All-Star Attendance Policies?

[coachFIERCE]

Our problem right now is, that our parents don't see the importance of their kids attending practice. They are between 5 and 11 years old, and they still depend on their parents to drive them to practice. Everyone thinks, that their "excuse" is the most important one and that their kid is an exception to our "you have to be at practice at all circumstances" rule. Some even don't give us any notice that their kid doesn't show up at practice. For the past year we applied to their common sense over and over again, but it didn't change anything. I think its sad, but it obviously doesn't work without written rules with stated consequences.

I had this exact issue several months ago with my year-round Pop Warner team. It wasn't until I sent out an email to the parents, explaining (in great detail) how it hurts the entire team (with examples - stunts [and pyramid] not able to go up [therefore not giving the girls adequate time to get comfortable and make sure they know their counts for something that has the potential to be so dangerous when the girls aren't sure of it], formations off [because one athlete gets used to seeing an empty space in front of her where absent Susie should be, therefore come time of competition, that athlete's formation will be off because she moved over an extra panel due to the idea now in her mind that no one's supposed to be in front of her], etc.) when just one athlete is absent, that I saw attendance increase dramatically. I've found that a lot of parents who have children this young involved in cheerleading have yet to learn just how important attendance and whatnot is, so it needs to be explained to them. Many still think it's a whole lot of jumping up and down while shaking pompons and yelling for the home team.

This upcoming year, I plan on enforcing a very strict "three strikes" rule. Athletes will only be able to miss practice if they are on their death beds (doctor's note required), have a highly contagious illness (doctor's note required), have some kind of school function that will affect their grade, have a funeral to attend, or have an important religious function to attend that they absolutely cannot get out of. For every unexcused absence, they have to sit out a game. On the third unexcused absence, they're off the team.

Good luck!

 

[newcheerdad]

Thanks for everyones replies so far.
Our problem right now is, that our parents don't see the importance of their kids attending practice. They are between 5 and 11 years old, and they still depend on their parents to drive them to practice. Everyone thinks, that their "excuse" is the most important one and that their kid is an exception to our "you have to be at practice at all circumstances" rule. Some even don't give us any notice that their kid doesn't show up at practice. For the past year we applied to their common sense over and over again, but it didn't change anything. I think its sad, but it obviously doesn't work without written rules with stated consequences.

I think a lot of this is perception - especially with younger kids, parents might think that cheer is something you can skip, similar to how you can skip the occasional rec baseball or soccer practice. I look at it more like being on a competitive team where the expectation is that you go to every practice and if you don't practice you don't play.

 

[AllHeartxo3]

I've never been on a team where attendance was a problem but we did have rules just in case. I do know that if you couldn't make it because you were sick or some crazy reason then you had to call the gym. If you were hurt and could make it to the gym you were required to watch practice. I think that with whatever you decide to do what will make the difference is just enforcing your rules. I had practice at 9 a.m. every Saturday morning for one season and no matter how many times I begged my parents to let me skip they always forced me to go. It all starts with the parents.

 

[LovesToCheer10]

My gym started enforcing an attendance rule last year. After choreography camp (mid July) you were only allowed to miss 12 practices the whole year. Whether it was excused or not! We kept posters in the gym for every team with everyone’s names on the poster and when you missed a practice the date would be written down and the reason why you missed practice. And if you ever got to 12 you were replaced in the routine and became an alternate. This way you had to decide if missing practice for what you wanted to do was important enough since you only could miss 12.

 

[CharlieCheers]

Summer dates turned in when you find out your team. You can miss 2 practices without getting kicked off unless it's excused. (which takes alot)

 

[Num1Stunta]

My personal policy (not that of my gym's):

- a WRITTEN request must be filled out, signed by parent, and approved by coach in order to be an "excused" absence
- 1 absence allowed over the summer
- beginning in Sept- 2 excused and 2 unexcused absences all year... beyond that, and they are removed from choreography or from the team

EXCUSED= funeral, wedding, family vacation, contagious illness, hospitalization, etc

UNEXCUSED= everything else- prom, other sports, concerts, social events, etc

Give them the excused absences so they know they have to use them wisely. If they go over the 2 excused, anything beyond that that would normally qualify as excused would then be an unexcused.

I've used this policy with high school and college, as well as all stars- including youth age

 

[BlueAndGreenMom]

We get 4 summer days to miss from June-July 31st. After that practice is mandatory.

 

[MyDaughterCheers]

UNEXCUSED= everything else- prom, other sports, concerts, social events, etc

I'm pretty big on attendance, but I would certainly allow my daughter to miss for Prom or other big event like that that only happens once year and may well be a once in a lifetime event.

