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The joy in pickleball is as much about the camaraderie we find in the vibrant communities we uncover as it is about dinks, volleys, and scoring.

For Antonio Whiteley, finding pickleball and his local community of players became a lifeline following the sudden and devastating loss of his partner of 17 years, Mark, to cardiac failure due to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM).

"It was an undiagnosed heart condition, like something you hear about athletes collapsing on the field. It was sudden, silent, swift. One moment he was here, the next he was gone. Just an ordinary Saturday afternoon at my parents' house."

Antonio and Marc’s love story ignited at Gay Pride in San Diego, where they shared an instantaneous connection.

"He stood beside me. I laughed, he laughed. And then I looked at him and said, 'Hi, I’m Antonio.' I had never greeted anyone like that before."

Marc loved hummingbirds, and in the wake of his passing, while sitting in Antonio’s parents' yard, a hummingbird materialized, fluttering its wings for over a minute. For Antonio, it felt like a sign.

"There was recognition. Eye contact. I knew it was Marc."

In the midst of grief, Antonio found solace and unexpected support within the tight-knit West Hollywood pickleball community.

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"People I didn't even know on the court will say, 'There's a hummingbird, Antonio. There's Marc.'"

Strangers transformed into friends, and friends into a chosen family. The courts of West Hollywood became a place where Antonio could find relief from the overwhelming weight of loss.

"Pickleball saved my life,” Antonio reflects, his voice filled with gratitude. “It really did.”

“It started as a way to keep me out of the house for a few hours at night,” he continues. “Little did I know that it would turn into a family. A community of people who have lifted me and given me strength. Now, for 2 hours a day, sometimes 4, I am surrounded by people I love.”

Antonio’s dedication to the sport and the community has taken a competitive turn. He has competed in three local tournaments and holds a DUPR rating of 3.851. 

Reflecting on his experiences, he says, "It's been a lot of fun! I know I'll always have a good time, regardless of the outcome." "There's still a huge void in my life, but pickleball and this community in West Hollywood have helped me more than anybody will ever know.”

Antonio's story is a reminder of how resilient the human spirit can be in the wake of tragedy and that none of us make this journey through life alone. In a city where dreams are pursued and connections are forged, the simple act of playing pickleball has the power to heal, to uplift, and to remind us of the profound beauty of human connection.

In the fall of 2022, Life Time announced the adoption of DUPR as its rating and technology system across all of its pickleball programming. As the official rating partner of Life Time Pickleball, DUPR ensures that Life Time members, and all pickleball players, can find equally matched opponents almost anywhere.

As Life Time grows its presence as the nation’s largest owner and operator of pickleball courts, it’s focused on ensuring its premier locations continue to elevate. To that end, one of those destinations, Life Time Peachtree Corners, located just outside of Atlanta, announced an exciting expansion that will significantly increase its pickleball offerings.

The project will increase the number of pickleball courts to 29, including 12 indoor courts and 17 outdoor courts. Among the outdoor courts will be four stadium courts, which will play host to events like the Vizzy Pickleball Classic, just held there in May. You can see the video rendering here.

“Both DUPR and Life Time are committed to advancing pickleball’s reach and reputation and supporting players at all levels” said Tito Machado, DUPR's CEO. “With this expansion, more people will be able to experience the benefits and excitement of pickleball.”

If you’d like to get on the list for more information, you can visit their website here.

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In Cincinnati Ohio, players from 30 different schools competed for $20,000 and championships in each of the five pickleball events: Mixed Doubles, Men's/Women's Singles,  & Men's/Women's Doubles. With this being the 2nd annual Collegiate Individual National Championship, there was an increased player pool and spectators from last year. Read more to see how each of the five events played out!

