[EricH]

Originally Posted by davidthefat

My mentality is that if they don't want to participate, its their loss. [...]If it is a legitimate excuse like sports or religious activities or something along those lines, go with Eric's advice.

David, I'm assuming that it's not a question of not wanting to participate. But I've been known to skip robotics for Scouts, schoolwork, and other reasons that are all valid. Some people just don't have time to do everything all the time. Trust me, I've learned the hard way to hold back a bit if I don't think I can do it. I gave up soccer club in college because it was just too much to handle alongside of my other activities.

If it's a question of "I don't want to participate", then they probably wouldn't have bothered to show up at all. If they're showing up and not wanting to participate... Well, then you enforce the "don't show up" mentality a little if you have to.