All-Star Missing Practice!!!

[Audrey]

We had to call off my school's comp team because of this. Girls would go to regular practice then it would be time for comp practice and they would be like "I have a lot of homework. I have to go home." And that's if they showed up. We had a small team so if anyone missed, we could hardly do anything. This one girl missed all the time and one day she left after regular practice and the girls who were there talked. We were all so frustrated with the lack of commitment with some of the girls, and we didn't have the resources to replace them, so we had to get rid of comp. I'm still frustrated and this happened months ago.

 

[Num1Stunta]

Our rule is: family death, contagious illness, or school event for a grade (not EC) is excused. Everything else is not. More than 3 excused and your off the floor.

I like that. My old gym did 2 excused^^ and 2 unexcused (a no-show, don't have a ride, etc) and then you're off. We had paperwork to fill out for an excused absence and if the coach didn't approve it, it counted as one of your unexcused.

It's Unacceptable to miss practice. In the summer I understand it's okay. But lame excuses like "too much homework, a party, a cold" no. Uh uh. You made the commitment so show up to practice. It's all about determination and what's best for the team. If you contagious, okay I understand stay home. If you have a cough or your not contagious, just show up anyway and watch. Support the team! Same goes for injuries. Just be there to support wether you can participate or not.
I also feel that people who always miss practices do nothing for in the team but hold them back and don't deserve to be on the team.

I could rage about all day long because it's the one thing that drives me INSANE, but I won't.

I need to read this to my team... these kids and parents think I'm so unreasonable for expecting them to miss other things for cheer. Or when I tell them they have to sit at practice when they're injured. I had a girl who missed choreography for a SPRAINED ANKLE smh... a new girl, mind you... she spent 2 weeks not coming to practice and then we had to take our time out to teach her her parts in the routine. NOT ACCEPTABLE.

Other excuses I've had this season are- a sweet sixteen, softball practice, no ride, coughing, school dance, choir concert, hs football game.... like, NO THESE ARE NOT GOOD REASONS TO MISS PRACTICE. But, when your co-coaches don't see a need to enforce attendance policies, what else can you do? The kids know that if they ask me and I tell them no, they're only gonna ask the other coaches and someone will tell them yes SMH

Really gonna try and institute that paperwork idea next year....

 

[foundmyway2SC]

We don't have any rules on a set number of practices you're allowed to miss before you're off the team. Like miss an obscene amount of practices for a bad reason, and you're out. But I don't think we've ever had a parent/kid lie to our coaches because they're really understanding of everything.

 

[cheer36mom]

at my gym you still have to come and sit and watch if your sick, just not vomiting. We had a problem with absences in the beginning of the season, there was this girl who was new to allstar cheerleading and she missed 3 or 4 practices in one month for stupid reasons: concert, homecoming, birthday etc. When one person in your stunt group is absent its almost pointless for the rest of the group to be there unless there are major changes in other parts of the routine.

i so agree with the one person missing from a stunt group comment my cp has had issues all season with her stunt group all being there at the same time and it really makes the nerves worse when competition day rolls around not to mention they are doing elite tic tocs and full ups so i hate when people are missing i do get that things happen unexpectedly however my cp has been at practice running off the mat in between running the routine to vomit so i feel at least you should be there to watch the practice death in the family though thats a little different i can understand having to miss for that

 

[live.love.cheer]

When I cheered this was my BIGGEST pet peeve considering I drove and hour and a half and every other girl lived 10 minutes from the gym and missed for such stupid reasons. Mind you, I never missed practice unless the roads were really bad due to snow since I drove so far. However, one time my coach added an extra practice one day in advance and it was very last minute. My mom had an unexpected business meeting that day, my dad was away and I don't have my own car. So, I called my coach and told her my situation and she went crazy on me telling me that if I didn't make it to this practice I would lose my center flying spot and yada yada yada. Then, she called my mom and basically yelled at her! So, of course back then losing my center spot would be the end of the world to me so, my mom didn't go to her important meeting to take me to practice. So, when I got there I walk in and find out that two girl from my stunt group DIDNT SHOW UP...they went to the movies and the coach didnt say a word about them not coming! My mom and I were fuming! Needless to say I ended up not finishing my year at that gym due to various reasons involving this psycho coach...

