21/08/2026
I'm genuinely disappointed that I even have to write this.
It's recently been brought to my attention that there may be players deliberately manipulating their DUPR ratings so they can enter lower tournament divisions.
And this really GRINDS MY GEARS.
I spend a lot of time around tournaments. I see the nerves before someone's first event. I see people train, improve, move up divisions and test themselves against better players. I see how much a medal can mean to someone who has worked bloody hard for it.
That's what tournament pickleball should be about.
So when someone deliberately manipulates their rating to play down, you're not just messing with a number on a screen.
You're taking advantage of every player who entered that division honestly.
The person playing their first tournament.
The person who has trained their arse off.
The person who has worked their way towards a podium.
The person who trusted that when they entered a skill division, they would be competing against people who genuinely belonged there.
If you deliberately falsify results, manipulate your rating or create/reset accounts to make yourself eligible for a lower division, let's call it what it is.
It's CHEATING.
I've been pretty vocal about using DUPR as the source of truth for tournament eligibility. I still believe in that.
It takes away the opinions. It takes away the favouritism. It takes away the "but I'm not really a 3.6" conversations.
Your rating is your rating.
But for that system to work, we have to respect its integrity.
DUPR has Community Guidelines that specifically address this type of behaviour, and the information that has been brought to my attention will be referred to them for investigation.
And as a Tournament Director, I will do what I can to protect fair competition at any tournament I'm involved with.
Not because I want to spend my time policing players.
I'd much rather be worrying about court allocations, missing partners and why someone still hasn't read my bloody player email.
But because the overwhelming majority of our players turn up, enter the right division and do the right thing.
They deserve better than this.
If you want the medal or the prize? Then train your arse off and earn the damn thing!
Tournament pickleball is growing incredibly quickly. We get to decide what sort of community grows with it.
I know what I want ours to look like.
That is to be surrounded by good humans.
And, as always...
My No Di****ad Policy applies.
I'm apparently very good at ejecting dicks! Ha. 😜