Men's Doubles

Jack Munro and Timmy Manzano (University of Texas) went undefeated in Men's Doubles this weekend, but it wasn't without it's difficulties. In the finals matchup, they saved multiple championship points and had to beat Jack Foster and Django Chassang (University of Florida) 18-21, 27-25, 12-10. These two teams had the highest average DUPRs for the Men's Doubles field, with the University of Florida at 5.671 and UT-Austin at 5.391.

Watch the Men's Doubles Final here!

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‍Mixed Doubles

After dropping games to Benson Parry/Averee Beck -Utah Tech University- (15-21) and Sara Sowinski/Colton Thielman - University of Wisconsin-Whitewater - (18-21) in group play, Mehvish Safdar and Michael Asplund - University of Indiana - barely made the playoffs as the #7 seed. However, that didn't stop them from then grinding out 3 playoff wins to be crowned the 2024 Mixed Doubles champions! In the Finals, IU was down 21-12, 20-12, against University of Virginia's David Bieger and Lauralei Singsank, and then came back to win the second game 26-28 and then the third game 8-11 in stunning fashion.

Watch their epic comeback here!

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‍Women's Singles

As an encore, Mehvish Safdar went on to win Women's Singles immediately after wrapping up Mixed Doubles! Mehv was flawless in Women's Singles the whole tournament, not dropping a single game in group play or the playoffs. She was the only champion from the weekend to do so. Mixed Doubles and Women's Singles mark the first two National Championships for Indiana University pickleball, and their showing this weekend put them on the map as a top club in the nation.

‍Watch the Women's Final here!

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‍Men's Singles

The highly-anticipated Jack Foster (University of Florida) vs. Jack Munro (University of Texas) singles showdown happened, but not in expected fashion! In group play, Jack Munro failed to clinch a group play game against Michael Asplund from Indiana, and lost 22-20. As a result, Munro entered the playoff bracket as the #7 seed, which put him on a quarterfinals collision course with #2 seed Jack Foster. Munro came out victorious, and then would go on to win all of his Men's Singles match ups in straight games, with 4 out of his 6 game wins in the playoffs being by 2 points. Coming into the finals matchup against Jack, David Bieger had decimated his opponents in group play, winning his games by an average of 13.2 points. Jack Munro's win also means that two #7 seeds in the playoffs were crowned champions - it's anyone's game!

Watch the Men's Final here!

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Women's Doubles

‍Utah Tech repeats as champions in Women's Doubles! At the 2023 Individual Nationals, the Utah Tech Women's Doubles team (Dylan Ciampini and Katelyn Naduald) knocked out Lauralei Singsank and Alexandra McDonald (University of Virginia) in the semifinals. This year, the two teams met in the finals instead, but the result was the same with Utah Tech victorious, with their 2024 Women's Doubles team of Averee Beck and Kamryn Bliss. If there wasn't enough history already, the two schools also met in the 2023 Collegiate National Championship semifinals, with Utah Tech (With Averee and Dylan) winning against the same UVA women's team (Lauralei and Alexandra). However, UVA got the last laugh in that matchup as they beat Utah Tech 3-1, and then proceeded to win the whole tournament.

Watch this epic final here!

Hungry for more Collegiate Pickleball? Stay tuned for the upcoming Florida Super Regional on September 21st-22nd!

The recent DUPR Clinic hosted by Delaware Life at Pickleball Kingdom was a tremendous success, bringing together wholesalers, clients, and industry leaders for a day of fun and team bonding on the court. The event was a great opportunity to strengthen relationships with both PIKKL and Pickleball Kingdom, as well as spread DUPR awareness amongst Delaware Life clients.

“There is no other activity like pickleball out there that captures the heart with child-like wonder. It is a dream come true to partner brand leaders like DUPR, Pickleball Kingdom, PIKKL, and Delaware Life," says David Dutrieuille Head of Development at PIKKL. "These events are so important for pickleball as we begin infusing a dynamic way of engaging other sectors of life that may not be close to such a wonderful sport. There is no greater joy then being on court and helping spread the joy movement through pickleball."

