Life Time adds DUPR ratings and skill-based pickleball play to its app

Life Time adds DUPR ratings and skill-based pickleball play to its app

Life Time has completed a nationwide rollout connecting members’ DUPR pickleball ratings to the Life Time app, making ratings available alongside court-booking tools. The company also introduced DUPR-based leagues, open play and other competitive programming intended to connect players of similar skill levels.

Members can link their Life Time member ID with a DUPR account in the app and track ratings as they update. Clubs can offer rating-gated open play to members with linked accounts, while leveled and all-level open play remain options for members without a rating. Life Time Pickleball Pros are the resource for members’ DUPR questions and guidance.

DUPR rates players on a scale from 2.000 to 8.000, using match results, coach input, video and artificial intelligence analysis. Life Time says the program began at select clubs during the summer and is now available across its nationwide network of pickleball courts.

Zane Navratil backs players’ right to scream and taunt during matches

Professional pickleball player Zane Navratil defended on-court screaming and taunting, arguing that player theatrics can entertain fans and help the sport compete for attention. In comments shared on Instagram, he said players should be free to express themselves and that public opinion, rather than formal penalties, should judge conduct.

Navratil questioned whether referees could consistently decide when celebrations cross into taunting. He argued that fan criticism and social-media reactions can serve as consequences, and cited the NFL’s taunting rule as a policy that alienated fans and was later rolled back.

The debate comes after Navratil faced criticism for yelling at an opponent during the Major League Pickleball playoffs; the report said he later regretted the outburst.

Pickleball Passion Cup to bring film and sports communities together in Hanoi

Organizers announced the 2026 Pickleball Passion Cup on Oct. 22 as part of the eighth Hanoi International Film Festival. The tournament is scheduled for Dec. 1 at the Happyland Pickleball complex in Hanoi, with a theme linking cinema and sport.

The event is planned to include artists, actors, filmmakers, youth groups, businesses and members of the pickleball community. Categories include mixed doubles for artists and film professionals, men’s doubles for youth groups and guests, mixed doubles for representatives of agencies and businesses, and brand-team competitions in men’s doubles, mixed doubles, women’s doubles and men’s singles.

Vietnam Cinema Department Deputy Director Do Quoc Viet said the event is intended to encourage regular exercise and create opportunities for exchange among people in film, arts and sport.