How to handle almost entire team showing up late for game?

[Gags]

One girl late, whole team does planks.

It cut out lateness really quick.

It's not punishment - you're strengthening the core of the team!

 

[_MIA_]

Hung over or not, drop off your kid when you are supposed to then take a nap in the car if you need to.These people are adults with kids..not some 21 year old who drank their first six pack at a frat party.

 

[radness]

If everyone is staying at the same hotel, the coaches offer to take the girls to the field so they will be there 90 mins prior to game time and the families can do things like pack or have breakfast and show up closer to game time. That then puts the responsibility back on the girls to be in the hotel lobby on time.
Parents are going to partake in the good times no matter what, and that's more difficult to regulate unless you have a very high performing team with lines of people trying to join it. And even then, those teams always seem to have parents who enjoy the travel. You have to remember that many families in travel ball have those events out of town as their only vacations. They don't go to the river, lake, beach, islands, sand dunes, ski resorts because they use all their weekends going to ball fields with their kids. Perhaps offer the ride to all the players from the hotel to the field and put the onus of being on time on the players.

reading that was waiting for the punchline
'While on vacation uber your dd's to the field.'

 

[Eric F]

You have to remember that many families in travel ball have those events out of town as their only vacations. They don't go to the river, lake, beach, islands, sand dunes, ski resorts because they use all their weekends going to ball fields with their kids.

This is what they signed up for. Part of that is getting their kid to the field on time, every time. If they can't, maybe travel ball isn't the right choice for their family.

Sincerely,
A parent who has spent the last 6 years putting my DD's choice to play TB ahead of my want for a relaxing family vacation.

 

[quincy]

Some of the black and white response worry me a little bit, I do not think life is that easy.

IDK if DD has ever been late to practice or game. She has been out for various reasons coach always contacted.

Remember 1 player who's parents misjudged traffic so she did not get there until after games started. I stopped answering thier phone calls,I did not need a play by play on traffic in the area. Also 11 other parents and players seemed to figure it out.

 

[FP26]

Some of the black and white response worry me a little bit, I do not think life is that easy.

IDK if DD has ever been late to practice or game. She has been out for various reasons coach always contacted.

Remember 1 player who's parents misjudged traffic so she did not get there until after games started. I stopped answering thier phone calls,I did not need a play by play on traffic in the area. Also 11 other parents and players seemed to figure it out.

As they say, life happens. But people still have responsibilities. I also don't need a play by play, but a simple text stating that someone will be late and why at least gives me a head's up. I have always been a stickler for communication. Sometimes things happen that are outside our control. But a text takes 5 seconds.

I remember one tournament several years ago. I had just arrived at the field and received a text from a player's mom. Her husband's mother had just been rushed to the ER so they were driving home to be with her. Even under those circumstances, this family took the time to send a brief text. If I remember correctly it just said something like "Family emergency. Sierra won't make it today. Will contact you later." Some things are more important than softball. Luckily her grandmother was fine.

 

[uncdrew]

Some of the black and white response worry me a little bit, I do not think life is that easy.

IDK if DD has ever been late to practice or game. She has been out for various reasons coach always contacted.

Remember 1 player who's parents misjudged traffic so she did not get there until after games started. I stopped answering thier phone calls,I did not need a play by play on traffic in the area. Also 11 other parents and players seemed to figure it out.

There are always exceptions. Car breaks down, parent's can't get off work, etc. etc. Notify ahead of time and you almost always get a pass.

Outside of that, it's black and white in my opinion.

 

[Chris8]

If everyone is staying at the same hotel, the coaches offer to take the girls to the field so they will be there 90 mins prior to game time and the families can do things like pack or have breakfast and show up closer to game time. That then puts the responsibility back on the girls to be in the hotel lobby on time.
Parents are going to partake in the good times no matter what, and that's more difficult to regulate unless you have a very high performing team with lines of people trying to join it. And even then, those teams always seem to have parents who enjoy the travel. You have to remember that many families in travel ball have those events out of town as their only vacations. They don't go to the river, lake, beach, islands, sand dunes, ski resorts because they use all their weekends going to ball fields with their kids. Perhaps offer the ride to all the players from the hotel to the field and put the onus of being on time on the players.

If everyone is staying at the same hotel, the coaches offer to take the girls to the field so they will be there 90 mins prior to game time

Uh.....no. The coach is not responsible for transportation of players. You sign your kid up for a travel ball team, then that takes priority over your "vacation".

 

[whiporee]

If everyone is staying at the same hotel, the coaches offer to take the girls to the field so they will be there 90 mins prior to game time

Uh.....no. The coach is not responsible for transportation of players. You sign your kid up for a travel ball team, then that takes priority over your "vacation".

So the goal is instilling discipline in the parents? I think that's something a team ought to disclose before anyone signs up.

If everyone is at the same hotel, then the team should congregate in the lobby at an appointed time, and no one leaves until everyone shows up. That way you can coordinate carpools, make sure no one overslept and the team arrives as a unit as opposed to scattershot. And avoids the parental competition of who showed up first and therefore is the most dedicated.

 

[newnin]

Hung over or not, drop off your kid when you are supposed to then take a nap in the car if you need to.These people are adults with kids..not some 21 year old who drank their first six pack at a frat party.

I would have agreed with that statement up to a year and a half ago when a local mother, still legally drunk from the night before (this was around 8am), went through a stop sign and killed her daughter.

Just be an adult and make arrangements for your kids if you are going to get after it that hard.