DUPR's Director of Event Activation and Key Accounts David McCune was present at the event. David has been traveling extensively across the United States and around the world, fostering DUPR relationships on multiple continents. In his opinion, this kick-off event was a significant opportunity to highlight the strong bond between Delaware Life and its clients, while also introducing them to the DUPR family.

"I truly enjoy introducing leaders in the pickleball industry to non-endemic businesses professionals who are leading their fields as well," Dave says. "Putting innovative, cooperative minds together on the court and participating in and fostering growth of the game our friends and families love so much, generally yields impressive results."

The event took place at Pickleball Kingdom, a premier provider of pickleball amenities nationwide. Their commitment to supporting the growth of pickleball was evident in their enthusiasm for hosting such a fantastic group of companies and individuals.

"We couldn’t be more pleased with these fantastic companies and their commitment to growing the sport of pickleball. We are looking forward to their next event at Pickleball Kingdom!” says Joseph Parisi Director of Marketing at Pickleball Kingdom.

Looking ahead, Delaware Life is excited to continue their partnership with DUPR and host more activation clinics in the future. The next clinic is set to take place at Performance Pickleball RVA in Virginia on June 6th, promising more memorable experiences and exciting games to come. Delaware Life's AVP of Digital Marketing & Strategy, Liz Dorrance, adds,

"From a Delaware Life perspective, we were excited to kick off this partnership In AZ with our local RVP, Benjy Stremple. We are committed to creating unique, memorable experiences for our clients and business partners through pickleball. This is just the beginning!"

We can't wait to record more DUPR games together with our loyal partners and industry leaders!

To learn more about the partnership between Delaware Life and DUPR, please visit https://dupr.delawarelife.com.

About DUPR

DUPR (Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating) presented by Delaware Life, is the premier global pickleball rating system and technology platform, trusted by the world's leading clubs, tournaments, leagues, and players. DUPR's dynamic rating system unifies pickleball across age, gender, and location by analyzing match results to accurately evaluate all players across a 2.000 - 8.000 scale. Players and operators can visit www.dupr.com to sign up and learn more.

About Delaware Life Insurance Company

Delaware Life is an insurance and annuity company that empowers financial professionals with a wide array of customizable solutions. A subsidiary of Group 1001, we were born out of the advisor industry, and we understand how important it is to find the right fit for every client, every situation, and every individual need. We’re passionate about equipping you with annuities that give your customers peace of mind and a successful future—allowing them to plan with confidence for whatever’s next.

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Everything You Need To Know About The DUPR Reliability Score!

We’re excited to explain how the DUPR Reliability Score works, a metric designed to help you better understand your rating. Every player profile includes two key numbers: your DUPR Rating, which reflects your current pickleball skill level, and your Reliability Score, a percentage that shows how close your rating is to being fully established.

What is the Reliability Score? How is it different from my DUPR rating? 

Your DUPR rating provides a real-time assessment of your pickleball skill level based on your match results. The Reliability Score indicates how far you have progressed in achieving a reliable rating. Your rating reliability depends on a few things  – how many match results are in our system, how recently you’ve played and the variety of players you’ve played against. A higher reliability percentage means you’re a player who is consistently uploading match results in the system, while someone with a lower score means that there is some catching up (i.e. more playing!) to be done. 
A player’s Reliability Score is calculated as a percentage between 1 and 100. Players who have a score of at least 60% have a reliable rating. 

Both singles and doubles ratings have a corresponding Reliability Score. 

What does it measure? 

The Reliability Score measures a player’s progress in achieving a rating that is a dependable representation of their skill level. It looks at a number of factors, including how recently you’ve played, who you’ve played against, the types of matches you play and the recency of your results. New players will have lower reliability scores as they are just getting started on DUPR, players that have more results and play frequently will have higher reliability scores. 

What is a good reliability score?

