Wolves is partnering with Special Olympics

NEWBERRY – Newberry College’s tennis programs host the Special Olympics Tennis Jamboree event at Oakland Tennis Center, a positive energy tennis event that accommodated all levels of Special Olympic / USTA Adaptive Tennis.

“Due to the COVID-19 outages, all Special Olympics sports activities were completely shut down from April 2020 to May 2021,” said David Andes, organizer of the Special Olympics Tennis event in Central, SC. “It created a huge vacuum for many of our athletes – especially those who live in group homes. In June 2021, we resumed the exercises, but due to the COVID-19 figures, we were prevented from organizing inter-provincial events. So when the state’s Special Olympic Office announced in October that we could move freely between counties, I contacted Newberry’s head coach Mark Gardiner to continue our Newberry Tennis Jamboree tradition, and he jumped over it. “

Despite the difference between when Newberry last hosted the event in November 2019, Jamboree proved successful and useful for both Special Olympics athletes and Newberry College tennis players themselves.

“The interaction between the Newberry College tennis team and the Special Olympics athletes was great to watch,” said Anthony Buzzetti, director of community at South Carolina’s Special Olympics. “The players at Newberry College treated our athletes with compassion and kindness. They quickly recognized the skills of the Special Olympics athletes and built their training accordingly. Our athletes were grateful for this experience and openly expressed their gratitude to this group of highly talented tennis players. This event was a powerful reminder of how sport can help us overcome obstacles and bring people together.

“I love the Newberry tennis team,” Andes said. – The camaraderie and community between the men’s and women’s teams is immediately noticeable. They love sports and like each other. The fact that many players are international makes the experience even more special. And the players took the initiative so quickly for the Special Olympic athletes. “

Wolves not only made a big impression on how they practiced themselves, they also impressed on their ability to teach the sport they love to Special Olympics athletes and give back to the community.

“I was amazed at how productive and successful our basic skill players were in guiding and encouraging college players,” Andes said. “One of our young players typically hits maybe 30 balls in a net over 90 minutes of practice. Newberry players led a timed, high-energy workout in which the same young player hit 86 balls over 3.5 minutes. The whole environment was just inspiring for our players.

After another successful Special Olympics Tennis Jamboree, there is now a new hope that the event can return to the annual day of giving back the sport it had been five years before the pandemic.