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Youth Sports Expert Advice | How do I handle a player missing practice for tutoring?

Positive Coaching Alliance Each week, we ask fans of Responsible Sports "What Would You Do?" in response to our weekly Responsible Sports Scenario Question. And many of you write in with scenario questions of your own! So we've asked Tina Syer, Associate Director at Positive Coaching Alliance, to answer one of your suggested questions each week.

Posted on April 30, 2010: How do I handle a player missing practice for tutoring?

A Responsible Sports Fan suggested the following Scenario Question:

I manage a little league baseball team and I have a situation about a player that announced that he will not be able to attend our weekly practices on time due to tutoring that he must attend prior to practice. I want to teach our players the importance of commitment and accountability to one another, but I also understand how important it is to put school before athletics. How do you suggest I handle the situation with his parents and with the rest of the team? My concern is that showing favoritism undermines my ability to teach players practical life lessons.

Dear Luis,

I'd ask the player and his parents if there is any way to arrange the tutoring to not conflict with practice. If they come back and tell you they have done everything in their power to change the tutoring, but it is not going to be possible, I would accept the situation and be very open with the other players and their parents about the situation, for example: "Scott has done everything he can to try to rearrange the time of his tutoring, but it is not going to be possible. I appreciate that he told me about this ahead of time, and that he tried to change it." All of the players and their parents should understand that if they were in a similar situation, they would get the same treatment (so there is no favoritism here).

I'd also make sure to have a policy in place about how much notice I need when my players know they will be absent from a practice or a game. This way I'll have time to plan about how to handle these situations.

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Tina Syer Ask the Expert
Tina Syer is the Associate Director of Positive Coaching Alliance, a nonprofit founded in the Stanford University Athletic Department.  Tina played Division I field hockey at Stanford University, where she graduated with honors in psychology and was named an Academic All-American. 

Her nine years of work for PCA have included keynote presentations for national organizations such as US Lacrosse, USA Water Polo and Special Olympics, more than 250 PCA workshop presentations, and production of multimedia products featuring PCA's National Spokesperson, Phil Jackson.  Tina's coaching experience includes seasons at the high school, college and Olympic Development levels.

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