--- ---  # U.S. pickleball trip inspired by history  _William Scherf Gardner (front right) plays in a pickleball game during the event. PENG CHAO / CHINA DAILY_ By PENG CHAO and ZHAO JUNFENG Judy Louise Hoarfrost, a participant of the Ping-Pong Diplomacy between China and the United States 55 years ago, is building a new bridge for bilateral friendship through pickleball. When the U.S. Table Tennis Team visited China in 1971, the now 70-year-old was the youngest member. The icebreaking tour helped bring the two countries closer together and led the way to normalization of their diplomatic relations. In recent years, Hoarfrost has turned her competitive passion to pickleball — an emerging sport that combines elements of tennis, badminton and table tennis — and has achieved outstanding results in U.S. national championships. In a friendly pickleball match in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province, Hoarfrost quickly found her rhythm with a young Chinese partner, moving smoothly between offense and defense. After each point, she gently tapped her partner’s paddle to show encouragement. Between games, she cheered for players from both countries from the sidelines. To further promote grassroots sports exchanges and mutual understanding between the two peoples, she led a 10-member pickleball delegation from Oregon, U.S., to China in May, visiting Beijing, Jiangxi and Guizhou provinces, before arriving in their final stop, Chengdu. “Pickleball is fun and easy to learn, and anyone can pick up a paddle and play,” Hoarfrost said. Like table tennis, she believes the sport serves as a perfect way to connect people from the two countries. Watching young people from Oregon play with their Chinese peers, Hoarfrost felt deeply touched. “This is their first time in China. There are so many moments where they’re surprised, enchanted and amazed,” she said, adding that it’s also exciting for her to see China through their eyes. Hoarfrost said this trip marked her 11th visit to China, and each trip had helped her understand China better. Recalling her first China trip, Hoarfrost said she knew little about the country at the time, but the experience ignited her curiosity about China and its millennia-old culture. “I was only 15 years old, and it was a very impressionable time,” she said. “It sparked a lifelong interest in China.” She noticed that while the two countries have much in common, they have differences that are “really fun.” “Our differences are also important in bringing us together, because we can become stronger when we put them together,” she said. William Scherf Gardner, a member of the Oregon delegation, said he felt honored to travel to China with Hoarfrost. “This is my first time outside of America, and it’s been awesome,” said the 25-year-old. The trip allowed Gardner to fully appreciate the diverse local customs and cultures of different Chinese regions. While he noticed cultural differences, Gardner said he never felt a strong sense of alienation. He also mentioned the various cuisines he tried all along the way — which were completely different from his daily diet but surprisingly delicious. What impressed Gardener most was the friendliness and warmth of the Chinese people. “This has been a total revelation for me,” he said. “I didn’t expect this much joy and this much connection with the Chinese people.” Gardner added that he had already added 12 new Chinese friends on WeChat and hopes to stay in touch with them. Wesley William Gabrielson, pickleball coach and captain of the men’s team of the Oregon delegation, said the biggest takeaway from his trip is that the people of China and the U.S. have far more in common than many might think. “I realized that I share a lot of similar interests with Chinese friends — music, for example — there are so many songs that we both love to listen to,” he said. “Sports, music and education bring people together. We should do more events like this.” [](https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/) ## China Daily Website - Connecting China Connecting the World Since its launch in 1981, China Daily has grown to become the nation’s leading English-language newspaper. With a combined print, online and mobile readership of more than 470 million, it serves a vital role in telling the world about China, providing valuable insight into the world’s second-largest economy. [LEARN MORE](https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/) China Daily - TIME - Partner Content - U.S. pickleball trip inspired by history ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/branded-content/china-daily/us-pickleball-trip-inspired-by-history/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/branded-content/china-daily/us-pickleball-trip-inspired-by-history/"},"headline":"U.S. pickleball trip inspired by history","datePublished":"2026-07-10T06:04:52.518Z","dateModified":"2026-07-10T06:04:07.361Z","description":"U.S. pickleball trip inspired by history","url":"https://time.com/branded-content/china-daily/us-pickleball-trip-inspired-by-history/","keywords":[],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[],"articleSection":"","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/branded-content/china-daily/us-pickleball-trip-inspired-by-history/","name":"U.S. pickleball trip inspired by history"}}]}] ```