One thousand miles from his home, MHS senior Monte Imburg stares intently at his foe from across the net, armed with a pickleball paddle. 

On Oct. 11, Imburg traveled to Dallas, Tx. to participate in the biggest pickleball tournament of the year—four times larger than the average tournament. Imburg has participated in over 20 tournaments, playing alongside a variety of partners. 

“Depending on what level you play, you could start at eight in the morning or as late as three o’clock.” Imburg said, “It takes the whole day to finish.”

Imburg has been playing pickleball since he was eight years old, after seeing the sport being played in Incline Village. He only started playing at a more serious level last April.

“I like how social it is. It doesn’t take a long time to plan anything out, and when you’re at the courts you can talk to the other people that are there and become friends super quickly,” he said.

After he graduates, Imburg plans on taking a gap year to focus on playing pro pickleball, and go to college after. If pickleball ever enters the Olympics, Imburg will try his best to participate.