A good reliability score is 60% or higher. That means that a player can be confident they will have a good, competitive experience when playing others at the same level or finding events at that level. Reliability scores that are lower than 60% are a sign that a player is still progressing towards reliability. This likely means they need to play more and enter their results. A rating of 100% is considered to be fully reliable, but anything above 60% is a good reliability score. 

How does the Reliability Score help players? ‍

A reliability score shows how close you are to achieving reliable rating. When you have a reliable rating (60% or above in your reliability score), you can be confident that you will have fun, competitive play with others at a similar level. Players who have more results in DUPR will have higher reliability scores because there are more match results to analyze, offering a more in-depth view of your ability. A player who is just starting out will have a lower reliability score because DUPR does not have as many results to analyze. As players play more and share their results with DUPR, their rating becomes more and more reliable, and their reliability score will go up. 

For example, a player who consistently plays and enters match scores will have a more reliable rating than a player who has played once or twice, or only plays against the same person. As you progress in your pickleball journey by playing more, consistently entering your scores and playing a broader range of people, your reliability score will increase. . 

What will reliability score be used for? 

Players can use the reliability score to have more insight into their rating and a better understanding of their current rating. Clubs can use the Reliability Score to better evaluate players, and may even use it as a threshold for event eligibility to ensure players have a good, competitive experience. 

How can I make my rating more reliable? 

Play more matches! Your match count and the recency of those matches are a big component of your Reliability Score. But not all matches are equal in how much new information they provide to the dependability of your rating. In order to make your rating more reliable, focus on playing matches that satisfy the following criteria: 

• Play with various partners and opponents
• Play against similarly rated opponents
• Play Club/Tournament Matches
• Play against highly reliable players

How should I expect my reliability score to move over time? 

Each match you play will increase your score, but the amount it goes up will depend on many factors that consider how much new information we are getting from the match. Your Reliability Score will decrease over time if you are not recording matches. 

What are the steps I can take to get a good Reliability Score (60% and above)? 

There are many ways for a player to reach a good reliability score (60%). The key here is that there are many paths you can take to make your rating more reliable, but some paths might require more matches than others. The biggest takeaway is to play frequently and against a broad group of players. If you’re new to DUPR, we have some sample pathways to help you get on the road to reliability. If you’ve been playing for a while and want to increase your reliability score, we have some ideas for you to go from 60% to 100%.

How do I maintain a good Reliability Score?

Keep playing and play with a broad group of competitors. Your reliability score will decrease over time if you do not record new matches. To maintain your reliability score, we encourage you to log matches on a consistent basis. 

For example, a player with a 100% Reliability Score  (100%) could decrease to  60% over the course of 6 or so months if they don’t enter results. A 60% score  can drop to 30% over the course of 3 months without entering results. A 30% score can drop to just under 10% over the course of 6 months if a player does not continue to enter results. 

This is because DUPR’s rating places more emphasis on more recent matches as that provides an assessment of your current skill level. Older matches do not have as much impact on your rating. 

Is my Reliability Score or my rating more important? 

Your DUPR rating is a real-time assessment of your skill level. The reliability score is a supporting measure that showcases your progress in achieving a dependable rating (ie how frequently you play, how recent your results are and the pool of players you are playing against). 

As players begin to play and enter scores into DUPR, ratings can fluctuate early on in their DUPR journey as they play different players. As players continue to play and enter more scores, the confidence in their assessment increases. Players who are new to DUPR will have lower reliability scores than players who are consistently playing and submitting results. 

How often will my Reliability Score update?

Your Reliability Score will update weekly on Tuesdays. 

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To learn more about the paths to reliability, and how to work toward achieving 100% reliability, click here! 

Todd ‘Happy’ Boynton is from a tiny town in Western Massachusetts, and for many years, his life was anything but happy - a tumultuous marriage, battles with addiction, and a body worn down by years of physical labor and ice hockey injuries. 

