My DUPR Reset (Part Two)…taking matters into my own hands.

By Casie

The Second Reset Night

Back in Part One, I walked into a local DUPR Reset night optimistic, curious, and maybe just a little delusional. Eight different partners later, my DUPR had other ideas.

One game, I was paired with someone who communicated like an NFL quarterback; the next, I found myself playing with a guy who hadn’t said a word since the warmup and believed every third shot should be hit at 97 miles per hour.

But after sitting down with DUPR CEO, Tito Machado, on the podcast recently, I started realizing something:

Maybe everyone is experiencing the same thing. And maybe that’s the point.

Because as Lauren and I continued our own DUPR Reset experiment, one truth became painfully obvious:

Everyone thinks they’re underrated.

This time, Lauren and I played together in another DUPR event. No random partners. No rotational dancing. No excuses.

Honestly? We felt great. We moved well together. Defended well. Extended points. Hit some ridiculous resets. Ahem…I even hit an ATP! Pretty sure, it looked exactly like how ALW hits ‘em! Anyway, we played the kind of pickleball where you walk off the court thinking, “Okay… THAT looked like our level.”

Then, our DUPRs dropped again.

Which is when we discovered another important lesson about DUPR Reset nights: Everyone there is also trying to prove their rating is wrong.

The environment becomes this fascinating pickleball inflation zone where every match feels tougher than the numbers suggest. You look across the net and see a 3.6, but somehow they’re dropping thirds into a solo cup and countering speed-ups like they’re moonlighting on the PPA tour.

At some point during the night, Lauren looked at me and said:

“I don’t think anyone here actually has the DUPR they deserve.”

Fair.

A Very Specific Kind of Pickleball Misery

We also uncovered another important personal truth during this process: Our least favorite type of pickleball is playing men who absolutely rifle the ball at you.

Not strategic speed-ups. No hands battles.

I’m talking about the guys who treat every rally like they’re auditioning for Top Gun: Pickleball Edition.

And here’s where it gets interesting from a DUPR standpoint:

Gender is still not factored into the ratings.

At this event, we played almost entirely men. I think we played ONE single woman the entire night.

And while Lauren and I actually played lights out in several of those matches, the outcomes still punished our DUPRs more than our confidence. This created a weird disconnect between how we felt we played and what the number said afterward.

That’s probably the strangest emotional part of DUPR Reset:

You can leave feeling better about your pickleball while simultaneously feeling personally attacked by your phone notification afterward.

So We Did What Any Rational Pickleball Players Would Do

We took matters into our own hands.

Instead of walking back into another DUPR Hunger Games situation, we curated our own mini tournament.

Fourteen women. Competitive players. Good vibes. Balanced matchups. Actual rallies. Actual strategy. The kind of pickleball that feels competitive without feeling like survival mode.

No mystery partners.
No body baggers named Chad.
No one trying to hit every ball at 400 mph.

Just really good women’s pickleball.

And honestly? It ended up being one of the best DUPR experiences we’ve had so far.

Not because we were trying to “game” the system. Although let’s be honest, there are still people out there doing that. We’ve seen it happen in real time. Selective scheduling. Protecting losses like state secrets. Fibbing matches against your 5.0 friends like the DUPR police aren’t eventually going to catch on.

And if that’s how you want to spend your recreational pickleball career, I genuinely wish you healing.

The best version of DUPR happens when the environment actually matches the kind of pickleball you care about improving in.

Final Thoughts Before Reset Closes

As DUPR’s first Reset period comes to an end, I think my biggest takeaway is this:

The number matters way less than the context around it.

Who you play with matters.
Who you play against matters.
Format matters.
Confidence matters.
And honestly, vibes matter too.

Because after two Reset events, one bruised ego, multiple existential crises, and approximately 37 speed-ups aimed directly at my chest…

I’ve realized DUPR isn’t just measuring your pickleball. It’s also measuring your emotional stability.