8u travel team. No call, no show.

[quincy]

I was old enough to communicate with coach when DD was 8 YO but you are unfortunately right.

You need to explain to people that be there at 9:00 AM does not mean on the way to the field or parkimg.

No show, little different.

 

[Lickety Split]

I'm going to go ahead and assume the OP is not e-mailing the 8 year old. (Do 8yos really even text? That seems absurdly young).

Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong but I'm hoping it is coaching 101 at younger ages you must go though.

The OP stated the following:

I sent out a email at the beginning of the week regarding contacting me if you are not going to make it to a game.

Suggestions on how to handle this? I was going to email her parents and ask what happened last night, and why they did not let us know their daughter was not going to be at the game. I would also ask them if she even wants to play anymore.

Perhaps I misinterpreted his wording, but I read this as if he emailed the players, then decided to email her parents. I could be wrong on this one.

Regardless, all communication should be through the parents. And instead of writing on this board I would have called the parents to allow them to explain as an obvious first step.

 

[Lickety Split]

I was old enough to communicate with coach when DD was 8 YO but you are unfortunately right.

You need to explain to people that be there at 9:00 AM does not mean on the way to the field or parkimg.

No show, little different.

FWIW, I hate when coaches say "practice starts at 6:00, be here 15 minutes early to get ready". To a parent, this means practice start at 5:45. If you want them there 15 minutes early, just say practice starts at 5:45 and allocate the first 10-15 minutes for the kids to unpack and get ready.

 

[spleen1015]

Easy. You contact the parents and see what the story is.

Don't be afraid of the confrontation. You have a right to know what the deal is.

 

[grcsftbll]

Our 8U coach used to pad the time because we had late parents a lot. The first time he did it I showed up 10 minutes early. As in, 10 minutes before the padded time he gave us. We are pretty much never late so I asked him to let us know the actual time he wanted us there. That can help tardy parents, I swear it seems like some people just can't help it. But not showing up at all, not so much. It's a good point about not punishing the girl; it's not her fault. But at the same time it's going to cause trouble to have a player do this regularly without any consequences.

 

[T.J.]

Our 8U coach used to pad the time because we had late parents a lot. The first time he did it I showed up 10 minutes early. As in, 10 minutes before the padded time he gave us. We are pretty much never late so I asked him to let us know the actual time he wanted us there. That can help tardy parents, I swear it seems like some people just can't help it. But not showing up at all, not so much. It's a good point about not punishing the girl; it's not her fault. But at the same time it's going to cause trouble to have a player do this regularly without any consequences.

8 years old right? No slushies after next game (lol).

 

[Eric F]

"Hi, Mr. Smith. We enjoy having Suzy on our team. She's a wonderful girl, and has great potential in this sport. However, myself and the other coaches have a growing concern about how much time she has missing with the team, especially since there hasn't been any communication about her absences. Playing softball at a higher level requires an additional level of commitment. We are teaching the girls a higher level of skills, and playing against a tougher level of competition. For them to progress and learn as a team, everyone needs to be participating. In practices, the players are learning concepts and skills that they will be using during the games. Much of it requires all of the players to have the same level of understanding. If players aren't participating in practices, they aren't learning the lessons they need to be able to perform alongside their teammates.

At the moment, the status of our team is such that even one player missing from a game means we are short-handed. This is a big reason why Suzy's participation is important right now. Not just for her own development, but for the whole team. We are currently in the process of recruiting more players to help minimize the short-handed issue. When we have a full team, the girls who are committed to the team - which means participating in practices and showing up at the correct time for pre-game warmups - will get the majority of the playing time.

We understand that sometimes things happen in life that need to be a priority over softball. We also understand that sometimes kids' interests and motivations change. All we ask is that you communicate with the coaches."

 

[T.J.]

"Hi, Mr. Smith. We enjoy having Suzy on our team. She's a wonderful girl, and has great potential in this sport. However, myself and the other coaches have a growing concern about how much time she has missing with the team, especially since there hasn't been any communication about her absences. Playing softball at a higher level requires an additional level of commitment. We are teaching the girls a higher level of skills, and playing against a tougher level of competition. For them to progress and learn as a team, everyone needs to be participating. In practices, the players are learning concepts and skills that they will be using during the games. Much of it requires all of the players to have the same level of understanding. If players aren't participating in practices, they aren't learning the lessons they need to be able to perform alongside their teammates.

At the moment, the status of our team is such that even one player missing from a game means we are short-handed. This is a big reason why Suzy's participation is important right now. Not just for her own development, but for the whole team. We are currently in the process of recruiting more players to help minimize the short-handed issue. When we have a full team, the girls who are committed to the team - which means participating in practices and showing up at the correct time for pre-game warmups - will get the majority of the playing time.

We understand that sometimes things happen in life that need to be a priority over softball. We also understand that sometimes kids' interests and motivations change. All we ask is that you communicate with the coaches."

or.....

"Hi!...Where the Phuck has Suzy been?!" (lol)

 

[Eric F]

or.....

"Hi!...Where the Phuck has Suzy been?!" (lol)

That works, too.

 

[Amy in AZ.]

If I needed her, I would see if I could pick her up.