“Happy was an ironic nickname,” he says. “Like, ‘boy, you're miserable all the time.’ ‘Hey, I'm happy.’ So it stuck.”

Five years ago, during a trip to Disney World, Boynton weighed 350 pounds, sported a Dasani water bottle filled with vodka, and required a wheelchair to get around. He recalled telling his wife that he wanted to end his life. “And after all the years of doing that to her,” he recalls, “she cried.” At that moment, Happy chose sobriety. 

Pickleball came into his life shortly after.  

"The first time I hit the ball,” he says, “I had flashbacks to playing goalie. I get a visceral feeling. I feel it in my bones.”

“Do you remember the machines that would sell super balls at the grocery store? You could put a dime in, and you'd get this little rubber ball. When we were 8 years old, we would get those balls and I would just throw them against the wall and try to stop them. Well, that's where being a goalie came from. I loved stopping the puck. I loved stopping the ball, and I get that same visceral feeling from pickleball.”

Happy’s passion for the sport is infectious and he enlists anyone who will listen. "I love talking pickleball. I get kicked out of parties for it. My wife won't hang out with me some nights when I'm on a pickleball rant. But all I need is one person to be interested and I'll keep going because I know what good it can do for everybody.” 

From organizing tournaments to advocating for more courts in his community, Happy’s on a mission to spread the joys of pickleball far and wide. "My goal is to become the Johnny Appleseed of pickleball. I just want there to be pickleball courts everywhere, where you don't have to make a reservation, you don't have to buy anything. You just say, ‘hey, what is this?’ I put a paddle in your hand and you hit the ball and you go, ‘this is pretty cool.’ Bang! Done.”

Despite his own aversion to keeping score, he recognizes the value of DUPR in creating a standardized metric that transcends geographical boundaries. “Everybody should have a DUPR. So once we have 8 billion people with DUPR scores, you'll know who to play with. You could go to India, you could go to Bangladesh and say, ‘where's the 3.0s?”

Happy still struggles with his weight, but he’s down 75 pounds.

“I‘d like to say pickleball helped me lose weight. Eating better helped me lose weight. But wanting to live makes you eat better, which helps you lose weight, which helps you play pickleball, which makes you want to live.”

His story serves as a reminder that happiness isn't just a destination—it's about embracing life day by day, game by game.

“I am happy all the time. You either choose to be happy or you choose to be miserable. It's a choice.”

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DUPR, the world's most accurate global pickleball rating system and My Pickleball Coach, the premier pickleball coaching platform for coaches and players, today announced the launch of a “Global Skills Program”, a co-branded initiative to support coaches and players in their pickleball careers and journeys and further unify the sport under a common language and standard. 

The new Global Skills Program, created by experts from DUPR and My Pickleball Coach, makes it easy for coaches to get players rated on DUPR, and offers in-app coaching for players to improve their skills and level. The program, available on My Pickleball Coach, seamlessly integrates cameras, the DUPR app, and the My Pickleball Coach app, enabling coaches to initiate scalable coaching experiences for thousands of players, generate DUPR ratings, and foster new revenue streams and expansion for coaches and clubs.

Tito Machado, CEO of DUPR remarked, “We developed the Global Skills Program in partnership with My Pickleball Coach to offer coaches scalable technology to support their efforts to grow and develop the game in their communities. When players are rated on DUPR and have opportunities to develop their skills, everyone in the global pickleball ecosystem benefits, from facilities, clubs, equipment manufacturers, travel companies and everyone who touches the game.”

Jordan Briones, one of the leading pickleball coaches with over 65,000 subscribers on YouTube, emphasized, “With 13 million active players and another 17 million beginners joining the game, the key to sustaining pickleball's growth lies in growing and measuring skills for players. By becoming a DUPR Coach, the Global Skills Program equips coaches like me with a simple way to help players get a DUPR, reach their potential and establish a love for the game. When players have a rating and goals to achieve, players play more, join clubs, influence their friends and family to play and contribute to the growth of the sport.”

