Whats the best ( worst ) excuse you have ever had from a parent about why their dd wasnt practicing

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We had a player miss a Sunday bracket game to be a ball girl at a volleyball game.

 

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We had a player miss a Sunday bracket game to be a ball girl at a volleyball game.

Ouch! I only say that because I know who you are talking about. LOL.

 

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Have had two parents over the past few years state, "She is not a practice player, she is a game player!" Had to just walk away from that response.

 

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Have had two parents over the past few years state, "She is not a practice player, she is a game player!" Had to just walk away from that response.

You know my DD doesn't give nearly the effort at practice as she does during a game. I've been on her butt to change that and to show leadership by example. We'll see but again I'm "Dad" and the ears are selective. I got the coaches on her for that too.

 

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Practice like you play! We preach, cajole and sometimes beg. If you can't put the effort in then someone will take your place. I know seasons are long and practice is a grind but if you want to become a standout player you have to put the work in.

 

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I don't excuses for my DD, if she's not doing what she's supposed to I flatly tell the coach and ask the coach to "encourage" her. Being "Dad", my words go in one ear and right out the other. The coach can say the same thing and it'll mean something. Go figure.

AMEN Brother!

 

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I just wish most felt the need to make excuses for not practicing on their own. I think youth athletics (especially girls) have gotten so structured that regardless of how many times the coaches tell the kids there is an expectation that they are putting work in on their own outside of organized practice that too many players and their parents feel that showing up to practices and games fufills their entire commitment to the sport.

I have never seen an athlete that had any real skill that didn't (pitch/throw/bat) almost as much on their own time as with their team. Mom and Dad wouldn't allow DD to take piano lessons without practicing in between, but getting hitting instruction apparently counts as both lesson and practice in their minds.

IMO that is a real difference between girls and boys athletics. Boys are still more likely to incorporate skills they need to practice into their free time (whether as a game with others or practicing on their own). Don't get me wrong, I've seen plenty of girls who get it and put in tons of time on their own, but they really differentiate themselves from their peers over time and it seems like almost all that figure it out end up having opportunities to go on in the sport. On the boys side most of them get it and so many of them put in tons of work that just learning how to work hard isn't enough to diffentiate them from their peers and isn't a guarantee of being able to continue even to the HS Varsity level.

 

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We had a girl receiving the best hitting instruction in the world from her father while she sported an 0 for ????? batting average and leading the team in K?s. You couldn?t help this kid due to the overwhelming support she had at home and she was instructed to NOT listen to us---the coaching staff . We moved her in the batting order and the decision was questioned by her parents as they exclaimed her to be a power hitter. By moving her in the batting order we somehow would be jinxing her and the whole team effort would be lost.

My answer was ?she?s not a power hitter but a power swinger and if she doesn?t learn how to bunt she may never get on base.?

I?m not coaching this girl anymore.

She definitely played on my wifes team last year. EXACT same insanity. The girls would not take any of the hitting instruction (per mother). And she could only hit slow pitching. My wife moved her down in the order and the mother said she was not hitting because she is depressed about not batting 2-3 spot. My wife said when she hits like a #2-3 then she will move into that slot. But right now she hits like a #6-8 hitter.........and another one leaves the program..........

 

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I had a 12U that couldn't make a Little League All-Star game because she had to go watch her older brother's Legion Playoff game. I was speechless and couldn't bring myself to punish the player, the parents never saw the absurdity of the request.

 

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Maybe it was a transportaion issue??

 

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I can top all of these.

My friend had a girl miss a HS game because she went to work at a tanning salon......I mean what do you say?

She made a mistake because she should have booted her off the team that instant.

 

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"my dd will practice more and better when it gets hotter out. Usually needs to be around 90 degrees or so for her to want to practice".



I was dumbfounded.

 

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Had a Senior, a starter, miss 3 games in a row. First one was for a school club function (no problem, school thing), but after talking to the advisor the function was done at 3:00, Game time is at 5:00, hmmmm. Then later that week, she was not going to start but she had a college visit, again no problem, college visits are important. After the game that night (Friday) a couple of her teammates saw her at work. When they asked her about her visit, she said the visit was cancelled. Needless to say the teammates were stumped why she was not at the game.
The very next game was a make-up game, she missed because she was called into work.
How many want to guess how often she saw the field after those 3 games? It was a shame to see a Senior obviously quit on her team (that is the only conclusion I can come up with.)