and so is Buddy Up Tennis! We wanted to ensure that our Athletes were staying strong, fit and confident while at home, and so we held our first-ever virtual event on June 9th during the Big Give! The Big Give is a 25-hour giving event for Columbus area nonprofits to raise awareness and funds for their organization in partnership with The Columbus Foundation. Athletes, Buddies, and Board Members joined our Buddy Up Tennis Columbus Coaches on the evening of June 9th via Zoom to participate in fun challenges, exhilarating exercises, and of course, the ever-popular Buddy Up Zumba and Kickboxing!
We KICKED off The Big Give with Buddy Up Kickboxing, enthusiastically taught by Coach Jill Hasskew, and ended the evening with Miss Kimberly’s Zumba. Enthusiasm runs high when it comes to this dynamic duo: When Athletes heard that Coach Jill would be teaching Kickboxing and Miss Kimberly would be leading Zumba, they jumped on the Zoom from all over the country! It’s obvious that our Athletes just adore working up a sweat with Coach Jill and dancing to their favorite Zumba songs with Miss Kimberly. Showcasing Buddy Up Kickboxing and Buddy Up Zumba during the Big Give allowed our supporters to experience firsthand the incredible impact of the new Buddy Up Tennis virtual space on our Athletes.
Throughout the evening, Buddy Up Tennis Athletes, Buddies, Board Members, and friends were given the opportunity to participate in lively challenges and competitions, including trickshots, planks, pushups and more, right in their own homes. We even welcomed Francesca Di Lorenzo, Buckeye turned WTA Ranked #128 Player and longtime friend of Buddy Up Tennis, to compete against the Lo Family in a ball-control competition!
With the support of the Columbus community and beyond, we raised over $25,000! We are so grateful that this enables us to continue to bring our Buddy Up Tennis environment to our Athletes’ homes during these unique times. Thank you, Columbus!