Buddy Up Tennis began in the summer of 2008 when Beth Gibson, Founder and President of Buddy Up Tennis, would take her then 3.5 year old son, Will to Wickertree Tennis & Fitness Club while she and her older son, Keegan, played tennis. Will was always fascinated with watching tennis, so two Wickertree staff members, Stephanie Anderson and Doug DiRosario, volunteered to teach tennis to Will, who has Down syndrome. To help Will learn, they researched techniques for teaching tennis to children with Down syndrome. As a result of the research, Beth, Stephanie, and Doug realized that there was a void as well as a need for organized tennis and fitness programs for individuals with Down syndrome. They took the initiative to make it a reality and held the first Buddy Up Tennis Clinic in December 2008. Since then, word of Buddy Up Tennis has spread and continues to grow each and every week.