By the time Montgomery County Public Schools returned from its second Pickleball Diplomacy trip to China, Jeff Sullivan had seen enough to know the initiative had grown beyond the sport that started it.

Yes, there were matches. Yes, there was travel. But what stayed with Sullivan most were the friendships, the hospitality, and the way MCPS students carried themselves as ambassadors in moments that reached far beyond the pickleball court.

“What stands out the most is the power of human connections, and our student ambassadors, and the relationships that they formed, and the hospitality of our friends in China,” said Sullivan, the MCPS director of systemwide athletics. “Being able to visit China during the Spring Festival and celebrate the Chinese New Year was just next level.”

After one trip, Pickleball Diplomacy was an inspiring idea. After two, it has started to feel like something more lasting.

That was the significance of going back.

The first trip had already shown that the concept could work, that a sport known for its accessibility could become a bridge between students from different countries. But the second trip gave MCPS students a chance to learn whether the goodwill created the first time could grow into something deeper.

Sullivan said it had.

“The students from our initial delegation still have connections with their friends in China,” Sullivan said. “I still have friendships with people in those connections that have been made.”

He was careful not to call the second trip better than the first. Different, he said, is the better word. But one difference shaped this experience from the beginning: student leadership.

This time, 31 new ambassadors were joined by seven returning student ambassadors, who came back not simply to participate, but to lead. Sullivan said they helped run cultural sessions, support team-building, and prepare the group for what it meant to represent Montgomery County, Maryland, and the United States abroad.

“Allowing students to lead other students is always a powerful experience,” Sullivan said. “That really set this trip apart.”

The preparation mattered because once the trip began, there was little time to ease into it.

Sullivan said the delegation landed in Shenzhen, had lunch, dropped their bags off at the hotel, and went straight to playing pickleball.

“What’s so awesome to see is our ambassadors hit the ground running because of all that preparation,” Sullivan said. “It’s no different than practicing and preparing for a big game.”

Some of those student leaders also helped document the trip in real time, capturing photos and video, and contributing to the district’s student-led athletics media platforms.

And if the first trip introduced Pickleball Diplomacy, Sullivan said the second made it feel established.

“What’s interesting is people know Pickleball Diplomacy,” he said.

That awareness showed up in the reception the group received. Sullivan described warm welcomes in all four cities and said visits to smaller cities gave the trip a different feel and a deeper sense of immersion.

The timing mattered too.

Sullivan said traveling during the Spring Festival made the experience especially meaningful. He said it is one of the most special times to visit China, a season centered on family, rest, and celebration. What struck him was not only the atmosphere of the holiday itself, but the level of welcome the delegation received in the middle of it.

“People don’t work (during the Spring Festival) … and here are thousands of people working and going above and beyond to make us feel like family,” Sullivan said.

That sense of welcome shaped some of the trip’s most memorable moments.

Sullivan pointed to visits to China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the United States Embassy in Beijing, where MCPS students were able to ask questions, speak for themselves, and show the maturity they had developed through the program.

“Listening to our ambassadors, I mean, we have future CEOs, presidents. These are the future leaders,” Sullivan said of the students.

For all of the official settings, the moment that best captured the trip may have come in a more communal one.

In one of the smaller cities, the delegation arrived to the sound of drums. At first, students simply watched. Then they were invited to join the activity, where they learned how to play themselves.

“In a short amount of time, something that we saw and were mesmerized by, we’re now getting a chance to do,” said Sullivan. “That’s the type of moment that we had … These are life-changing events, and this was a life-changing experience for our ambassadors.”

That’s why Sullivan says the core idea of Pickleball Diplomacy is relationships.

The public framing of the program naturally draws attention to the sport, but Sullivan said the deeper point is what sports can create when they give people a reason to meet, share space, and build trust.

“It’s about the friendships,” Sullivan said. “It’s about the relationships and the power of sport in providing those opportunities.”

The connections have continued to grow after the MCPS students returned home through messaging apps and social media. The trip did not end when the delegation came home.

So what comes next?

Sullivan said there is no definitive plan yet, but there are active conversations about how the initiative might grow.

“There is energy,” Sullivan said. “I want to make sure that we have the systems and structures in place to do this right.”

The first trip showed what was possible.

The second trip suggested that Pickleball Diplomacy has the potential to be a program with staying power.