I am coaching a JV girls team, the girls have been missing practice and I am enforcing rules.........?

Question

I coach a JV girls Lacrosse team. I have 25 total players and 10 should up yesterday and 10 should up agian today. I do not want the season to continue this way so here is what i told the girls.......

If you miss practice excused or unexcused you will have to run extra to make up for what you missed the day you were absent.
If absences continue, the whole team will be running for each absence, excused or unexcused.


I know that some girls are truly not feeling well when they stay home, but it is obvious that many have taken advantage of this and the parents are calling their girls in sick when they are not.

I do not think this is fare to the girls who make an effort to come to practice everyday and I do not want any one on the team to quit but i would rather a player quit then constantly miss practice.

How would you feel about this? Give me any advice!!!
Thank

the running will include:

Everyone goes on the normal 30 min. run before practice. Unexcused players will run for 40 min.

after this girls will get drinks and rest for 10 min.

All girls who missed practice excused or unexcused will run sprints.

we will then continue with normal practice and end the day with the normal sprints that we run after practice everyday......

Answer 1

Well for starters I would have a team meeting and let everyone know how you feel. Let them know that you are putting your heart into the team, and it's not fair of the players to take advantage of your niceness. Then let them know that from now on a missed practice can not be made up with an extra ten minutes of running. Let them know that from now on, if they miss a practice (for any un-legit excuses, including more than 2 sick absences) they do not play in the next game. It sounds like your JV girls have no intention of growing up anytime soon on their own and you need to teach them that in the "real world" absences are not tolerated.

Answer 2

maybe not strict enough

when my son played basketball, his coach's attitude was this

if you are serious about playing, you must be serious enough to attend practice

no practice no play