Connor Garnett of Costa Mesa returns the ball during a match against Jaume Martinez Vich of Honolulu during the Veolia LA Open pro pickleball tournament held at the Los Caballeros Sports Village in Fountain Valley on Thursday, April 18, 2024. The tournament runs through Sunday. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Roscoe Bellamy grew up with a racquet in his hand – so when the longtime tennis player lost his first pickleball game, he knew he had a new challenge to conquer.
“Within the first week of playing, I got super competitive,” said Bellamy, 24. “I like learning and doing a new sport.
Roscoe Bellamy of Bell Canyon returns the ball during a match against Tyson McGuffin of Rathdrum, Idaho, during the Veolia LA Open pro pickleball tournament held at the Los Caballeros Sports Village in Fountain Valley on Thursday, April 18, 2024. Bellamy won the match. The tournament runs through Sunday. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Pickleball fans and players watch a match during the Veolia LA Open pro pickleball tournament held at the Los Caballeros Sports Village in Fountain Valley on Thursday, April 18, 2024. The tournament runs through Sunday. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A giant inflatable pickleball rises above fans and players as they walk by during the Veolia LA Open pro pickleball tournament held at the Los Caballeros Sports Village in Fountain Valley on Thursday, April 18, 2024. The tournament runs through Sunday. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Pickleball fans and players watch the various matches during the Veolia LA Open pro pickleball tournament held at the Los Caballeros Sports Village in Fountain Valley on Thursday, April 18, 2024. The tournament runs through Sunday. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Jaume Martinez Vich of Honolulu returns the ball during a match against Connor Garnett of Costa Mesa during the Veolia LA Open pro pickleball tournament held at the Los Caballeros Sports Village in Fountain Valley on Thursday, April 18, 2024. The tournament runs through Sunday. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Pickleball fans and players watch the action on center court during the Veolia LA Open pro pickleball tournament held at the Los Caballeros Sports Village in Fountain Valley on Thursday, April 18, 2024. The tournament runs through Sunday. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Connor Garnett, left, of Costa Mesa plays against Jaume Martinez Vich of Honolulu during the Veolia LA Open pro pickleball tournament held at the Los Caballeros Sports Village in Fountain Valley on Thursday, April 18, 2024. The tournament runs through Sunday. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Connor Garnett of Costa Mesa returns the ball during a match against Jaume Martinez Vich of Honolulu during the Veolia LA Open pro pickleball tournament held at the Los Caballeros Sports Village in Fountain Valley on Thursday, April 18, 2024. The tournament runs through Sunday. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Tyson McGuffin of Rathdrum, Idaho, returns the ball during a match against Roscoe Bellamy of Bell Canyon, during the Veolia LA Open pro pickleball tournament held at the Los Caballeros Sports Village in Fountain Valley on Thursday, April 18, 2024. Bellamy won the match. The tournament runs through Sunday. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A large tent is filled with shirts, caps and various pickleball equipment during the Veolia LA Open pro pickleball tournament held at the Los Caballeros Sports Village in Fountain Valley on Thursday, April 18, 2024. The tournament runs through Sunday. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Connor Garnett of Costa Mesa returns the ball during a match against Jaume Martinez Vich of Honolulu during the Veolia LA Open pro pickleball tournament held at the Los Caballeros Sports Village in Fountain Valley on Thursday, April 18, 2024. The tournament runs through Sunday. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Roscoe Bellamy of Bell Canyon shakes hands with Tyson McGuffin of Rathdrum, Idaho, after winning the match during the Veolia LA Open pro pickleball tournament held at the Los Caballeros Sports Village in Fountain Valley on Thursday, April 18, 2024. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Pickleball fans and players watch the various matches during the Veolia LA Open pro pickleball tournament held at the Los Caballeros Sports Village in Fountain Valley on Thursday, April 18, 2024. The tournament runs through Sunday. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
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Roscoe Bellamy of Bell Canyon returns the ball during a match against Tyson McGuffin of Rathdrum, Idaho, during the Veolia LA Open pro pickleball tournament held at the Los Caballeros Sports Village in Fountain Valley on Thursday, April 18, 2024. Bellamy won the match. The tournament runs through Sunday. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
“I feel like I played tennis for so long, I knew everything about it,” he said, but this new and growing sport was different. The court is smaller and there was less chasing the ball around, a sport easier on his body.
Bellamy isn’t alone in his newfound love for pickleball. The Calabasas native will be among more than 1,000 amateur and professional players in Fountain Valley through the weekend for the Veolia LA Open, which kicked off Thursday and runs through Sunday.
According to the Sports and Fitness Industry Association, pickleball had a 52% year-over-year jump in participation in 2023, making it America’s fastest-growing sport.
The competition happens at the Los Cab Sports Village, a hotbed pickleball facility where many of the top pros train. Several on the Professional Pickleball Association pro circuit call Southern California home, including top players Gabriel Joseph, Jessie Irvine, Sam Querrey, a Wimbledon tennis finalist, and Mary and Maggie Brascia, a sister duo who will compete in the Women’s Doubles on their home turf.
Los Angeles native Joseph will seek this weekend to hold onto the gold he won in Men’s Singles last year.
For Bellamy, changing course from tennis player to pro pickleball competitor two years ago has offered new opportunities as the sport grows. And he doesn’t see the popularity slowing anytime soon.
“I think the pro side is going to grow,” he said. “I think a lot of facilities are seeing the way you can grow your business. With more courts, more people will be playing.”
And the crowds who show up to cheer them on have a fun vibe, he said. “It feels a lot like a party.”
The competitors are battling not just to win this event, but for points to go toward their PPA ranking during the 26 stops on the tour. Then, they battle at the PPA Finals, held at Lifetime Fitness in San Clemente in December, which features the top eight qualified singles players and doubles teams in the world.
Spectators can buy tickets for the Los Cab event at tixr.com. Tickets start at $25.