 

[Num1Stunta]

UNEXCUSED= everything else- prom, other sports, concerts, social events, etc

I'm pretty big on attendance, but I would certainly allow my daughter to miss for Prom or other big event like that that only happens once year and may well be a once in a lifetime event.

Prom is overrated... 5 years down the road, nobody cares. I didn't go to mine, and I have no regrets (then again, I skipped it to sing in Carnegie Hall lol)

Like I said, it's unexcused... it doesn't mean they can't go, it just means it counts as one of their unexcused rather than an excused It sounds like your daughter probably wouldn't have maxed out on her absences during the year anyway, so she'd probably not have any issues under my system

 

[Emily]

UNEXCUSED= everything else- prom, other sports, concerts, social events, etc

I'm pretty big on attendance, but I would certainly allow my daughter to miss for Prom or other big event like that that only happens once year and may well be a once in a lifetime event.

As I may understand the "prom is a once in a lifetime event" thing, I cannot understand the "only happens once per year" thing. All of the excuses offered to us during the past 4 weeks were "happens only once per year" or even "once per lifetime" but not even half of them would be excused abscences. We had things such as: friend's birthday party, own birthday that day (not sure whether that would be excused or not), no ride to practice, someones confirmation (not sure whether I would put that one excused or not), family fun trip, family vacation outside of school vacation, hand hurt (and no, she did not show up at practice to watch), some fun school event (no, did not affect grade).
The excused abscences during the past 4 weeks were: school trip, school event in the afternoon that affected the grade, aunts wedding. During the past 4 weeks we only had 4 kids (out of 18) show up at every single practice. One kid was missing half of the time! With our new rules she even wouldn't compete next week, and we got 2 other kids that each had 2 unexcused practices that would be really close to not competing. And that was only FOUR weeks. So you might get what our problem is...
If the parents could at least inform us well in advance that their kid is not attending practice. But even things such as weddings, school trips, etc. that are known at least 3 weeks in advance are not told to us until the practice before.

Right now (= with all your input) our ideas are:
- Excused abscences have to be approved by coaches, and they need to be requested in written at least 3 weeks in advance (except illnesses - they need to be requested as soon as they know that they cannot attend practice, the lastest is 1 hour before practice starts)
- Excused: school event that affects grade (note of teacher required), school trip, wedding, funeral, family vacation during official school vacation (when the school vacation ends Friday and that weekend is practice it will not be excused since its only weekend and not official school vacation), contagious illness (doctors note required)
- Unexcused: friends birthday parties, fun family trips, concerts, etc.
- Undecided: own birthday (we got some young kids and I'm not sure about that yet - right now I'm more likely to make it excused than unexcused, but that would then be 4 practices with kids not being there between Mid-August and February), confirmation (since wedding is excused I'm more likely to have it excused than unexcused).
- Every kid has 6 excused practices before they will not compete and only be an alternate, one unexcused practice will count as 2 excused ones.
- If you're missing during the 2 weeks leading up to a competition you will not compete.

That's what we got so far - feedback is greatly appreciated. I'd rather have people here question our rules or make suggestions, than have the parents point out the weaknesses when we present the rules to them.

 

[momma2mycheerprincess]

As I may understand the "prom is a once in a lifetime event" thing, I cannot understand the "only happens once per year" thing. All of the excuses offered to us during the past 4 weeks were "happens only once per year" or even "once per lifetime" but not even half of them would be excused abscences. We had things such as: friend's birthday party, own birthday that day (not sure whether that would be excused or not), no ride to practice, someones confirmation (not sure whether I would put that one excused or not), family fun trip, family vacation outside of school vacation, hand hurt (and no, she did not show up at practice to watch), some fun school event (no, did not affect grade).
The excused abscences during the past 4 weeks were: school trip, school event in the afternoon that affected the grade, aunts wedding. During the past 4 weeks we only had 4 kids (out of 18) show up at every single practice. One kid was missing half of the time! With our new rules she even wouldn't compete next week, and we got 2 other kids that each had 2 unexcused practices that would be really close to not competing. And that was only FOUR weeks. So you might get what our problem is...
If the parents could at least inform us well in advance that their kid is not attending practice. But even things such as weddings, school trips, etc. that are known at least 3 weeks in advance are not told to us until the practice before.

