It won't be long now.

Thirty-one student-athletes from Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) in Maryland will be traveling to China next month for a pickleball-themed cultural exchange that promises to expand their horizons.

The delegation will visit Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Beijing from April 9-21, and participate in friendly competitions in each city.

“The purpose of this trip is not just representing MCPS, the state of Maryland — it's representing our country,” said MCPS Systemwide Athletics Director Dr. Jeffrey Sullivan in a story by reporter Maryam Shahzad from Montgomery Community Media (MCM). “And building that friendship beyond borders through sport.”

Students from several different high schools are embarking on the journey, which is being funded by The Ministry of Education of China and the China Education Association for International Exchange.

The group is comprised of students from the Student-Athlete Leadership Council, students in MCPS-TV, varsity pickleball players, students from Chinese immersion program, and other student-athletes across MCPS Athletics.

“We’re there to compete and to have an American and a Chinese student playing doubles together,” said Sullivan. “Just that alone, being able to bring our students together to learn a game and to participate in a game together, it really speaks to the power of athletics and what athletics can do globally in terms of bringing people together.”

To prepare for the unique experience, students have been training at Dill Dinkers and learning Chinese culture and language as well.

“This is not just about pickleball, this is about building bridges — building bridges among young people, building bridges among communities, and building bridges among cultures,” stated School Board President Julie Yang.

MCPS was the first school district in the U.S. to offer pickleball as a varsity sport.