All-Star Struggling With Missed Practices

[L5cheermom]

My child is on a L5 team that has just added a third practice during the week. There are significant attendance issues at the current weekday practice. My child rarely if ever misses practice. This added practice is going to add another 175 mile round trip drive and will cause him to give up a day of work. Between his loss of pay and the added travel expense we're looking at a net cost of about $100 a week. I am struggling with having him make this commitment before I know that his teammates are going to step up or that there is going to be some enforcement of the current schedule. I am 100% in support of the practices if his teammates are going to be there. Am I wrong to tell him to hold off giving up his day of pay and adding the extra gas expense until we see if his peers are going to step up? I don't really understand why they are ADDING a practice when a significant number of the team are not making the practices already posted. I appreciate your thoughts.

 

[JulieP]

My child is on a L5 team that has just added a third practice during the week. There are significant attendance issues at the current weekday practice. My child rarely if ever misses practice. This added practice is going to add another 175 mile round trip drive and will cause him to give up a day of work. Between his loss of pay and the added travel expense we're looking at a net cost of about $100 a week. I am struggling with having him make this commitment before I know that his teammates are going to step up or that there is going to be some enforcement of the current schedule. I am 100% in support of the practices if his teammates are going to be there. Am I wrong to tell him to hold off giving up his day of pay and adding the extra gas expense until we see if his peers are going to step up? I don't really understand why they are ADDING a practice when a significant number of the team are not making the practices already posted. I appreciate your thoughts.

I totally understand your concern about adding another practice when it sounds like people don't come to the regularly scheduled practices especially because it causes financial hardship for you. However, I think talking to your son's coach in a non-confrontational and non-critical manner might go a long way. As a coach, if you come at me with a chip on your shoulder, I am less likely to see it your way. I know that sounds bad... On the other hand, if you come to me genuinely worried and non-confrontational, then I am more likely to be sympathetic to your cause. Maybe they would consider adding time to the current practices?

Further, I don't think telling him to skip extra practices until his teammates step up is the right thing to do. Truly and honestly, your son skipping the extra practices would be no different than the people skipping the regular practices. Your son "deciding" if his teammates are stepping up and then starting to come to extra practices creates a superiority issue between teammate, IMHO.

 

[oldcheermom]

Further, I don't think telling him to skip extra practices until his teammates step up is the right thing to do. Truly and honestly, your son skipping the extra practices would be no different than the people skipping the regular practices. Your son "deciding" if his teammates are stepping up and then starting to come to extra practices creates a superiority issue between teammate, IMHO.

Adding extra practices because some miss the regular practices already causes an issue between teammates. Isn't that why coaches do it - peer pressure? Kind of like making the entire team run for the mistake of one. And usually the one who causes the problem doesn't care.