New Tennis Coach Inspired by New Courts, Aha Moments

Noblesville High School’s new head boy’s tennis coach said the $3.9 million tennis facility that was dedicated two-and-one-half weeks ago is a dream come true.

Chris Pyle, who was hired over the summer and who is also assistant girls tennis coach for NHS, said, “I got hired way after the project was under way, and I had no idea when I got hired that they were doing this.”

He loves the new 12-court tennis facility that increases the district’s overall tennis capacity by 50 percent.

He already has high expectations of his players. “We have a lot of talent. Our teams are state ranked,” he said.

When he learned about the project, he said it made him expect even more of himself.

Pyle is making sure he gets the best experience for his players and puts together a good plan “to make sure we’re using our facility in a way that’s going to make our teams look good over the next 20-30 years.”

The 7-acre facility includes concessions, restrooms, locker space, offices, bleachers, on-site parking and a training room. It also features post tension concrete courts, which are safer and require less maintenance.

There is no sound system to ensure a quiet environment for nearby neighbors.

The $3.9 million cost of the facility was financed through a bond (loan) without the use of referendum dollars or an increase to the tax rate, said Marnie Cooke, the district’s spokesperson. This type of funding cannot be used for education or staffing.

The property was previously home to the First Church of God, which disbanded before the district purchased the land. This journalist attended a special gathering with former congregants prior to the construction of this tennis facility.

Currently, the NHS boy’s tennis team has 29 players, “which is a lot but it is one of the smaller teams in the area, especially in our conference,” Pyle said. The girl’s tennis team has about 25 players.

The new tennis facility has received much attention from school families.

“There is a big demand,” said Pyle, who has already gotten a lot of requests from parents of elementary and middle school students interested in tennis.

“Because of that, I’m just glad we have this facility.”

Pyle said, “Now we’re going to have more kids playing tennis, and we’re going to have more chances that we’re going to develop really, really good players who can go on to the college level. Any tennis parents moving into the area, they’re going to see this (facility), and they’re going to want their kids to play tennis.”

The new facility, which was dedicated on Sept. 16, will be used for dual matches, up to eight-team tournaments and invites, “and we’ll be able to host sectionals, regionals and even state finals. They can all be done here. It’s going to be really cool,” he said.

The tennis players will also practice at the new facility. Plus, the facility has a coach’s office, and training room. Pyle expects to get “real-time quick response for injuries” and “get players ready, physically, for matches.” He has an office there at the new facility, along with a stringing machine to restring tennis rackets, and restrooms in the locker rooms.

He hasn’t seen such a nice facility anywhere in the state.

Before this facility opened, the NHS tennis players practiced and played matches at Noblesville East Middle School tennis courts across the street from the new tennis facility. The middle school boys and girls teams will still be able to practice there at NEMS. The NEMS courts are also open to the public when not in use by schools.

“We split those courts, so right now, we only have six (tennis courts) to play on and to practice on,” he said. “And now, we have 12, and if the weekend is open and they’re using those courts, we have 24,” he said. “It’s really cool to see.”

Pyle grew up in Schererville, Ind., near the Region, and graduated in 2011 from Lake Central High School. He attended the University of Dayton in Ohio for his bachelor’s degree and graduated in 2015 and then earned his master’s degree at Ball State University. His sister, Randi Neukam, is a seventh-grade math teacher at NEMS. “She loved it; she raved about it. That kind of got me into wanting to be here,” he said.

Pyle was hired by the Noblesville school district over the summer, in June. He was the head coach at Speedway High School for a year. Before that, he was a teacher at IPS for seven years. He got a job teaching Project Lead the Way (with the STEM program) for Grades 6-8, at NEMS, and he lives 10 minutes away, in Cicero with his wife and kids.

“Everything kind of fell into place,” he said.

Pyle started playing tennis at age 9. He grew up in his high school’s tennis program. He was a second-team all-state doubles player his senior year. He also coached little kids camp, played club tennis in Dayton and got really into coaching along with getting his teaching degree. He moved here in 2015.

When the job opened, he thought, “I gotta go for it.”

Pyle said, “They took a chance on me, and I’m just hoping to bring them a top state program in a couple of years.”

His wife, Rachel, is a cheerleader, growing up, who’s just getting into tennis, he said. “I taught her how to string a racket. That’s fun.”

The couple have two children, twins, a boy, Holden, and a girl, Stevie, born in April in Noblesville. “We’re hoping they go through the same system and play (tennis) for me in a couple of years,” he said.

He’s also in the U.S. Army, a veteran in the National Guard.

“I have a lot going on, but I’m really excited to be here,” he said.

Pyle likes tennis, cooking, gardening and planting. He and his family have three dogs and a cat, all rescue animals. “We like spending time with them and our family.”

What makes Pyle smile? He said, “Watching when a kid or a player or a student has an “aha” moment, like either on the court, or something they discover they can do, or something they’ve learned. That’s the best part about coaching.”

He said, “I think the best moments are when you build relationships with kids, and they get something that you taught them.”

Contact Betsy Reason at [email protected].