“The Global Skills Program supports coaches in driving more pickleball activity in their communities by offering a seamless technology solution to initiate DUPR ratings for players and pathways to improve their skills,” remarked Katie Nimitz, President of MyJourney. “Players simply play a game of pickleball where a phone camera or installed camera at the facility records their play. Coaches then use My Pickleball Coach to rapidly evaluate and assess a series of on-paddle and off-paddle skills to personally score key game areas such as technical skills, shot selection, partner chemistry, and court positioning. This automatically then creates the provisional rating and DUPR account for the player with their detailed assessment and DUPR skills rating.”

The Global Skills Program offers two main components: The DUPR Coach for coaches and the DUPR Skills Subscription for players. The DUPR Coach enables coaches to initiate DUPR ratings for new pickleball players with a skill-based assessment technology. Once trained, coaches can view videos of players and produce provisional DUPRs for players. The DUPR Skills Subscription enables players to receive coaching via the My Pickleball Coach app to improve their DUPR rating. Players can set a level-based goal, i.e. moving from a 3.5 DUPR to a 4.0 DUPR, and access DUPR-specific coaching from Martina Kochli, John Cincola, Jordan Briones, Zane Navratil and Collin Johns, among other DUPR Coaches, via the My Pickleball Coach App.

Coaches interested in becoming a DUPR Coach can click here. 

Players looking to improve their DUPR skills can activate the DUPR Skills Subscription by downloading the My Pickleball Coach app here.

About My Pickleball Coach 

My Pickleball Coach was developed by the world's top players and coaches like CEO Martina Kochli, John Cincola, Zane Navratil, Jordan Briones and Collin Johns to create a highly scalable way for coaches to grow the sport of pickleball. My Pickleball Coach is developed by MyJourney and is the inventor of Coaching-as-a-Service technology enabling a single coach to coach thousands of players.

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Meet Taylor Garcia, a pro pickleball player from New Orleans, LA. In August of 2023, she embarked on her professional pickleball career and has been traveling across the United States, aiming to ascend the rankings and secure a spot in the top 10.

Here are 8 questions where we get to know Taylor better!

How has pickleball changed your life?

As a competitive person, pickleball has become an outlet in which I can develop personally and continue competing in a sport at a very high level. I was a high performance tennis player for over a decade, and pickleball is sort of a continuation of that intense mindset but also so exciting because it's a completely new sport.

What is your favorite memory from your professional career so far?

Competing on center court multiple times against some of the best, established pro players on tour. I love playing for a crowd, so it's super fun when I get that opportunity.

What motivates you to become a pro pickleball player so far from home?

Being able to represent my hometown of New Orleans and also my current location of the D.C./Virginia area means a lot to me. I have thoroughly enjoyed all the people I've met through pickleball and all their support – it's what keeps me going and inspires me to pursue more.

What athlete or person inspires you the most?

Nick Kyrgios is my favorite athlete because he doesn't take himself too seriously. At times I find myself stressing out on the court and this year, I've made it my goal to play a little more freely like Nick and really enjoy the moment because that's what it's all about.

What does your current training regimen look like?

Drill 4-6 days a week, lift 3-4 days a week, rest one day.

What is your greatest accomplishment in sports?

Becoming a 2x All-American in tennis and leading my team to our first NCAA Elite 8 appearance in 10 years.

What part of your game are you working on the most right now?

Doubles!

What do you do outside of pickleball?

My favorite thing to do is travel, but D.C. also has no shortage of things to do. I love going to the monuments and museums or trying out local restaurants. I'm a huge foodie and love to cook, so no matter where I am, eating with friends is one of my favorite activities.

For now, some of Taylor's best results are semifinals (4th place) at PPA Daytona and 5th in Beer City Open.

Follow Taylor's Pickleball journey on Instagram!