There has been a lot of discussion and apprehension regarding DUPR over the past few weeks. The document below is designed to answer as many questions and address as many concerns as we can.
There are several groups that are currently “testing” and evaluating DUPR. Until we can gather enough data from these groups, along with SJPA member feedback, to make an educated decision on how to proceed with ratings, all SJPA events that require a rating may allow any combination of the following ratings requirements: no rating, self-rating, Troon rating, and/or DUPR rating. The rating requirement will be made very clear in each individual SJPA event posted on the events section of the website.
DUPR is new to all of us, and we will all learn together how this works. Please feel free to approach any of the SJPA committee members and we will try to answer any questions you might have.
We want to ensure that every member of the SJPA continues to enjoy the game as much as we do!
Deb Chiarello
SJPA President
ST. JAMES SPECIFIC DUPR Q&A
Why are we even doing DUPR?
DUPR is an integral part of developing a complete Pickleball program for the SJPA. This will give members who desire to play in tournaments outside of St. James an opportunity to do so and also provides members an alternate rating system that is based on actual performance metrics and is currently growing in popularity, globally.
Do I have to join DUPR to participate in SJPA events?
Only if you desire to play in one of a limited number of SJPA sponsored DUPR specific events.
Will SJPA be sponsoring events that will allow me to improve my DUPR rating?
Yes, there will be some events for people who are interested in developing and or growing the reliability of a DUPR rating and for those you will need to sign up for DUPR These may be in the form of a league or a ladder.
Which rating do I use when registering for an event: my Troon rating, my DUPR Rating or my Self Rating?
Ratings requirements will be clearly defined in the event announcement. No mention of ratings means that the event is open to any level of player, including non-rated players.
When I sign up for DUPR what should I use as my location?
We are recommending that you choose Southport, NC as your location.
DUPR 101 Tutorial
What is DUPR?
- DUPR (Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating). Currently, it’s the only dynamic rating system available for club’s recreational, league and tournament play. All other rating systems (UTPR, WPR, PBR, etc.) are for sanctioned and non-sanctioned tournaments only.
- All players, regardless of their age, gender, location, or skill, are rated on the same scale between 2.00-8.00 based on their actual match results.
- There are 2 types of ratings in DUPR: doubles and singles.
- DUPR has an app for iOS and Android users: both are very user friendly, or you can use a web browser for access.
- DUPR is free, and anyone can have a rating. One match result is all it takes to have a DUPR rating, and 5-10 match results is all it takes to have an even more accurate rating. The more you play and post scores, the more accurate your rating becomes.
- DUPR is currently updating its ratings once a week, however, there are plans in the near future to go to real-time updates.
- Special Note: Cape Fear Intercommunity League and Compass Draw Leagues are also adopting DUPR and will require all players participating in their 2023 leagues to have DUPR ratings. If any of you are planning to play competitive matches in any of the intercommunity leagues this year, it’s not too early to start establishing your DUPR rating.
How do I sign up for DUPR?
Go to myDUPR.com to set up your free account.
- All you need to enter is your name, age, phone number, email, gender, location, and a password.
- Tips when setting up your DUPR account:
- Make sure to enter your “age” and not your birth year or you will be 1965 years old.
- Please use Southport as your location.
- Also, remember to download the app to your phone or tablet (iOS or android) for quick access when entering scores… or you can just visit myDUPR.com website.
How do I post a game/match score in DUPR?
- If you are using the DUPR app, look at the bottom of your home screen to find your account functions (Home, Players, Add Match, Clubs, Events). If you’re using the DUPR site, your accounts functions are located on the left side of your home screen. To log a score, click on “Add Match” and a new menu will pop up and will ask you for Match Details
- Match Date… what was the date you played your match.
- Location: where was your match played. If at Rymer, we recommend choosing Southport.
- Event Name: this is optional and can be left blank. You can name your event anything you want to help you recognize if you were playing in a ladder or specific group. The name of the event will not affect your rating.
- Select either Singles or Doubles.
