Getting to soccer practice

[Anonymous]

I'm new to DC and kind of wondering does traffic often mess with kids getting to soccer practice on time? From our place to the school they practice is about 20 minutes, but I could see traffic really messing with things. Do coaches make allowances for this or do we just have to try and leave extra early just in case?

[Anonymous]

What level of soccer? Except for exceptional events traffic does not prevent getting to practice on time because we allow sufficient time for traffic. At the travel level, Coach would get annoyed if someone is consistently late, and rightfully so. A couple of times a season is understandable.

[Anonymous]

If your child is late, they may get in trouble.

[Anonymous]

You pay them. Don't forget that.

[Anonymous]

don’t be late, you don’t want that held against your child.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You pay them. Don't forget that.

While true, you may end up needing to find a need coach depending on how you approach the topic.

[Anonymous]

If your kid is the one who is always late, they may not start at games. Or they may have to do a lap or two when they arrive. Imagine being a coach and having kids drift in for the first 15-20 minutes. He/she would have to re-explain the drills over and over. It’s distracting and inefficient. Get a high schooler to drive your kid on time or carpool. Make it work.

[Anonymous]

It depends on how you/they want to treat this. If it’s going to be serious and you want them to play at a high level, then treat your attendance and timing as such.

[Anonymous]

If you are making every honest attempt to get there on time and you are occasionally late don't sweat it. If, after making every reasonable accommodation, you have exhausted carpooling etc.. to get there on time and you still cannot do it then just talk to the coach about it.

Again, you pay them. Coaches don't like dismissive parents but if you are serious about getting there on time and logistically it just can't work most reasonable coaches will not hold it against the player.

Now, for me late is 10-15 minutes and that is not a big deal. If you are consistently a half hour or more late, well that is absolutely discussion worthy.

But some coaches are more anal about it than others. Having wrong numbers throws off their planned drills and that is what bothers them more than what the player might actually be missing.

But ultimately the only won who is missing out is your kid and the lost money/training hours you have paid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you are making every honest attempt to get there on time and you are occasionally late don't sweat it. If, after making every reasonable accommodation, you have exhausted carpooling etc.. to get there on time and you still cannot do it then just talk to the coach about it.

Again, you pay them. Coaches don't like dismissive parents but if you are serious about getting there on time and logistically it just can't work most reasonable coaches will not hold it against the player.

Now, for me late is 10-15 minutes and that is not a big deal. If you are consistently a half hour or more late, well that is absolutely discussion worthy.

But some coaches are more anal about it than others. Having wrong numbers throws off their planned drills and that is what bothers them more than what the player might actually be missing.

But ultimately the only won who is missing out is your kid and the lost money/training hours you have paid.

This.

[Anonymous]

Leave early get there on time. Part of the whole team expierience is learning to be accountable. Your letting down your teammates who do the right thing and show up on time. Honestly if you were late to your job evry day it wouldn’t be acceptable. late for school the same . If your join any team it’s part of the commitment . If you don’t take it serious enough to show don’t join the team just take your kid to the park and kick it around with them . I’m not acting like it’s the us national team. But it is a commitment don’t let others down .

[Anonymous]

Actually, in rec, you are not really paying them. The coach is a volunteer who has been kind enough to volunteer their free time to coach your kid. If you are not helping out, the least you can do is to try to get to games and practices on time.

We do carpools for practice so that if you have a three-family carpool, each parent only has to leave work early once every three weeks. If that is an issue, sports may not be for you, or you need a sitter.

Travel soccer- if your kid is consistently late, chances are they will not be asked back next year unless they are really good.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Leave early get there on time. Part of the whole team expierience is learning to be accountable. Your letting down your teammates who do the right thing and show up on time. Honestly if you were late to your job evry day it wouldn’t be acceptable. late for school the same . If your join any team it’s part of the commitment . If you don’t take it serious enough to show don’t join the team just take your kid to the park and kick it around with them . I’m not acting like it’s the us national team. But it is a commitment don’t let others down .

+1. This is part of why we do sports in the first place: To build character, learn discipline, value teamwork, sportsmanship. Obviously there are exceptions to the rule and there's no need to go crazy about it, but as a general matter you should make a point of being on time.

Incidentally, who pays has zero to do with it (and gosh I hope you're not teaching your kid that you don't need to be accountable to others just because you're writing a check. That's a pretty terrible lesson to teach a child!) If you make a commitment to a team, you commit to practices. So make every reasonable effort to be on time, understanding that from time to time, things will come up and that's ok, too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Actually, in rec, you are not really paying them. The coach is a volunteer who has been kind enough to volunteer their free time to coach your kid. If you are not helping out, the least you can do is to try to get to games and practices on time.

We do carpools for practice so that if you have a three-family carpool, each parent only has to leave work early once every three weeks. If that is an issue, sports may not be for you, or you need a sitter.

Travel soccer- if your kid is consistently late, chances are they will not be asked back next year unless they are really good.

+1
and please be there to pick up your player on time exactly when the practice ends. My husband volunteers as a coach and it is so frustrating when he has to hang around for 15+ minutes after practice ends waiting on a parent to come claim their kid. He is volunteering to coach, not babysit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Leave early get there on time. Part of the whole team expierience is learning to be accountable. Your letting down your teammates who do the right thing and show up on time. Honestly if you were late to your job evry day it wouldn’t be acceptable. late for school the same . If your join any team it’s part of the commitment . If you don’t take it serious enough to show don’t join the team just take your kid to the park and kick it around with them . I’m not acting like it’s the us national team. But it is a commitment don’t let others down .

+1. This is part of why we do sports in the first place: To build character, learn discipline, value teamwork, sportsmanship. Obviously there are exceptions to the rule and there's no need to go crazy about it, but as a general matter you should make a point of being on time.

Incidentally, who pays has zero to do with it (and gosh I hope you're not teaching your kid that you don't need to be accountable to others just because you're writing a check. That's a pretty terrible lesson to teach a child!) If you make a commitment to a team, you commit to practices. So make every reasonable effort to be on time, understanding that from time to time, things will come up and that's ok, too.

Gee, I don’t know, I kinda think teaching a commitment that work and a job that feeds a family are important too. I know letting the team down is serious business but so is paying the mortgage and feeding the family. Jesus the bubble you people live in.