Practice?

[access2]

We have one scheduled during the week, one optional and a saturday practice. Their is a problem where we have players who do not attend practice at our midweek practice, for various reasons, including that they travel from afar. This includes at least two of our starters; this irks some of the parents who do dilligently have their DD at every practice.

What is your opinion or feedback on this? Does your manager mandate every player to be at practice? Ideas on how to ensure all our players attend every practice?

[Coach11]

What is your opinion or feedback on this? Does your manager mandate every player to be at practice? Ideas on how to ensure all our players attend every practice?

Sure. Sit the girls who can't make it to practice.

Our practice schedule is laid out well before the season starts. Players need to let me know in advance whether they have any conflicts.

I can no better plan for a game if I don't know ahead of time who will be there, then I can plan a practice in preperation for the games. If my team has issues with certain plays during the games on weekends, I want to be able to work on those during situationals during the week. Kinda hard to do if one or two of your starters don't show for practice.

[Tucson]

If you are in an area like I am, where girls may really be traveling 3-4 hours to get to a practice, there has to be an understanding among the other parents before the season starts. Generally, it is a big time pitcher that can't get to the practices and that is understood.

I am thinking specifically of the Roadrunners whose pitcher was driving from Flagstaff to Tucson.

[GSB]

We have one scheduled during the week, one optional and a saturday practice. Their is a problem where we have players who do not attend practice at our midweek practice, for various reasons, including that they travel from afar. This includes at least two of our starters; this irks some of the parents who do dilligently have their DD at every practice.

What is your opinion or feedback on this? Does your manager mandate every player to be at practice? Ideas on how to ensure all our players attend every practice?

We tell all the girls that school comes first and we understand that Friday is usually the day schools do their tests. Our Thursday night practice is usually one or two short as girls sometimes need to do school work. We are only a 12U team but our Coach reinforces the importance of school by collecting a copy of report cards from every girl every semester.

Other good reasons for missing practice are church related activities, illness or injury or a family event. IMO, If travel distance is a problem for a girl making practice the Manager should drop the girl from the team and let her go to a closer team. At least in 10U, 12U and 14U. Unless the Coach and Manager did not make the practice schedule clear before they signed agreements.

Even worse then not making a practice is the parent who brings their DD 10 to 30 minutes late every time. If you are not there 5-10 minutes early, you are late.