It's all in the handbook, but it's also one of the most frequently asked questions, so here is the attendance excerpt from the Cross Country Handbook:
One of our core principles is commitment. Commitment starts with attendance. We hold this value high. We feel it is important to show commitment to your team by contributing to it every day and making it a priority. We believe that we have developed a policy that is fair and will help our team continue its success. Ideally we wouldn’t need a policy because everyone has 100% attendance but that reality is not the case, yet . Our policy is a way to monitor the team and hold everyone to the same expectation.
DSCC athletes are expected to be at all practices and meets. We ask that you do not schedule doctor, dentist or other non-emergency appointments during practice times or meets, if at all possible, since our training is very time sensitive. Schedule these appointments during the summer months or during other vacation times. Mondays are excellent days for appointments as we generally have an off day on Mondays. We understand that unforeseeable circumstances may arise that could prevent athletes from being at practice but we also feel strongly that the athletes need to be at practice in order to be successful in meets and also to help prevent injuries.
Therefore, the coaching staff has decided that if an athlete has 3 absences, accrued from missing either a scheduled practice or a meet which they were expected to attend, they will not be allowed to compete in the next scheduled meet. We feel an athlete having 3 absences runs the risk of not prepared physically to compete and has not demonstrated the desired commitment to the team. However, the athlete is still expected to attend the meet to complete the missed training and show team support.
After sitting out a meet, if the athlete earns an additional absence they will again not be allowed to compete in the next scheduled meet and in addition they will have a conference with the coaches to discuss his/her continued participation on the team. Upon any additional absences beyond what is mentioned above the athlete runs the risk of being dismissed from the team, per coach’s discretion.
Note that leaving practice or a meet early is unacceptable, as the end of practice is just as important as the beginning and middle and leaving a meet before all races and meetings are done does not reflect the kind of commitment to the team that we are trying to develop. Every team member is important and the commitment everyone brings to the table helps make us a stronger team. Athletes will receive 1/3 credit at most for the day if they choose to leave early.
Saturday practices and meets are on our schedule as well and eligible athletes are expected to attend, unless told otherwise by a coach, as they are considered part of our regular schedule. Athletes should plan on attending these practices and meets in order to reach their highest potential as a runner and demonstrate commitment to our team.
* Note: 90% or greater attendance record is needed to be considered for a Varsity Letter, JV letter and Participation Certificate at the end of the season. We typically have about 40-45 practices for the season.