- You can ONLY enter matches that you have played in
- Team 1 will be you and your partner. Your name is automatically populated, so just click on “Add your partner” and a new menu pops up for you to search for your partner. Once you find your partner, click the little circle to the left of your partner’s name, and then click on the blue “Add Player” button in the upper right-hand corner. This will bring you back to the “Add a Match” page and you will now see your partner’s name listed next to your name.
- Now you’re ready to enter your game score under “Game 1” and then enter your opponent’s score in the box below it.
- Team 2 will be your two opponents. Click on “Add Your Opponent” and a new menu pops up for you to search for your opponents. Once you find your opponent, click on the little circle to the left of your opponent’s name, and click on the blue “Add Player” button in the upper right-hand corner. Repeat this process again for the other opponent. You can hit the blue + sign to add another game to the match, provided it is with the same players. If there are only two games in the match and there is one winner and one loser, DUPR will not allow that to be entered. In that situation, you will have to enter each game under a separate match. DUPR requires a clear match winner (best 2 out of 3 games) for multiple games. If the same team wins both games in the match, the scores will be accepted. If you play three games under one match, there will always be a clear match winner.
- Double Check that everything is correct before you hit “Submit”. Double check the date, location, event, doubles or singles, all 4 players are listed correctly, and the scores are correct… then hit “Submit” at the bottom of the page, and you’re done! You just logged your first game!
- Once a game/match has been submitted, it remains in a “Pending” status until such time that one of your opponent’s reviews and validates it.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
In order to log a game score in DUPR, all 4 players on the court must have DUPR accounts. The winning team is normally responsible for logging the score in DUPR, but that’s up to you. Just be sure that only one person logs the score, so you don’t have duplicates of the same game being entered.
What if I realize I made a mistake after submitting the game/match?
If by chance you hit submit and then realize there was an error in the score, or you had the wrong players listed, you can still delete a game that has a “Pending” status, and then submit it again. Do this by going back to your home screen, then scroll down and click on your “Match History”. Your most recent game should be on the top… from there, you should see a red X delete button next to the posted game. Click “delete” and the game should be removed.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
This delete option will only work if the match is still in a “Pending” status and your opponents have NOT validated or confirmed the score.
How do I Validate a match?
Once a game/match score has been posted on DUPR both opponents will be notified via email that a match was posted, and they will be asked to go to their DUPR accounts and “Validate” the match.
- Only one opponent needs to validate the match. Opponents should log in to their DUPR app and scroll down and click on “Match History”.
- You will see all your matches that have been posted… the most recent ones will be at the top of the list. Look for the match that needs to be validated (it will have a blue validate button in the upper right-hand corner).
- Before you click the “Validate” button, double check that all data is correct… especially the players” names, scores, and also double check to be sure that this game/match is not a duplicate of one that was already posted by another person. If there is any error or question, DO NOT VALIDATE…contact the player who posted the match and have them make the necessary corrections. This is very important because once you click “Validate” the match is no longer in our control. If an error is found after being validated, you will need to contact DUPR support staff to correct.
- If everything is correct, click the “Validate” button, and click “Validate Match” again.
How do I delete a match?
For Self-Posted Matches:
- For “Pending” matches: If a player posts a match and then discovers there is an error, they can delete any “Pending” match and then reenter it with the correct information. Again, this only works if the match is still “Pending” and has NOT been validated.
- For Validated matches: Once the score is validated it’s officially logged in to DUPR and no longer in your control. Any corrections after it’s been validated will require DUPR support staff members. If this happens, you will need to submit a match deletion request by emailing DUPR support staff at support@mydupr.com. You’ll need to explain the problem and provide the support staff with the “Match ID” so they know which match score needs to be deleted or corrected. The “Match ID” is found in your “Match History” and is located to the left of the match you posted. All players. in the match will receive an email from DUPR support staff regarding the match deletion request. At least one. of the requestor’s opponents must confirm that the match should be deleted, after which DUPR support staff will delete the match.
