Grammy-nominated singer Katy Perry and Pirates Of The Caribbean actor Orlando Bloom competed against each other in a friendly pickleball match at the inaugural Light Up The Court Pickleball Tournament on October 22, 2023.
Montecito Club
The celebrity event at the Montecito Club in Perry’s hometown of Santa Barbara, California, raised money for the Firework Foundation. Perry founded the nonprofit organization in 2017 to bring arts education and mentorship programs to underserved communities.
Some of the celebrity pickleball players present at the tournament included Kate Hudson, James Valentine, Jeff Bezos’ fiancee Lauren Sanchez, Corey Gamble, Meghan Trainor, Daryl Sabara, Jason Collins, Rob Lowe, and John Owen Lowe.
Thrilling Contest
Eric Geeb, General Manager at West Coast Athletic Clubs, and Brett Williams took the championship title, while the event climax was a mic’d exhibition match that matched up Katy and Federico Staksrud against Orlando and Maggie Brascia. In an engaging and ultimately thrilling contest, Team Katy squeaked a 13-11 victory.
Katy posted on Instagram: “My mom brought (maybe even forced) her love for pickleball upon our family, and now we’ve decided to use those pickle powers for good ⚡️
Yesterday, @fireworkfoundation had our inaugural Light Up The Court pickleball tournament in Santa Barbara to raise money for scholarships, more camps, and programming to bring the arts to kids from underserved communities! (And not to brag, but I totally beat @OrlandoBloom in front of everyone too 😈🙃),”
She added, “I’d like to send a huge and sincere thank you to all who participated in the tournament, bought a ticket, volunteered, donated, and showed their support from near and far.
“You’ve all helped ignite the light in some amazing kids. See you next year! 🎇🎆.”
A Consoling Kiss
In a video clip of the event, you can see the competitive nature of the Perry-Bloom contest. Perry and Staksrud celebrate the victory before she consoles Bloom with a kiss.
The “Firework” singer went all out with her outfit for the occasion, wearing a white Firework Foundation T-shirt, green skirt, green and white knee-high socks, and topping the ensemble off with a white visor.
Sharing Perry’s video on her Instagram Story, news anchor Sánchez, 53, wrote, “Best day playing pickle ball for an amazing cause!!!”
Sponsors included Celsius for the VIP Players Lawn (they were also present at the David Dobrik charity pickleball event), while Stanley, The Pick, Malk Milk, CRBN, and Selkirk were also present.
The event was produced by Ngoc Nguyen (Nguyen Strategies).
About The Firework Foundation
The foundation partners with schools, community centers, hospitals, and other organizations to provide access to the arts for children and young adults.
Founded in 2019 by Katy and her sister, Angela Lerche, the foundation’s mission is “to empower children from underserved communities by igniting their inner light through the arts.”
