Successful high school coach handles tennis coaching, business, family

One question about Kristin Fleming Arnold … How does she do it all?

Not only does she run a family that includes two college-age boys and two first-grader twins, a boy and a girl, she may be considered as a strong candidate for the South Carolina Tennis Hall of Fame. She has coached 13 state high school tennis titles for Daniel Island's Bishop England High School, where she was a three-sport star from 1989-93. 

She has been running Bishop England girls’ tennis team since 2009 and the boys’ team since 2013.

Fleming Arnold is also coaching first-grade twins, Kyleigh and Sawyer, at Mount Pleasant's Christ Our King Stella Maris in the local Red Ball Team school program.

How does she do it all? Any sleep?

"I do actually get sleep," she assured.

"I'm able to work from multiple places with phones and iPad, and I do work on weekends to get caught up from the week with tennis."

Fleming Arnold was a Bishop England star in a variety of sports. Tennis was her best sport, standing out on four Bishop England state tennis championship teams and bringing home an armload of All-State honors.

Fleming Arnold also played point guard for three years on the Bishop England's basketball team along with making All-State in soccer all four years before graduating in 1993.

She then headed to North Carolina's Elon University where she was a two-time All-American in tennis as well as a four-time All-Conference selection and twice as the team's MVP.

To go with the four state championships as a player, Fleming Arnold girls’ tennis teams have won 10 state titles, all in a row ending with the 2020 team. The BE boys have won three state titles under Kristin's direction: 2015, 2018 and 2019.

Fleming Arnold describes her company, East Coast AP Marketing, as "a certified women-owned business that specializes in screen-printed and embroidered apparel and promotional products for various businesses, organizations, festival/races along the Southeast."

Her husband, Charlie, is branch manager of Charleston's REI Engineers, which has offices in the Southeast. Son Jake Arnold is a senior at the University of South Carolina, while his brother, Sean, is a delivery specialist for Baker Motor Company.

A busy schedule is just part of her life.

"There are definitely days managing and balancing everything on my end is difficult, but I am fortunate enough to coach with a supportive school and athletic director, and have assistant coaches who are able to step in and assist when needed," she said. "I have a great team at work to keep the business moving forward. Most of my family still lives close by and can help me and my husband when things get too hectic."

--

James Beck was the 2003 winner of the USTA National Media Award for print media. A 1995 MBA graduate of The Citadel, he can be reached at Jamesbecktennis@gmail.com.