By Brady Extin | The Times-Post

PENDLETON — Not Carmel, not Fishers, not even Indianapolis can claim what Pendleton now can after Indiana Premier Tennis at the Community Sports and Wellness Center was named a 2022 Outstanding Tennis Facility by the United States Tennis Association.

The honor, which was awarded at the recent Western and Southern Open in Cincinnati, is given to various tennis facilities around the country that meet high standards.

The nominees are evaluated based on two categories — their facility and their tennis program.

The facilities are evaluated on the quality of each court and surface, the lighting on each court, the overall layout and adaptation of the site, the accessories and amenities, and evidence of good and green maintenance.

The courts at Community Sports and Wellness Center, 395 S. Heritage Way, are climate controlled and include PlaySight camera technology. That, along with the personal tennis lounge, cafe, pro shop and other amenities on site, were enough to pass that part of the evaluation.

“We literally have the nicest facility for tennis in Indiana,” Director of Tennis at the Community Sports and Wellness Center Bryant Beard said. “That’s not my opinion. It’s factual with what we have here.”

The tennis program itself must also meet equally high standards to receive the award.

That includes being evaluated on their USTA programs, youth tennis programs, other tennis related programs, and their contribution to the game of tennis.

Indiana Premier Tennis offers both youth and adult programs, classes, and private lessons. Along with that, they put on tournaments and other community events and competitions throughout the year.

According to the USTA website, out of four possible categories, the Community Sports and Wellness Center falls under “private facilities that support the USTA and other growth of the game programs.”

They were one of one of 15 facilities to earn the award in that category this year.

“When you get an award like that it’s just an injection,” Beard said. “It just boosts you forward so fast and gets you some recognition. It gives you some validity to the community.”

Beard, who just recently celebrated his one year anniversary as director, is well ahead of schedule in his vision for the program.

“My job is to bring in the right culture and the best coaches,” Beard said. “I thought it would take about three to four years, but we’re starting to take off pretty quickly.”

Formerly the tennis coach at Anderson University for six years, Beard stepped away searching for new growth. He saw that opportunity in the Community Wellness Center along with the chance to turn Pendleton into the best tennis area in the state.

“The biggest thing for me was the opportunity,” Beard said. “I’m a person that likes to bet on myself or our team, and what I saw at Pendleton’s facility was basically no roof of opportunities. That’s hard to find in a tennis facility because you’re usually constrained by certain things.”

Helping his vision progress quicker than expected is the team he has around him.

The newest addition to that team is an exciting one in professional tennis player Tara Moore.

As a Hong Kong-born British tennis player, Moore has traveled the world playing tennis, reaching as high in the rankings as 145th in singles and 77th in doubles. She has had the opportunity to compete in all four Grand Slam competitions — the Australian Open, French Open, US Open and Wimbledon.

She’s also responsible for one of the greatest comebacks in tennis history when she overcame a 0-6, 0-5 deficit to defeat her opponent.

Moore now brings all that experience to the Indiana Premier Tennis Program, through which she will help mentor and coach players of all ages through the teaching of classes, as well as private lessons.

“Just having someone of that caliber and her choosing to work with us in Pendleton is phenomenal,” Beard said. “She wanted to be here partly because of the culture that we are creating.”

The program doesn’t have any plans of slowing down, and is always looking toward the future.

The goal is for Pendleton to become not just a powerhouse in tennis, but also a place for families to get together and exercise.

“The biggest thing for us is we’re trying to provide opportunities for families to get involved,” Beard said. “Not just in tennis but in the gym whether it’s gymnastics, cheer, family fitness or personal training.”

While not the coach at Pendleton Heights, Beard does believe his program can be a key part behind the scenes for the growth of both the boys and girls high school teams.

“Our goal is to continue building tennis in the area. In four or five years I would love for Pendleton to have a top 10 team in boys and girls tennis,” Beard said. “We have a lot of younger kids that are playing all the time, and the resources that we have are bar none. It’s just exciting to think about junior tennis growing and representing the town and nearby schools.”

“There’s so much we can do for tennis,” Beard said. “It’s overwhelming to think about all of the opportunities.”