How does the DUPR algorithm work?
DUPR uses a modified Elo algorithm that utilizes a player’s (singles) or (doubles) eligible matches to calculate the rating. The algorithm considers three factors:
- Margin of Victory: How many points did you win against your opponent?
- Outcome: Did you win or lose the match?
- Type of Result: Was this a self-posted rec play or a league match, or was it posted by tournament staff for a non-sanctioned or a sanctioned tournament result?
DUPR’s Elo algorithm (which is based on statistical estimation) assigns an “Expected Value” (EV) or expected outcome of points for each team based on you and your partner’s rating, as well as your 2 opponent’s ratings. If you exceed your EV, then your rating will go up, if you underperform or fall short of your EV, then your rating will go down. For example, let’s say player A and player B “expected value” was to win the game against player C and player D by 11-4, but the actual score ended up being 11-8. Even though player A and player B won the game, they fell short of what the algorithm was forecasting by 4 points… so their rating would go down slightly. On the other hand, since player C and player D exceeded their “expected value”, their rating would go up, even though they lost the match. So, the takeaway here is every point counts… win or lose!
The algorithm’s calculations are only as good as the data it has to work with when you first start logging game scores. Everyone will start with a “Provisional Rating” meaning that the algorithm has limited data points to fully calculate a reliable and statistically sound rating. Since very few people in SJ have ratings right now, the algorithm doesn’t have a lot of data to work with, so its statistical confidence is going to be low initially. As you begin to post more games, the algorithm will have more data points to use in its calculation and can deliver a more statistically sound rating (which DUPR calls a “Reliable” rating). When the “Reliable” rating happens depends on how many games you played and with how many different people you played, as well as how often. The more interconnectivity you have with other players the faster you will get a “Reliable” rating. If you play and post 60 games in a couple of months with a broad range of players, you have a high likelihood of getting that “Reliable” rating. If you don’t play for an extended period of time, your rating could drop back to a “Provisional” rating. No worries… just start playing and posting your games to get that “Reliability” rating back.
What if I’m unrated and I play against other unrated players?
That’s okay! Those scores will still retroactively count once you or the other players play against someone who does have a DUPR rating. This is called “connectivity”. The more variety of players you play with, the greater the connectivity to the system, and the more accurate your rating gets. For a period of time, you are interconnected with all of the players that you recently played with or against. So, if one of those players gets their first rating by actually playing a rated player, that data trickles back to you and your rating. It also works when someone you recently played with, has an outstanding game(s) and wins big over a highly rated player… their rating obviously goes up because they exceeded their expected value by a large margin… but you will also see a slight change in your rating because you played with or against that individual. DUPR algorithm passes a numerical calculation (good or bad) retroactively to other connected players through interconnectivity.
Can my DUPR change even though I haven’t been playing?
Absolutely. Just because you’ve stopped playing doesn’t mean the broader “pool” of players has stopped. For example, if you outperform the “Expected Value” of the algorithm against a player and then they proceed to also outperform the “Expected Value” of the algorithm in subsequent matches, you will benefit from their performance, even if you had stopped playing.
Which matches do not count towards my DUPR?
- Matches where partners are rated with a difference greater than 1.50. For example, if a 5.25 rated player partners with a 3.45 rated player, the match would be excluded
- Matches wherein the average rating of each team is greater than a difference of 1.0. For example, if two 5.25 rated players play against two 4.00 rated players, the match would also be excluded.
- Matches where neither player/team reaches at least six (6) points are also excluded.
**Excluded matches will still show up in a player’s match history but will not be reflected in a player’s calculated DUPR rating.
How often should I check my rating?
Initially, maybe check your rating once a month. If you check it every week, you are going to see a lot of variation in your number until you have posted a sufficient number of games for DUPR to give you a “Reliable” and statistically sound rating.
Bottom line… just keep playing and posting your scores. Be patient… in time you will start to see the numbers settle in and the numerical calculation will show a high level of confidence in your rating number. The more you play, the more accurate your rating becomes!!!
