What is the recommended sequence for addressing attendance issues?

• A. Discuss barriers, set expectations, and establish a plan to re-engage and maintain accountability.
• B. Publicly compare attendance to teammates.
• C. Ignore the attendance issue.
• D. Immediately bench the rower for a month.

Answer: (A)

Addressing attendance issues works best when you start with understanding and collaboration, then move to clear expectations, and finally put a concrete, actionable plan in place to re-engage and maintain accountability. First, discuss barriers with the rower to understand why practices were missed. This shows you’re listening and helps identify realistic solutions—whether it’s transportation, scheduling conflicts, health, or motivation. Next, set clear, mutual expectations about attendance going forward so there’s no ambiguity about what’s required and what will happen if expectations aren’t met. Finally, establish a practical plan to re-engage, including specific steps, timelines, reminders, and check-ins, plus a fair way to monitor progress and provide support.

This approach is constructive and trust-building, because it addresses root causes, clarifies standards, and creates a path to improvement with accountability. Publicly shaming attendance, ignoring the issue, or punishing without addressing underlying factors tends to erode trust, demotivate the athlete, and can make future attendance worse.