Right now (= with all your input) our ideas are:
- Excused abscences have to be approved by coaches, and they need to be requested in written at least 3 weeks in advance (except illnesses - they need to be requested as soon as they know that they cannot attend practice, the lastest is 1 hour before practice starts)
- Excused: school event that affects grade (note of teacher required), school trip, wedding, funeral, family vacation during official school vacation (when the school vacation ends Friday and that weekend is practice it will not be excused since its only weekend and not official school vacation), contagious illness (doctors note required)
- Unexcused: friends birthday parties, fun family trips, concerts, etc.
- Undecided: own birthday (we got some young kids and I'm not sure about that yet - right now I'm more likely to make it excused than unexcused, but that would then be 4 practices with kids not being there between Mid-August and February), confirmation (since wedding is excused I'm more likely to have it excused than unexcused).
- Every kid has 6 excused practices before they will not compete and only be an alternate, one unexcused practice will count as 2 excused ones.
- If you're missing during the 2 weeks leading up to a competition you will not compete.

That's what we got so far - feedback is greatly appreciated. I'd rather have people here question our rules or make suggestions, than have the parents point out the weaknesses when we present the rules to them.

I dont know about their birthday....All the kids on our teams (especially young ones) have no problem coming to practice on birthdays-they love bringing cupcakes or a cake for everyone!!

 

[Aussiekat]

I dont know about their birthday....All the kids on our teams (especially young ones) have no problem coming to practice on birthdays-they love bringing cupcakes or a cake for everyone!!

That should be an attendance rule: Must attend and bring cake on birthdays

 

[Num1Stunta]

As I may understand the "prom is a once in a lifetime event" thing, I cannot understand the "only happens once per year" thing. All of the excuses offered to us during the past 4 weeks were "happens only once per year" or even "once per lifetime" but not even half of them would be excused abscences. We had things such as: friend's birthday party, own birthday that day (not sure whether that would be excused or not), no ride to practice, someones confirmation (not sure whether I would put that one excused or not), family fun trip, family vacation outside of school vacation, hand hurt (and no, she did not show up at practice to watch), some fun school event (no, did not affect grade).
The excused abscences during the past 4 weeks were: school trip, school event in the afternoon that affected the grade, aunts wedding. During the past 4 weeks we only had 4 kids (out of 18) show up at every single practice. One kid was missing half of the time! With our new rules she even wouldn't compete next week, and we got 2 other kids that each had 2 unexcused practices that would be really close to not competing. And that was only FOUR weeks. So you might get what our problem is...
If the parents could at least inform us well in advance that their kid is not attending practice. But even things such as weddings, school trips, etc. that are known at least 3 weeks in advance are not told to us until the practice before.

Right now (= with all your input) our ideas are:
- Excused abscences have to be approved by coaches, and they need to be requested in written at least 3 weeks in advance (except illnesses - they need to be requested as soon as they know that they cannot attend practice, the lastest is 1 hour before practice starts)
- Excused: school event that affects grade (note of teacher required), school trip, wedding, funeral, family vacation during official school vacation (when the school vacation ends Friday and that weekend is practice it will not be excused since its only weekend and not official school vacation), contagious illness (doctors note required)
- Unexcused: friends birthday parties, fun family trips, concerts, etc.
- Undecided: own birthday (we got some young kids and I'm not sure about that yet - right now I'm more likely to make it excused than unexcused, but that would then be 4 practices with kids not being there between Mid-August and February), confirmation (since wedding is excused I'm more likely to have it excused than unexcused).
- Every kid has 6 excused practices before they will not compete and only be an alternate, one unexcused practice will count as 2 excused ones.
- If you're missing during the 2 weeks leading up to a competition you will not compete.

That's what we got so far - feedback is greatly appreciated. I'd rather have people here question our rules or make suggestions, than have the parents point out the weaknesses when we present the rules to them.

I'd say unexcused... honestly, it's 2 hours out of their day. You don't get excused from school or work for birthdays, right? And, as @Edie says, you can celebrate it at practice. I had a girl at my prior gym whose grandparents flew out from California to celebrate her birthday- all they asked was that she could come in late so they could have dinner. They brought her in like 45 min late, with cupcakes for the whole team, and the grandparents came to watch her practice. That was perfect

 

[MissBee]

UNEXCUSED= everything else- prom, other sports, concerts, social events, etc

I'm pretty big on attendance, but I would certainly allow my daughter to miss for Prom or other big event like that that only happens once year and may well be a once in a lifetime event.

What if your Prom was Worlds weekend? Many schools hold prom in April.....

 

[Emily]

I'd say unexcused... honestly, it's 2 hours out of their day. You don't get excused from school or work for birthdays, right? And, as @Edie says, you can celebrate it at practice. I had a girl at my prior gym whose grandparents flew out from California to celebrate her birthday- all they asked was that she could come in late so they could have dinner. They brought her in like 45 min late, with cupcakes for the whole team, and the grandparents came to watch her practice. That was perfect

Love that! That's a great "general rule" for when you could miss practice - if you wouldn't miss school for it then you shouldn't miss practice for it. And they still have their unexcused abscences - if they choose to use it for their birthday, then they better be at practice other times.