Since childhood, varsity tennis player and four-star recruit Montana Parkinson-Lubold (‘24) has been hooked on tennis.
In the Court
Like many athletes, her parents introduced her to a plethora of sports at a young age. As she got older, she began to develop a hyper-focus on a single sport: tennis.
“My parents put me in a bunch of different sports when I was little. Tennis was one that really stood out to me,” said Parkinson-Lubold.
Parkinson-Lubold tries to play as much as she can to distinguish herself from other athletes.
“I usually play 6 days a week, and I try to play at least 2 hours a day. It varies, depending on the day and the weather. It also depends on how much homework I have,” said Parkinson-Lubold.
The team environment and camaraderie are energizing to Parkinson-Lubold. Without it, she must find her own motivation.
“Practicing on my own, I’d say, isn’t as fun. I really like the team atmosphere and how there’s always people to cheer you on. I’m gonna be really sad that this is my last year,” said Parkinson-Lubold.
Parkinson-Lubold travels a lot for her sport, and with this comes invaluable and permanent memories.
“My favorite moment was last year during States when we had to stay in a hotel. We stayed up until like 5 in the morning. I don’t know what we were doing, honestly, but it was really fun,” said Parkinson-Lubold.
A Joy for the Sport
Like any experienced athlete, Parkinson-Lubold has developed her favorite positions, formats, and movements to perform in the game.
“I really like playing doubles and I like playing at the net. I also like hitting reflex volleys. It’s kind of fun when people smack it at you and you just knock it back,” said Parkinson-Lubold.
Parkinson-Lubold looks to more experienced players, often professional players and international icons as role models.
“I feel like now, more recently, my inspiration has been Coco Gauf. It’s really cool how she’s so young and has accomplished so much,” said Parkinson-Lubold.
Beyond the competitive aspects of the sport, Parkinson-Lubold finds immense pleasure in playing with her family.
“I would say my favorite memory is just being able to spend time with my dad and my brother because we all play together,” said Parkinson-Lubold.
As she looks to the future, Parkinson-Lubold has big dreams. She hopes to be recruited to a D1 university athletic program soon.
“I do want to be recruited because I want to continue playing tennis at the highest level possible,” said Parkinson-Lubold.
