Ever had a student who attended all the practices leading up to an Academic Games tournament, then, a few days before the tournament, says he or she can’t make the tournament because of a conflict that was on the family calendar the whole time?
Probably, if it hasn’t happened on your team yet, it will eventually.
- In most leagues, missing one or more rounds of competition hurts the student’s chances of qualifying for Nationals. That may be punishment enough.
- Unfortunately, the rest of the team often suffers because of the player’s absence. Either they will be short a player with no replacement, which prohibits their winning an award at the tournament. Or, if the missing student was one of the best players, the replacement will not help the team as much in the competition.
- You may “punish” the no-show by subjecting him/her to a lecture about responsibility to commitments and the need to organize one’s calendar better.
Once burned by a no-show, you learn to caution students as you begin practice for each game that they need to keep the competition date(s) clear on their calendars. Sending the schedule of practices and competitions to parents will help immensely.