 

[cheerismylife]

I have only missed a few practices in all 3 seasons I've cheered for vacation and death.

My first year competing, I had strep the last practice before Dallas. We were having a mini showcase and wore our uniforms and everything. I still showed up dressed and ready to go, but my mom talked to the owner and the owner said I needed to go home. Luckily, my stunts that season were really solid, so even though I wasn't at practice, our stunts didn't suffer. We ended up doing well in Dallas, third place with a tumble bust, but this year I really want the Jacket!

On my team this year, there was a girl that missed practice every thursday for school games for a couple of months. One of the girls started calling her the "new girl" when she came to practice! Also we had one girl, who ended up leaving the team, that was late almost every day. There is also a girl who has lame excuses, like its her moms birthday or she wants to go to her brothers football game. She is also "sick" about one-third of our practices and it is really annoying!

 

[cheermommaRN]

As a parent this is my biggest pet peeve!! I am really thankful our gym has such a strict attendance policy, we got a lot of days during the summer but once comp season started I think we get 2 all season and they have to be excused. Phoebe went to practice right before SC Christmas sick, she was going to just watch but halfway through practice got bored and started working.
In AZ they never enforced the attendance policy and weeks would go by where we didn't have the whole team there to practice. Then the parents would get all ticked off that our team came in last place. I don't know how these families afford to travel once a month to far off exotic locations or go on cruises...lol

 

[ctgatormom]

Thanks for this thread!! Girls missing practice is one of my biggest pet peeves as well! My daughter is the kind of girl that on the rare occasion that she misses I have other cheer moms calling me saying "omg...what happened"lol...A few months ago she went to practice on crutches(sprained ankle) with bronchitis(not contagious) to watch!!! I wish more people would realize the commitment that comes with this sport.

 

[couturecutiex3]

I had a girl on my team who missed practice because her boyfriend of 21 days broke up with her and she was "depressed." Needless to say that neither the coaches nor other athletes were too happy with her.

 

[Platinum.Rachael]

Last year, i had a team mate who told our coach she couldnt tumble this practice because she didnt wear her sunglasses on the way to practice so the sun was in her face as she was driving and it gave her a headache...wow, good excuse. NOT!

 

[Caitieluvxoxo]

on my HS cheer team, there are 12 people on my squad (varsity) & it really makes me made because you made a commitment, so i think they need to stick with it. Our coach just doesnt care about if we show up or not & our captains just are so lazy & will do a 30 second routine w/out tumbling or stunting. & since its basketball season, the crowd sees everything we do. & last game, we had only 8 cheerleaders show up.
we didnt do any half time, quarters, nothing. & the other team was fantastic, they had about 30 ppl on the team & they were loud. They sounded great. But, we looked awful. It was probably the worst game i've ever cheered at. Its not just practices, but games, peprallies,competitions, etc.

 

[Caitieluvxoxo]

GOD! i wish i could shimmy all of these posts. lol.

 

[youbetterwork]

My coach always says - "No show, BACK ROW!"

 

[youbetterwork]

Ok, here we go...

- "Baby swim with my cousin."

- "I'm too sick to come", but she went to Harry Potter instead. Of course wrote it on Facebook.

- I'm too sick to come", one in my team saw her on Subway 10 minutes before practise.

- "I'm going to do a breast surgery in january" (we're competing in march) eeehhhhh

- "I have to pack, I'm going to NY tomorrow."

- "I have to study. You don't understand, I got the assignment today!" If it was me, I would rather be awake all night to do it (which I have several times).

- "My legs are hurting."

- "I'm gonna visit my grandmother."

I hate hate hate being sick. I'm sick a lot. I wish I was superhuman and never got sick... Because I always want to practise anyway, and then it just gets worse.

 

[powerXbaby]

In Arizona, its against "cheer laws" to do school cheer and allstar cheer at the same time. You have to do one or the other or you can get your squad disqualified.