During the year, you can find Coach Amanda Hughes teaching our youngest Buddy Up Tennis Athletes on the Future Stars Court in Columbus or traveling to a new city to share our 10 and under curriculum with new and existing locations. But during the Summer, you can find her on the courts leading our Buddy Up Summer Camp Program! Buddy Up Tennis began the Summer Camp program four years ago, but it was not until last year that we were able to expand the program to new locations. Summer Camp 2019 is going to be even better than years prior with more activities, an updated curriculum, and a new location-Grand Rapids, MI! From relay race and obstacle course based fitness activities to character trait development, Athletes and Buddies are in for an exciting week. A big win, this year is the addition of a traveling Summer Camp Staff in order to create consistency on the courts across all Buddy Up Summer Camp locations.
Amanda has created a week of Tennis, Fitness, and FUN for our Athletes that keeps the Camp Days new, fresh, and exciting for our new or seasoned Athletes. “The first half of the camp day may appear to be structured similarly to clinics, but what makes our camp unique is that it will offer an opportunity to hone in on specific skills each day within fitness and tennis. For example, one day of tennis will be focused on hitting targets on the court to work on ball placement, while another day, the focus will be on rallying,” Amanda said.
Each day after tennis and fitness, we introduce our Athletes to a planned, non tennis activity, “My goal in providing the various activities to the Athletes is to expose them to a variety of experiences that they may not have had an opportunity to partake in previously. With this, I envision the Athletes finding additional passions or interests to enhance their daily lives,” Amanda said.
We are anxious to see how the relationships between our Athletes and Buddies evolve and develop over the week. Fostering even stronger bonds between participants is Amanda’s favorite part of the program, “The best part of the week is seeing the relationships grow between the Athletes and Buddies. It is truly amazing to watch the connections form right before your eyes. It is evident that our Summer Camp has a lasting impact on all of those involved.”
Amanda and her traveling Summer Camp Staff are looking forward to an amazing summer of tennis, fitness, fun, and friendships with the Athletes and Buddies from Columbus, Sarasota, Grand Rapids, and Naperville!